Drivers should maintain a safe following distance. It’s generally recommended for a vehicle to be two seconds behind a lead car on a clear sunny day. This distance should be increased to four to eight seconds at night and during harsh weather conditions. Drivers should also increase the safe following distance when driving behind a truck.
Tailgating is dangerous. You may be involved in a rear-end crash if a following driver fails to observe the safe following distance. Here is how this can happen:
No time to react safely
If you need to suddenly slow down or stop, for instance, due to a change in traffic or the presence of an obstacle, a driver behind you should respond accordingly. However, this may be impossible if they were tailgating. They may not have the space and time to react safely.
A driver maintaining a safe following distance in such a situation will have time to perceive the sudden braking, process the information and react by applying their brakes. Tailgating can delay this response.
Reduced visibility
When a driver tailgates, their view of what’s ahead may be blocked by the lead vehicle. They may be unable to see potential hazards, such as stopped traffic or road debris. Such a driver may depend on the lead vehicle to make decisions concerning their driving. It’s not uncommon for drunk drivers to tailgate for this reason – they use the lead vehicle as a guide to stay in their lane to avoid swerving. Doing this can be risky.
Increased risk of underride crashes
Tailgating a truck is dangerous because it increases the risk of an underride crash, which can be life-threatening.
A tailgater can endanger you. If you sustain an injury due to a tailgater’s negligence, you need to learn as much as possible to fight for your rights.
