following distance; distance between vehicles
Refers to the space maintained between moving vehicles, especially for safety. Often used in driving instructions and traffic regulations.
Please maintain a sufficient following distance on the expressway.
A short following distance can cause rear-end collisions.
車間 is a shorter form meaning 'between vehicles', often used in compounds like 車間距離. 車間距離 specifically refers to the distance itself.
停止距離 is the total stopping distance including reaction and braking distance, while 車間距離 is the actual gap maintained between cars.
Compound of 車 (car) + 間 (interval) + 距離 (distance). A straightforward modern technical term.