Tailgating is rude and dangerous

There is little in modern life quite so annoying as being tailgated especially when you are driving at the allocated speed limit for that stretch of road.

it is not just anti-social but it is dangerous. the driver being tailgated feels more nervous and so is less likely to react proportionately to any change in road conditions and the driver behind is relying on their own reaction and vehicle braking system to stop them from ramming the car in front if it should stop suddenly.

of course, all the tailgaters feel they are the greatest driver since Fangio and that everyone else on the road is beneath their own superlative level of skill. Unfortunately the accidents that they cause are not wholly restricted to them.

Sometimes it may seem tempting to tailgate when a driver in front is hogging the middle lane at well under the limit but it is never a good idea.

in today’s newspaper, safety engineer tim grainger, of Mansfield, says he sticks to the temporary speed limit on the A52 but that some other vehicles are travelling at twice that. it has become so bad that he fears for his own life just going to work.

he is calling for cameras on that stretch so that others will keep to the limit which seems sensible.

the council said it is considering installing cameras after the work has finished to enforce new, lower speed limits. Why not do it now?

it would help make things safer and get drivers used to the fact that there are cameras on that stretch.

one thing that those who impose the limits could do for all of us is to ensure that they are necessary. how many times have we been held up on the motorway by temporary speed limits when there is no congestion or obstruction in sight?