Overcorrect

On Houston roads, it is common to see only a car length’s distance between vehicles going 60+.  It does not matter how go a driver you think you are, you cannot overcome the physics of an object in motion.  It is impossible to stop a 6,000 lb. vehicle, going 60 in less than maybe 20 feet. I saw the aftermath of an auto accident and could tell from the skid marks that the drive overcorrected and ended in the retaining wall. 

The event reminded me of two things I learned in a Smith System® collision avoidance driving class: the importance of maintaining a proper following distance from the vehicle ahead of you, and having an “out.”  The course suggests a four-second gap between you and the vehicle ahead.  You find a landmark and when you see it, you let off the accelerator for a count of four seconds, and that gives you the suggested following distance.  An “out” is the process of ensuring your lane positioning, relative to traffic on either side, gives you an alternate path should something happen ahead of you.  Employing these two principles can greatly reduce you potential to overcorrect on the road and end up in an accident.

Distance and time are the two things that make the techniques above effective.  Distance and time are also effective in our daily lives.  We sometimes need to be closer to and spending more time with the important people.  Other times we need a little space and some time to ourselves.  Allowing ourselves to be flexible and move in and out as needed keeps us from overcorrecting and hitting the wall.