To be serious for a second, following distance should be able to give us a 3 second gap, preferably up to 5 seconds if possible.
Right now it's about 1.8 seconds, which is about what average drivers are comfortable with, but no where near what traffic safety engineers already know to be ideal.
I want to relax on long drives, not be forced to pay hyper close attention.
As someone mentioned in another thread, on long drives in sparse but consistent traffic going nearly the same speed as me, I am constantly backing off the AP set speed, so I get to 5 second gap, and can relax more.
90 something % of accidents are from following too close. Too close is closer than 3 seconds. I know it's a losing battle. Traffic also flows faster with 3 second gaps. You will get there sooner if you leave more room, regardless of people pulling in front of you.
Rant over.