Confusion over what is a "safe following distance" has QUT [(Queensland University of Technology)] road safety researchers calling for a standardised definition to prevent tailgating.
- Tailgating conclusively linked to rear-end crashes
- Most drivers leave less than a 2 second gap between them and the vehicle in front
- Rear-enders account for one in five Queensland crashes
Dr Sebastien Demmel, from QUT's Centre for Accident Research & Road Safety -- Queensland (CARRS-Q), said the results of the study which found 50 per cent of drivers tailgate, was being presented at the 2017 Australasian Road Safety Conference in Perth today.
"This study, for the first time conclusively linked tailgating with rear-end crashes, but we also identified confusion among drivers over what is deemed to be a safe following distance," he said.
"Despite drivers perceiving they are following at a safe distance, our on-road data showed that in reality most don't leave the recommended two to three second gap," he said.
"At some locations 55 per cent of drivers were found to leave less than a two second gap between them and the vehicle in front, and 44 per cent less than a one second [gap]."
A safe following distance is 5 feet. While looking at a smartphone.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Thursday October 12 2017, @11:07PM (1 child)
Personally, I mounted an extra windshield washer system with a single nozzle mounted just above the rear bumber, and filled it with a yellowish liquid. When these idiots tailgate me, they do not just get frustrated, they get pissed off! Or they at least think they are being pissed on.
(Score: 1, Funny) by Anonymous Coward on Friday October 13 2017, @03:29AM
I had a friend long ago that had one of those volkswagens that had the exhaust pipe mounted straight up in the center of the rear of the vehicle.
He had had it with tailgaters bumping his rear bumper into his flywheel.
He had rigged a small 12V pump so as to feed pump used motor oil into his exhaust line, so it would be ejected through the pipe into the air at windshield level.
Sure enough, one day, I was riding with him and someone else started tailgating.
He told me he had an anti tailgater button, makes any tailgater go away in ten seconds or less. I did not believe him. I pressed it. It did exactly what he said it would do.
I suppose the tailgater probably had to spend at least an hour soaping down his car to get all that motor oil off.