Queensland transport department divides internet over road rule question

Aussie motorists have been left divided after being quizzed over a road rule by Queensland’s transport department.

Aussie drivers have been left divided after being quizzed over a road rule on social media.

The Queensland Department of Transport and Main Roads posed the age old question of how much space should be left between two cars to their followers today – causing widespread debate in the comments below the post.

“You know your road rules, and now’s your chance to prove it,” the department wrote.

“The weather conditions are fine and there’s no traffic on this road – so what’s the minimum safe following distance the blue car should be maintaining?”

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You know your road rules, and now’s your chance to prove it.

The weather conditions are fine and there's no traffic on this road—so what's the minimum safe following distance the blue car should be maintaining? pic.twitter.com/QRe38PxItD

— Transport and Main Roads Queensland (@TMRQld) June 28, 2020

Some commenters accused the blue car of “travelling too close … regardless of weather conditions”, with many concluding the “minimum safe following distance” was “two seconds” or “one car length behind the car in front”.

“As a rule of thumb 2 seconds. But it also depends on the speed you are travelling,” one user wrote on Facebook.

“The faster the speed the greater the distance.”

Others disagreed, accusing the orange car of “going too slow for the speed you’re wanting to go” and saying the blue car should simply “overtake them”.

“No other traffic – then overtake,” another user wrote.

“Teach people to not drive slow in the right hand lane on freeways. Every freaking day on the Centenary Highway it’s the same thing,” commented another.

They weren’t alone in taking the post as an opportunity to air their grievances about Queensland drivers, saying the state’s roads are ruled by “chaos” where drivers “display complete and total ignorance of the road rules”.

“According to many QLD drivers, any gap in traffic regardless of distance is an acceptable place to merge into,” one wrote.

“According to the truck driver that was behind me on the Bruce Highway last night it’s OK to have 20+ tonne only 2ft behind my car,” commented another.

And a third person took a swing at the Department of Transport and Main Roads itself, writing, “Queensland Transport drivers tailgate all the time. So I guess the answer is ‘As close as you want’.”

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The department confirmed that these people were correct, with the road rule indicating drivers should leave two seconds behind the vehicle in front.

“Following another vehicle too closely is what we call ‘tailgating’ – and if you’re tailgating it can make it a lot harder to stop safely in time to avoid a crash,” they wrote.

“In ideal conditions, you should leave *at least 2 seconds* behind the vehicle in front of you.

“If the conditions are poor or you’re towing a trailer or caravan, you should increase your following distance.”