- Select lifts the lid on scale of UK tailgating problem
- Hundreds of thousands caught by road cameras
- A third of you are tailgated at least once a week
- Almost half survey of respondents reckon the issue has got WORSE in the last two years
(Adobe Stock)
Hundreds of thousands of drivers in the UK have been caught dangerously tailgating, with experts now calling for further clampdowns.
The latest stats from National Highways show how almost 850,000 possible incidences of tailgating - driving too close to the car in front - have been caught by state-of-the-art cameras during a series of technology trials.
A separate new study has also revealed how almost a third of UK drivers (28%) say they’re the victim of tailgating at least once a week while half (49%) believe tailgating has got worse in the last two years.
A further one in six (16%) of the motorists surveyed by Select Car Leasing admitted they had been personally targeted by police because of their own tailgating behaviour.
Automotive journalist Steve Fowler, a writer with Select, commented: “This all comes down to slipping driving standards. The trouble is, nobody will admit to their driving getting worse - so if it’s not me, and it’s not you, who is it?
“Much of the time I think tailgating is down to carelessness rather than drivers being aggressive - it’s just bad driving. And educating people about the dangers of tailgating is vital to save lives and save money.
“I was always taught to remember the rhyme ‘Only a fool breaks the three-second rule’. It’s supposed to remind you of the distance you should leave between you and the car in front. Maybe we should all say that more often when we’re behind the wheel.”
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(Select Car Leasing)
Tailgating - caught on camera
National Highways says tailgating is a factor in one in eight crashes on England’s motorways and major A roads.
It’s also an offence - a form of ‘careless driving’ - which can result in a £100 fine and three points on a driving licence, with more serious cases involving accidents being dealt with by the courts and potentially leading to a driving ban - or even a prison sentence.
Since 2017, National Highways has been deploying cameras designed to catch tailgating drivers in the act, with trials to test the ‘capability of the technology to detect tailgating behaviour’ on the M3, M6, M20 and M1 motorways.
A Freedom of Information (FOI) from Select Car Leasing shows how National Highway has now identified 844,060 possible incidents of tailgating since trials began.
Police were not involved in these trials and no enforcement action was taken - but offenders were liable to receive a warning letter in the post.
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(Select Car Leasing)
Tailgating - an epidemic getting worse every year?
A separate Select Car Leasing survey - of 1,000 UK driving licence holders - shines further light on so-called ‘space invaders’ that plague UK roads.
Tailgating was found to be the second worst trigger for road rage (35% of respondents), with ‘being cut up’ taking the top spot (39%).
Tailgating also happens with alarming regularity.
More than a quarter of respondents (28%) said they experience tailgating at least once per week, with many having to endure it daily (5%) or several times each week (12%).
Almost half (49%) said they experience more tailgating now than they did two years ago while two thirds called for tougher police prosecution (64%) and better driver education (68%) about the dangers.
Graham Conway, Managing Director at Select Car Leasing, adds: “Our research sheds new light on the scourge of tailgating, and particularly how it is perceived by UK motorists.
“National Highways takes the view that most tailgating is ‘unintentional’ and perpetrated by drivers who ‘don’t realise that they are infringing on someone else’s space’.
“But that’s not how the drivers we surveyed see it. The vast majority (68%) equate tailgating with a ‘sign of driver aggression’ with fewer people (52%) agreeing with the sentiment ‘I see tailgating as poor driving standards rather than an act of aggression’.
“Either way, only a relatively small minority (18%) said they weren’t bothered or affected by tailgating at all.
“With tailgating a factor in so many accidents, and under the sheer volume of incidents identified by National Highways, a full roll-out of cameras designed to detect - and prosecute - those who get too close to the car in front would surely be welcomed by many motorists here in the UK.”
(Select Car Leasing)
Tailgating - the red mist descends
The emotions sparked by tailgating can be long-lasting.
Almost a quarter (24%) of motorists said they remained angry for between an hour or several hours after being tailgated.
Worryingly, many (17%) said they dealt with another motorist driving too close behind them by ‘speeding up’, an action that could potentially put them at increased risk of collision or prosecution.
Tailgating - understanding the advice
The Highway Code classifies tailgating as driving too closely behind another vehicle. It’s dangerous and illegal. Instead, motorists should leave enough space between themselves and the vehicle in front so they can pull up safely if it suddenly slows down or stops.
National Highways urges motorists to follow the so-called ‘two-second rule’ - allow at least a two-second gap between you and the vehicle in front on roads carrying faster-moving traffic and in tunnels where visibility is reduced.
But the rules are more nuanced than that. The two-second gap should be increased to 2.4 seconds at 50mph and 3.1 seconds at 70mph.
Furthermore, the gap should be at least doubled on wet roads and increased further still on icy roads.
National Highways camera trials - how many tailgaters caught:
- M3 motorway (trial in 2017): 237,648 possible offences identified
- M6 motorway (trial in 2018): 319,787
- M20 motorway (trial spanning 2018/2019): 226,282
- M1 motorway (trial spanning 2020/21): 60,343 (and 2,144 warning letters issued by Northamptonshire Police).
Total possible offences identified: 844,060
Select Car Leasing Tailgating Survey stats: the full breakdown
Top 5 road rage triggers
- Being cut up - 39%
- Tailgating - 35%
- Rude gestures or swearing - 29%
- Motorist using mobile phone - 28%
- Not indicating - 26%
Tailgating frequency
- Daily - 5%
- Several times a week - 12%
- Once a week - 11%
- Several times a month - 19%
- Once a month - 9%
- Several times a year - 22%
- Once a year - 5%
- Less than once a year - 9%
- Never - 8%
Experience more tailgating now than two years ago?
- Agree - 49%
- Neither agree nor disagree - 29%
- Disagree - 17%
- Not sure - 5%
Driver education about the dangers of tailgating requires improvement
- Agree - 68%
Police enforcement of tailgating requires improvement
- Agree - 64%
I see tailgating as a sign of driver aggression
- Agree - 68%
I see tailgating as poor driving standards rather than an act of aggression
- Agree - 52%
Motorists who admit being prosecuted/targeted by police for tailgating
- Overall - 16%
- Males - 21%
- Females - 11%
- Aged 18-24 - 38%
- Aged 25-34 - 30%
- Aged 35-44 - 20%
- Aged 45-54 - 17%
- Aged 55-64 - 15%
- Aged 65+ - 19%
Common tailgating responses
- Pull over to let another motorist pass -30%
- Changing lanes to let a motorist pass - 39%
- Speeding up - 17%
- Adjust my rear view mirror so the tailgating motorist isn’t visible - 11%
- Take measures to calm myself (counting to 10, focusing on the road ahead, listen to music or podcast) - 29%
- None of the above - 14%
How long do drivers remain ‘angry’ after being victim of tailgating?
- A few minutes - 47%
- Around an hour - 14%
- Several hours - 10%
- All day - 5%
- A few days - 3%
- Around a week - 2%
- Around a month - 2%
- More than a month - 0%
- Not at all - it doesn’t bother me - 9%
- N/A - I’ve never experienced any road rage or tailgating incidents - 9%
** Note to editors. National Highways stats supplied via FOI from Select Car Leasing. Survey data comes via a poll of 1,000 UK driving licence holders conducted by Obsurvant on behalf of Select Car Leasing.
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