Tip. Maintain your buffer
Only a fool breaks the 2 second rule.
Thinking distance is defined as the time taken and the distance a bike travels whilst you are recognising a hazard.
For the average motorcyclist this typically is 0.7 secs.
The distance in metres covered during thinking time is approximately 1/5 the speed in kilometres per hour.
So, at 40 km/h thinking distance is 0.8m, at 60 km/h thinking distance is 12 m. and at 100kmh it is 20m and so on.
A safe stopping distance is the thinking distance + stopping distance
Conservative braking distances on a good road surface on a modern bike are:
@ 60kph it takes 14m
@ 100kph it takes 38m
@ 125kph. it takes 75m
(If you double your speed you quadruple your stopping distance.)
Remember at 100kmh you are travelling at 28m/sec.
At 100 km/h the stopping distance is equal to the thinking + braking which is = 58m.
However, by using the 2 second rule, in two seconds you will have travelled 56m. So coming to a stop from 100 km/h will take 2m more than you have allowed for in your buffer.
So it is therefore prudent to treat the 2 second rule as a minimum, particularly on highways at speeds greater than 80 km/hr where a 3 second rule provides a greater safety margin.
Only a fool breaks the 2 second rule.