What is the recommended following distance for a school bus under normal conditions?

• A. A safe following distance that allows you to stop within your line of sight; typically 2-3 seconds or more depending on conditions.
• B. A constant distance of 1 second.
• C. Always 5 seconds.
• D. Distance is not important.

Answer: (A)

Maintain a safe following distance so you can stop if the bus in front of you brakes suddenly. In normal conditions, this is about two to three seconds of following time, increasing as conditions worsen (rain, snow, fog, poor pavement, or higher speeds). The idea of stopping within your line of sight means you should be able to see a fixed point on the road far enough ahead to stop safely if the bus slows or stops. A one-second gap is not enough for a heavy vehicle, insisting on a fixed five-second gap is overly rigid for normal driving, and saying distance isn’t important is unsafe. So, aim for roughly two to three seconds, and adjust upward for adverse conditions.