What minimum distance should you keep from the vehicle in front of you when you get stucked in a traffic jam in a tunnel?
Show the correct answer
Correct answer
B. 5 m.
Explanation
In the photo you are waiting in a traffic jam in a tunnel behind cars. When you are waiting in a traffic jam in a tunnel behind another vehicle, you must keep a distance of at least 5 m - answer B.
The Road Traffic Act states that the driver of a vehicle in a tunnel, when stopped because of traffic conditions or road traffic rules, must keep a distance of not less than 5 m from the vehicle in front. This is about safety in the event of a fire or a collision: a gap of five metres lets you drive out of the line of vehicles, leaves room for people escaping on foot and for emergency services to get through, and in a crash it limits the domino effect. In a tunnel smoke builds up quickly, so spare space is more important than gaining one car length. On a motorcycle you have one more reason: if you wait right behind the bumper, you are invisible to a driver who may reverse. Another number on the same topic is the distance while driving in long tunnels outside built-up areas - 50 m for vehicles up to 3.5 t.
Legal basis: Art. 47a and Art. 19 para. 4 point 1 of the Road Traffic Act (Prawo o ruchu drogowym)