It&#x27;s not, though.<p>In Germany the minimum safety distance is taught in driving classes and severe violations of it will be fined like any other reckless behaviour.<p>The rule of thumb is &quot;as much of a distance as you pass within two seconds&quot;. This scales wonderfully with speed and easily covers the reaction time and breaking duration.<p>Sure, in urban traffic the typical safety distance is usually less than a vehicle length, but with both tailgating and cutting in on someone constituting reckless driving offences, that&#x27;s not a huge problem.