Okay, own up. Are you guilty of tailgating? Maybe you’ve done so in the past. Perhaps, that one Tuesday when you were running late and the Nissan Micra in front of you was crawling along at a snail’s pace? The Nissan needed a hint, or you were going to fall behind on deliveries.
Or, perhaps reading the above makes you angry. Are you on the side of van drivers who absolutely hate tailgating? Have you ever fallen victim to it yourself?
Well, whether you’re guilty or not, you may want to rethink driving too close to other cars. This is solely down to the latest driving law that may be on the cards and introduced very soon. A law that penalises drivers who might be driving, let’s say, a little too close for comfort.
And surprisingly, it’s you, the drivers, who are backing these proposals from recent campaigns. Nearly 90% of motorists would happily support these plans to hand out fines to offenders, as it would unequivocally promote and increase road safety. Do you agree that more needs to be done?
Recent results from trials surrounding tailgating indicate a likelihood of the new rule catching potentially thousands of offenders. The UK government trialled the technology that would be used to catch tailgaters in Northamptonshire, specifically across the M1. The tech is able to detect whether motorists – yes, that even includes you in the Ford Transit there, sir – are keeping a 2-second gap from the vehicle in front of you. And this is at all times!
Tailgating is a potentially risky and major problem for drivers on the road, especially for our lovely, innocent drivers. Did you know it was listed as the reason for nearly 600 severe accidents in the previous year? Tragically, in 28 of these, death was the result for some people. Perhaps this is an excellent time for the government to put these proposals into action, especially with recent campaigns gaining so much support.
So, what do we think? Not worth the risk, eh. The last thing you want after being out and about in your van is to come home to a letter stating you’ve been caught tailgating. Safer roads are something we definitely stand for – that, and cheap van insurance, of course!