Safe distance between vehicles

While driving, every driver must keep a safe distance from the vehicle ahead so that timely stopping is always possible and collisions can be avoided. This distance is not fixed and is not the same in every situation. It depends on speed, road conditions, traffic, visibility, the condition of the vehicle, and weather conditions. In practice, the greater the risk or the longer the braking distance, the greater the distance that must be kept from the vehicle in front.

Outside built-up areas, when an overtaking ban applies only to certain categories of vehicles, those vehicles must keep a distance of at least 100 meters from each other. This rule is intended to give other road users enough space to perform overtaking maneuvers safely. However, this minimum distance of 100 meters is not required on road sections with two or more lanes for each direction of travel.

When snowplows or salt spreaders are operating, all drivers must proceed with the greatest caution. In these cases, the safety distance from such vehicles must never be less than 20 meters. In addition, vehicles coming from the opposite direction must stop if necessary so as not to interfere with the work of these vehicles, which are essential for keeping the road usable and safe.

Failure to respect the safe distance rules leads to an administrative fine. If, however, failure to keep a safe distance causes a collision with serious damage to vehicles, the penalty is higher. If the same serious violation is repeated at least twice within two years, in addition to the financial penalty, the driving licence may also be suspended for one to three months.

If serious injuries to people result from failure to keep a safe distance, the administrative penalty becomes even heavier. In such cases, criminal consequences may also apply if the facts amount to offences such as negligent bodily injury or negligent homicide. For the theory exam, it is important to remember that the safety distance is not only a technical rule, but a fundamental principle for preventing accidents.