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Tailgating is the most distracting factor whilst driving according to a new survey

31 August 2022

Road safety charity IAM RoadSmart recently commissioned a survey of 1,000 motorists in which 30 per cent deemed tailgating to be the most distracting factor whilst driving.

The research comes after National Highways recently revealed that tailgating is a factor in 1 in 8 crashes on its road network.  

Driving with children or other passengers in the vehicle came in at a close second, with 26 per cent of respondents siting this as the most distracting factor. 

You can see the full chart of results on the IAM RoadSmart website. 

Director of Policy and Research at IAM RoadSmart Neil Greig said, “The sight of a fellow driver in your rear-view mirror following too closely can be very disconcerting, and our survey shows it is the leading cause of driver distraction on Britain’s roads.

“However, it is clear that tailgating is not just a minor inconvenience, with figures from Highways England revealing that far too many people are being left scared, angry and frustrated by the aggressive and reckless behaviour of tailgaters.   

“It is worth remembering that you will cover 62 metres every two seconds when travelling at 70 miles per hour, meaning you need around 96 metres to stop, making adequate stopping distances absolutely critical to curtail the tailgating problem.”

Contract hire, fleet management and accident management specialists

At Marshall Leasing, driver and passenger safety is a top priority. We pride ourselves on providing in-depth accident management services to our fleet customers in order to keep their drivers safe on the road.

You can find out more about our risk management services here. 

If you talk to us about how we can assist, please email us at info@marshall-leasing.co.uk or call 01480 414541. Alternatively, please complete our contact form.  

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