National Highways has launched a new campaign aimed at raising awareness concerning the dangers of tailgating…
Tackling Tailgating
National Highways has launched a new campaign aimed at tackling tailgating on the nation’s roads. It follows the revelation that there were more than 60,000 cases of tailgating on a single stretch of the M1 in a single year. This is despite research that suggests that a majority of motorists are familiar with the two-second rule. For instance, a survey conducted by National Highways discovered that 80% of respondents were confident that they understood the rule. Around 75% said they hadn’t driven too closely to another vehicle over the last three months.
Last year, National Highways collaborated with Northamptonshire Police to monitor tailgating on the M1. Cameras detected 60,343 cases of the phenomenon. Of these, 10,994 were repeat offences and 2,144 warning letters were issued. Offenders weren’t prosecuted, but were sent educational material explaining the dangers of driving too closely to other vehicles.
‘Mostly Unintentional’
Jeremy Phillips, National Highways head of road safety, has stated that most cases of tailgating are actually unintentional. He explained, “unfortunately, as highlighted by the M1 trial, we know that too many people are driving too close on our roads. Most tailgating is unintentional by drivers who don’t realise 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, it could have devastating consequences”.
According to the Highway Code, drivers should leave at least a two-second gap between themselves and the vehicle in front of them. This gap should be increased based on speed. For 50mph, it should be 2.4 seconds. For 70mph, it should be 3.1 seconds.
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