I feel the need to vent my spleen on the subject of tailgating. For those of you not in the know, tailgating is the 'practice' of sitting right up the backside of the vehicle in front of you.
According to a study for Direct Line by the Transport Research Laboratory (TRL), drivers are regularly bullied into breaking the Highway Code by tailgaters. An alarming 93% of motorists who stick to the speed limit have been subjected to tailgating.
Once upon a time, the practice seemed to be restricted to the fast lane. Which I could almost (note almost) comprehend. Lane discipline in this country is next to non-existent, so some way of getting drivers to move over is needed. But bullying isn't the way.
And the problem is getting worse. As the TRL survey shows, drivers now think it is acceptable to try to force other road users to drive at "their" speed. I regularly find myself having to indicate to the driver behind to back off. And this is when using the inside (slow) lane.
"So what?" you might think. Quite a lot if you are a vulnerable road user. Go into the back of another car/truck/four wheeled vehicle and fingers crossed the worst that happens is banging bumpers, bit of damage and let the insurance companies sort it out.
Smack into the back of a motorcycle (or bicycle; they get pressured by tailgaters as well) and it is a very different story. As an example, earlier this year, I was about to turn right (from stopped), when the car behind (driver was showing off to his girlfriend) went into the back of me. From a static position, just a few feet later I was stuck with sufficient force to flip my motorcycle onto it's side, flip me out of the saddle in the opposite direction (I know this as the left leg of my trousers was scorched from contact with the exhaust, which is on the right side of the bike) and the car ran over the top of the bike!
Now up the pace to 70mph and hit the back of a motorcycle. Still thinking "So what"? If so - and you tailgate at this kind of speed - I hope you are prepared to live with the prospect of killing another human being. Because, if you hit a motorcyclist or cyclist at that speed, you WILL kill them.
When I started riding, there were two main rules I had drummed down my throat:
1)Only A Fool Breaks The Two Second Rule.
2)If You Can't See My Mirrors, Then I Can't See You.
The Highway Code goes into a lot of detail on braking times. Not something you can always translate on the road. But as a rule of thumb, you need about a second to react to a situation and another second to brake within the distance. Two seconds; tailgate and you have less than a second... so not enough time to think, let alone react. And the mirror rule? No-brainer really. Too close and you are invisible. So no chance of being considered by the driver in front before they brake/change lane/any other move.
Give Yourself Space, Give Others Space. Simple mantra, perhaps not easy to apply on today's packed roads. But give it a go. If we all do so, then lives WILL be saved.
And I'd like to stay alive, thank you.