- More than half of UK drivers say they tailgate, up from 32 per cent in 2023.
- Speeding, center lane hogging and businesses are also increasing
- But road deaths decreased last year: they fell 9 percent in 2022 statistics.
More than half of drivers admit they have followed other drivers in the last 12 months, according to a new survey.
According to the report published by the AA, other bad behavior on the road, such as speeding and center lane hogging, is also increasing.
Despite a suggested decline in driving standards in Britain, road casualties are falling: the Department for Transport recorded a 9 per cent drop in deaths between June 2022 and 2023.
Are driving rules going backwards? A survey found an increase in the number of motorists admitting to following other vehicles too closely compared to when they surveyed drivers just 8 months ago.
The Highway Code recommends road users “leave a distance of at least two seconds between you and the vehicle in front on roads with faster traffic.”
The two seconds are made up of the time needed to think and stop. And when it rains it is necessary to at least double that difference.
However, AA Accident Assist’s latest survey of 12,723 members revealed that 55 per cent ignore this rule by leaving a gap with the vehicle in front, making them guilty of harassing other drivers.
Close following also occurs in slow, stationary traffic.
And the AA says the dangerous action of tailgating has probably increased in the last eight months alone.
When it surveyed motorists on the same topic in November 2023, only 32 percent of 13,400 drivers said they were ignoring the two-second difference rule.
More than half (55%) of drivers who responded to the AA survey admitted they ignore the two-second gap rule when following another vehicle, leaving them guilty of harassing the car in front.
Also in last year’s study, 29 percent of motorists said following too closely is the road behavior that bothers them most, placing it at the top of the list of road aggravations.
Although following too closely is not listed as a specific crime, it is included in the broad concept of reckless driving.
If caught by the police, or if a driver is caught following a dashcam recording that is sent to the police, the offense could land offenders with a £100 charge and three penalty points on their licence.
And in the worst cases, where tailgating results in a serious collision, perpetrators can receive a driving ban or even a prison sentence.
Other dangerous driving practices that the AA identified as increasingly worse include speeding (55 per cent), center lane hogging (52 per cent) and overtaking on the inside/left (51 per cent).
Sadly, more than two in five (44 per cent) drivers say they continue to use their mobile phone while driving, despite recent changes to the law which now see this offense carrying a £200 fine and six penalty points. .
And surprisingly, almost half (46 percent) said they had been involved in a road violence incident in the past 12 months.
AA Accident Assist wants a greater police presence on the roads to catch drivers who are willing to break the law and risk driving dangerously, including cracking down on more than two-fifths of motorists still They use a phone while driving.
The findings come as AA Accident Assist reveals they helped more than 16,000 drivers involved in rear-end accidents in 2023, and around 5,600 drivers so far this year.
According to the latest traffic accident statistics, three-fifths (60 percent) of all vehicle collisions occur at intersections.
The AA is calling for “a more visible police presence” to ensure “we drive responsibly” and keep risky drivers under control.
Tim Rankin, managing director of AA Accident Assist, said: “It is no surprise that tailgating tops the list of worsening behaviors on our roads.
‘In fact, we know that there is a strong possibility that a rear-end collision could turn into an ‘accordion collision’ in which numerous vehicles are damaged.
“Creating a difference of at least two seconds can help prevent accidents, but it could also reduce road rage outbursts.”
