The short version
- Fixed following distance in law
- NoneRegulation 308(1)(b) sets a standard, not a number
- The standard itself
- No closer than is reasonable and prudentJudged against the other vehicle's speed, the traffic, and the roadway's condition
- The two-second rule
- A method for applying the standard, not a separate rulePass a fixed point no sooner than two seconds after the vehicle ahead of you passed it
- In rain, at night, or behind something heavy
- More than two secondsThe same regulation, applied to worse conditions
What the regulation actually says
Regulation 308(1)(b) says a driver shall not "follow another vehicle more closely than is reasonable and prudent having regard to the speed of such other vehicle and the traffic on and the condition of the roadway". Nowhere does it name a distance, a time gap, or a number of car lengths.
That is a deliberate kind of rule. Instead of one figure meant to cover a bakkie on a dry freeway and a truck in the rain equally badly, the law asks you to judge the gap against the actual conditions in front of you. A gap that is reasonable and prudent on an open road in daylight is not reasonable and prudent in the same spot in the rain, at night, or behind a vehicle that blocks your view of what is happening further ahead.
The two-second rule is how you apply it, not what the law says
You'll see "two seconds" everywhere, and it's good advice — it's just not what regulation 308(1)(b) states. To use it, pick a fixed point on the road ahead, such as a sign or a lamp post. When the back of the vehicle in front passes it, start counting. You should not reach that same point until at least two seconds have gone by.
The value of the method is that it scales with speed automatically — it gives you a bigger physical gap the faster you're going, which is exactly what "reasonable and prudent having regard to the speed of such other vehicle" is asking for. It does not, on its own, account for the traffic or the roadway's condition, which is why the regulation still asks for more than the method gives you when either is worse than normal.
The mistake
Treating two seconds as a fixed target that always satisfies the law. It's a floor for good conditions, not a number you can point to on a wet road, in fog, or behind a truck whose size adds to your own stopping distance and takes away your view of the road ahead. Regulation 308(1)(b) asks for more in exactly those situations.
The other one is judging the gap by feel rather than by the vehicle ahead's speed. A gap that looks fine at 60 km/h closes far faster at 120, because the distance a vehicle covers before you can react and brake grows with the square of its speed, not in a straight line with it.
Following distance is a rules-of-the-road question
It's scored with the rest of the rules section, separately from signs and vehicle controls. The free readiness test takes a couple of minutes, needs no account, and shows the three sections apart.
Take the free readiness testCommon questions
What is the legal following distance in South Africa?
There isn't a fixed one. Regulation 308(1)(b) requires a distance that is reasonable and prudent, having regard to the speed of the vehicle ahead, the traffic, and the roadway's condition — no metres or seconds are prescribed.
Is the two-second rule the law?
No. It's a practical way of applying regulation 308(1)(b)'s standard, not a rule written into the regulations. You should pass a fixed point no sooner than two seconds after the vehicle in front of you passed it, and allow more time when conditions are worse.
Should I leave more space in the rain or at night?
Yes. The same regulation that sets the reasonable-and-prudent standard names "the condition of the roadway" as one of the things you must weigh, so a shorter gap that's fine in the dry is not automatically fine in the rain, in fog, or in the dark.
Why do I need more space behind a truck or bus?
A heavy vehicle takes longer to stop and blocks your view of the traffic and hazards ahead of it. Both of those are exactly what regulation 308(1)(b) asks you to have regard to, so a gap that would be reasonable behind a car isn't reasonable behind a truck.
Sources
- National Road Traffic Regulations, 2000 — regulation 308(1)(b)"General duties of driver or passenger of vehicle on public road": no person driving or having a vehicle on a public road shall "follow another vehicle more closely than is reasonable and prudent having regard to the speed of such other vehicle and the traffic on and the condition of the roadway, or more closely than is prescribed in these regulations". No distance is prescribed elsewhere in the regulations.
Last updated 2026-09-23.