Tuesday, July 28, 2009
The one-second rule
Driving from Freiburg to Steinebach today, I realized I forgot to mention the "one-second rule" in my previous post about the Autobahn. The one-second rule is a useful aid for the aggressive driver. In simple terms, it means you should always follow one second behind the driver ahead of you--that is, regardless of what speed you're travelling, the front of your car should pass by a roadside object one second after the back of the car immediately in front of you passes it. This practice ensures that all cars on the Autobahn will stop en masse more quickly than if drivers were to waste precious pavement space by leaving larger gaps between vehicles. For some dramatic consequences of the one-second rule, consider this 259-car pile-up last week on the Autobahn between Hanover and Peine.
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2 comments:
Wow, now that's impressive. So, may we presume that you are leaving the driving to Stephan and others in such perilous driving conditions? Some city in the US installed devices on overpasses that could measure the speed and distance between vehicles and then snap a photo of offending license plates and potentially issue tickets via the mail.
Score on the piano! Sounds like you are being richly rewarded in Freiburg for your weeks of vegetable deprivation. Stephan just wanted to make sure you appreciated your Freiburg residence.
We are enjoying Kiwis and getting close to Asian pear season here. Linden’s latest passion is creating Pokémon cards. His creatures and their names and ‘powers’ are so charming I have scanned them and sent them to the Pokémon Company. I have not had to bug him about practicing his handwriting and since he and David started Harry Potter, I have not had to remind him about reading either. I’d say we are having a nice summer, all things considered.
I am thoroughly enjoying your Blog. Keep it up!
Bernadette
Oh, my! For serious drivers only, indeed!
Michelle
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