Why do drivers tailgate?

Typically, someone is tailgating you because they want you to drive faster. In more severe cases, tailgating may be an expression of road rage. If you feel someone is endangering you or others on the road, call the police and ask for help.

Is it illegal to swear at other drivers?

Don’t swear at other drivers If you curse or make rude gestures at fellow motorists, you’re committing “disorderly behaviour” which could land you with a fine equal to 75 per cent of your weekly income.

Why do people tailgate?

Evans also suggests that the lack of speed difference between vehicles allows drivers to feel safe. This, and the fact that crashes are rare events and that drivers can get away with tailgating, makes drivers complacent about the danger.

What is the minimum safe following distance for tailgating?

The three- to four-second rule is taught as a rule of thumb for minimum safe following distance. But selling this driving technique on the basis of safety may be difficult if penalties for tailgating (in the form of accidents) are rare and drivers feel no sense of danger.

Why do drivers stay back in traffic?

“Drivers are often more concentrated on defending the indefensible, the space between them and the car in front, rather than on the cooperative aspect of driving in traffic,” says Baker. “When they’re shown how, they can see and feel the benefits of staying back and having more control.

What does Leonard Evans know about traffic safety research?

Even GM Senior Researcher Leonard Evans, author of Traffic Safety and the Driver , a book that has been referred to as the bible of traffic safety research, seems to have little more than opinion to offer on the topic of why drivers adopt a tactic in traffic that is not only dangerous, but also has several tactical disadvantages.