How should you adjust your following distance in rainy conditions?

• A. Increase distance to about 4-6 seconds or more depending on conditions.
• B. Maintain a 2-second following distance.
• C. Decrease distance to 1 second.
• D. Follow bumper-to-bumper to stay in traffic.

Answer: (D)

When it’s raining, the road becomes slick and your visibility can drop, so your stopping distance increases. To stay safe, you need a much larger following distance than in dry conditions. A good target is about 4 to 6 seconds of gap, and you should extend this further if the rain is heavy, the road is very slick, or visibility is poor. The extra time gives you room to react to the vehicle ahead and to stop safely without the risk of sliding or hitting the car in front. Staying right up against another car is dangerous in rain because even a small pause or a puddle can require much more braking than you expect, and you could lose control or hydroplane. So, in rainy conditions, extend your following distance rather than trying to stay as close as possible to the car ahead.