National Highways Targets Tailgaters
National Highways have teamed up with Police forces to tackle tailgating on the national road network.
Last year National Highways joined forces with police authorities to target drivers who drive too close to other vehicles.
Driving too close to the vehicle in front is tailgating. This can cause an issue if the car in front has to brake suddenly. It also restricts the view of the tailgater.
A study conducted by the National Highways over the last year looked at those who tailgate and the risks this can cause. They have now launched a campaign to warn drivers of the dangers.
The study used cameras to track driving behaviour along one stretch of road on the M1. In the yearlong study, the camera caught 60,343 incidents of dangerous tailgating. This includes 10,994 repeat offenders.
The study also found that tailgating is a factor of 1 in 8 accidents on the motorways and major A roads.
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National Highways head of road safety, Jeremy Phillips, said:
“Most tailgating is unintentional by drivers who don’t realize that they are infringing on someone else’s space. But not leaving enough space between you and the vehicle in front is not only very frightening for that driver, but it could also have devastating consequences.”
What happens if you get caught tailgating?
Drivers caught tailgating could face a charge of ‘driving without due care and attention’. This offence carries a minimum fine of £100 and three penalty points, but in some cases can lead to court action.
The drivers caught breaking the rules during the study were not prosecuted. But National Highways wrote letters to 2,144 drivers warning them of the dangers of not leaving safe braking distances. They also distributed educational material on the dangers of driving too close.
The Highway Code states drivers should leave a 2-second gap between them and the driver in front. The National Highways study found 4 in 5 drivers are aware of the “2-second” rule. But this should increase the faster you are traveling.
When driving at 50mph drivers should leave a 2.4-second ga0, equating to around 53 meters. This increases to just over 3 seconds when travelling at 70mph, leaving a distance of around 96 meters. But this should be at least doubled when driving in wet or icy conditions as the stopping distance increases.
How can we help?
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National Highways Targets Tailgaters
