by Charles Barnard

Created on: June 19, 2010

Tailgating is the number one factor involved in traffic accidents.

It is, however, one of the least enforced traffic laws in existence.

Speeding, although associated with a large number of accidents, is usually secondary to following distance as a contributing factor.

Speed enforcement is the number one traffic law that is enforced.

Why do we enforce a secondary factor more than we enforce a primary factor?

Ease of measurement.

We have a tool, traffic radar/lidar, which permits us to easily and quickly measure the speed of a vehicle.

There exists no similar tool for measuring following distance. Effectively, this means that it is much harder to convict a tailgater-juries like hard numbers and solid, positive statements...despite the fact that things are seldom, if ever, that clear-cut in the real world..

VASCAR, the more primitive predecessor to radar/lidar, which depended upon a measured piece of pavement and the officer flipping switches as a vehicle passed a point, and which could then calculate the speed, had the advantage that it could also measure the time between two vehicles, which is the best measure of following distance (since safe distance varies with speeds, road conditions and other variables.)

So, like many things, we enforce what we can easily measure, and seldom bother with things which we can't easily measure-despite the proportionate risks involved.

Tailgating, combined with lane-changing, is also responsible for the majority of stop & go traffic situations. If people stayed in the lanes that they needed to be in, and didn't witch around every time they see another lane moving 'faster' overall traffic would move much faster.

The problem as a driver is; How do I maintain a "safe zone" around my vehicle.

It can be very difficult since you have no control over the distance of the traffic behind you, and if you manage to open up the recommended 3-4 second gap between you and the car in front, someone is certain to slide into it, removing your safety zone.

Oddly enough, tailgating is as potential way to vastly increase both the traffic safety and the volume of traffic per mile of road.

The main problem with manual driving is that people are slow, distractable and unreliable. You cannot count on a driver actually looking at a problem when it first shows up-they may be looking elsewhere. This increases reaction time, which is the biggest factor in avoiding accidents.

A human, who is actually looking directly at a problem when it occurs will

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