The staggered riding formation allows a proper space cushion between motorcycles so that each rider has enough time and space to maneuver and to react to hazards. The leader rides in the left third of the lane, while the next rider stays at least one second behind in the right third of the lane; the rest of the group follows the same pattern.

This table shows distance covered at different speeds.

Now while riding it may be difficult to judge this distance but to give some perspective on it think of it as how many (HD) bike lengths in front of you.

If you consider a bike to be about 7-8 feet in length then the distance is

If we are riding in a group on the freeway at 70 MPH then the distance between you and the bike in front of you (being on the same side of the lane when in staggered formation) should be 25-26 bike lengths. That seems like a lot but when you consider reaction time for an emergency stop, the distance you travel from when you see to when you take action can vary widely between individuals. An alert driver may react in less than 1 second, while others may require more. At that speed you would have traveled 103 feet before you begin the braking of the bike.

Of course you must consider others in the group who will then react to your action of stopping and the distance now gets longer as the reaction passes back to the bikes behind. This is why we must all be responsible riders while in pack formation as the safety of each other is with the riders who are in front, next and behind you.