How Much is a Ticket for Following Too Close in Alberta?

A following too close ticket means 4 demerits, $243.00 and is a major violation that is certain to have significant impact on your insurance rates for the next three years. With that in mind, do you know what the correct follow distance is?… it’s farther than you’d think.

 

Every driver on Alberta roads breaks this law multiple times EVERY day without knowing it.

So how do you NOT follow another vehicle too closely? If we use the old rule of one car length for every 15 km/h that means you must keep a space of more than THREE car lengths on most city streets …pretty darn difficult to do!

If you’ve taken driving lessons then you know another way of keeping a “safe distance” is to use the 2-second rule. That’s great for highway driving but try pulling that off during rush hour… pretty near impossible! Even police officers can’t keep that spacing in heavy traffic.

Here’s some math to give this some perspective. When travelling at 50 km/h we’re moving at 14 m/sec… roughly 3 car lengths per second (using 5 m/car length). The 2-second rule means you ought to be six car lengths (almost 100 feet!) behind the vehicle in front of you.

Good luck with that one!

One of the issues with this piece of legislation is that it’s completely open to the officer’s personal view of what looks to be “too close.” The law requires that you not follow more closely than is reasonable and prudent having regard for the following:

  • the speed of the vehicles

  • the amount and nature of traffic on the highway

  • the condition of the highway

That’s a really broad definition, which is why we see so many different interpretations when officer’s present evidence on a following too closely ticket in Alberta courts.

What you feel is a reasonable following distance may not be nearly enough space in the opinion of the police officer handing you that ticket you’ll be paying over and over for the next three years on your insurance.

It's Absolutely Worth Fighting a Following Too Close Ticket!

Don’t just pay this ticket… it’s one of the prime traffic violations that ALWAYS deserves to be challenged. We have more than 36 years experience so we’ll make sure we get you a much better result, saving you a bundle of money.

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