Stay Back: Why Tailgating is So Dangerous
Tailgating is when a vehicle drives closely behind another vehicle, usually leaving a very small gap between them. It’s a leading cause of traffic accidents every year in the United States, one that should be easily avoidable. And yet, drivers engage in this dangerous practice all the time. Some tailgating drivers are aggressive and impatient, while others are too distracted to notice that they’re too close to the vehicle in front of them. In any case, tailgating is dangerous for everyone on the road and should be avoided.
Why Tailgating is Dangerous
The problem with tailgating is that it leaves less time for drivers to react if they need to brake suddenly. When you slam on the brakes while driving, your vehicle doesn’t stop right away; it can slide a considerable distance, especially when you’re going faster than 60 miles per hour on a highway. If there’s a considerable distance between you and the vehicle in front of you, you should be able to come to a stop safely. On the other hand, if you’re too close to another vehicle, you will likely end up in a rear-end collision. If you can’t stop in time and have to swerve to avoid the other vehicle, you could still hit a car in another lane and cause a serious accident.
Tailgating is bad enough when you’re on a dry road on a sunny day; it’s far worse when the weather is less than ideal. Simply put, it’s much harder to stop quickly when it’s raining, snowing, or when there’s ice on the road. You may need as much as twice as much room to come to a complete stop during such conditions, so give yourself plenty of room between you and any vehicle in front of you.
It’s also important to remember that tailgating isn’t just dangerous for you. If you’re tailgating someone at highway speeds and hit them, you could push them into another vehicle and cause an accident involving multiple vehicles.
Keep Your Distance
Tailgating is not only dangerous, but it also illegal in many states. In North Carolina, you can be ticketed for following too closely, resulting in fines, points on your license and potential insurance premium increases.
The good news is that tailgating is an easy habit to avoid. Always keep a safe distance between you and the vehicle in front of you, and double that distance if roads are slippery with rain or ice. Use your turn signals whenever you change lanes and try to avoid sudden stops. You can’t control other drivers’ behavior, so braking suddenly when someone is tailgating you could get you rear-ended.