SGI reminding people to count to three while driving

Whether old or new, chances are most drivers have come across someone driving so close they could count the wrinkles on the other drivers’ forehead in the rearview mirror.

To prevent this, and make the roads safer, SGI is urging drivers to follow the three-second rule — when a car ahead passes a stationary object, SGI’s Tyler McMurchy said a driver should be able to count to three before they also pass that object.

McMurchy said the three-second rule allows drivers more wiggle room in the event of needing to come to an immediate stop.

“Those three seconds give you that cushion, whereas one or two seconds may not,” said McMurchy.

Shay Shpak, the Director of Driver Examination Services at SGI, supported that point, saying every second counts.

“If there is some kind of hazard that presents itself, perhaps the car in front of you stopping suddenly, you need that time to react and respond appropriately, which would likely be to either veer out of the way or stop really quickly, and three seconds allows that under ideal conditions,” said Shpak.

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McMurchy said poor following distance plays a role in many of the crashes in Regina each year.

“Following too closely is actually a pretty significant factor when it comes to causing collisions in Saskatchewan — it’s a factor in about eight per cent of all collisions that we see on our roads, which translates into just over 4,000 collisions per year on average,” said McMurchy.

“Those collisions don’t just damage your vehicle, in some cases, they injure or even kill people. Over the last five years, they’ve been responsible for an average of 758 injuries every year and three fatalities,” said McMurchy.

He said the three-second rule is helpful at any speed, whether a driver is in the city or on a highway.

When conditions are less desirable, such as low visibility on pavement or loose gravel, SGI said drivers should double their following distance to six seconds or more, allowing even more time to react.