The two-second rule
A free practice question for the New York permit test, with the answer explained.
Independent practice site. We're not the DMV and aren't connected to any government agency.
With no bad weather or large trucks, how far behind the car ahead should you stay?
The rule
Use the two-second rule: when the vehicle ahead passes a fixed object such as a sign or tree, count slowly to two. If you reach the object before you finish, you are too close.
Use the two-second rule. In bad weather or behind large trucks, add space and count at least three or four seconds.
From the New York State Driver's Manual, page 47. This question is our own wording of that rule. The handbook and the DMV have the final word.
Often mixed up with
People confuse these rules with this one. Each has its own practice question.
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