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I think the benefit extends back further than most here might think. I can link you to videos of the Hampton Roads Bridge tunnel cameras where 90,000 cars pass over the same point in a two lane (each way) road in 24 hours. Two seconds ain't working there and thats 24-7 with periods where the separation distances are 3 cars lengths or less.
45,000 cars over the exact same spot, in a single lane, in an 86,400 second day. Do the math, it doesn't work with 2 seconds separation.
AVERAGE FOR HOURS AT 60MPH!
You can forget 2 seconds here. 2 seconds will get you passed on the right by another car in the gap you leave, even on the approach lanes at intersections.
Generally I try to keep 3 stripes between myself and the vehicle in front. 43 feet from the same point to point stripe to stripe, about 100 feet. I find that at that distance I get the same mileage at 65-70 on the Interstate as I get at 55 on the parallel road that has no traffic, over 50 miles of distance.
Another point, the air directly behind the tractor trailer is moving forward, which I don't see in the flow diagram. Since it has to be moving forward or you would be in a perfect vacuum and suffocate, then the flow reversal has to take some time before it occurs, maybe not modelled in your illustration.
regards
Mech
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