What distance should you keep from a vehicle in front of you if you ride a moped in a built-up area?
Show the correct answer
Correct answer
B. A distance necessary to avoid a crash in the event that the vehicle in front of me stops.
Explanation
In the photo there is a multi-lane street in town with arrows on the roadway; in front of you there is a lorry with a tarpaulin, and in the distance you can see traffic lights. When riding a moped in a built-up area, you keep the distance necessary to avoid a crash if the vehicle in front stops - answer B.
The Road Traffic Act requires you to keep the distance necessary to avoid a crash if the vehicle in front brakes or stops - in town and outside it. Any distance (answer A) would be an invitation to run into the back of the vehicle, and two moped lengths (answer C) is far too little at 40-50 km/h, because during your reaction time alone you travel more than 10 m. Behind a lorry, leave more room also because it blocks your view of the traffic lights and the road ahead, and its driver may not see you in the mirrors. A good measure is a gap of at least two seconds, and on a wet surface an even bigger one.
Legal basis: Art. 19 para. 2 point 3 of the Road Traffic Act (Prawo o ruchu drogowym)