Public Servant Lifestyle

One quarter of motorway drivers in the UK are 'an accident waiting to happen', according to new figures.

More than a quarter of motorists (26%) are "an accident waiting to happen" because they drive too close to the vehicle in front on motorways, according to a nationwide survey of 22,105 vehicles.

The worst offenders in the survey were on the M4 in Wales, where over 50% of drivers were too close to the vehicle in front. The next worst were Midlands motorists on the M42, where 39% were too close, and the M9 in Scotland, at 26%. The best motorway behaviour was found on the M5, where just 1 in 12 drivers were tailgating, followed by the M20 and the M2.

Researchers from the Institute of Advanced Motorists (IAM) surveyed a sample of UK motorways on two successive Wednesdays in June and July, before feeding data to the RAC Foundation for analysis.

Together NMM campaigners have highlighted tailgating as the number one driver error on the UK's motorway network, and are calling on drivers to remember the 'two second rule'. Highways Agency (HA) research into safe driving found that tailgating contributed 29% of all injury accidents on the network. The Highway Code says that you should allow at least a two second gap between you and the vehicle in front on roads carrying fast traffic. But this latest survey shows that this is alien to many motorway users. If the weather is poor, the 'two second rule' needs to be doubled.

Motorways

Motorways are the safest roads in the UK but with there are still more than 8,000 drivers killed or seriously injured (KSI) on the network each year. More than 42% of crashes occur within 1km of a junction.

Highways Agency chiefs are of the opinion that tailgating - or 'close following' - is a major contributor to crashes and are currently researching the problem with a view to improving safety and tackling poor driver behaviour.

In 2004, National Motorway Month highlighted the success of chevrons in reducing tailgating. NMM campaigners have this week welcomed the news that the Highways Agency is introducing new white chevrons on the M1 between junctions 26 and 27, together with signs to advise drivers to "keep two chevrons apart." This will result in a total of nine network locations with chevrons.

NMM members would also like to see more frequent reminders via the roadside Variable Message Signal (VMS) boards which could also make a difference to driver behaviour.

IAM Chief Examiner Peter Rodger said: "It's obvious that too many drivers simply forget their speed, regardless of the conditions on the motorway or what is in the lane ahead of them. They then follow other vehicles as if they were traveling much more slowly. So they are ignoring the two second rule - designed to help you leave enough space between you and the vehicle in front so you can pull up safely if it suddenly slows down or stops.

"Regardless of what indicators are available on the motorway, every driver should make it standard practice to leave a good gap, adjusting their following distance regularly to take into account weather and traffic conditions," said Mr Rodger, who was an examiner at the Metropolitan Police Driving School before taking up his role as the IAM Chief Examiner.

More information available in Insurance, Maintenance, On The Road