Tailgating, One of the Worst Driving Offences of All

As much as I’m made grumpier by drivers who have no clue how to merge, the one’s who really fill me with fear and loathing are tailgaters.  As far as I’m concerned this habit is one of the most despicable, unprofessional, and downright life threatening that any driver can fall into.

Here’s a test for my readers.  What is the guideline for gauging the appropriate distance from your vehicle to the one ahead? I’ll give the answer at the end of this post.


Most of my readers will have either experienced one of these slugs, or witnessed the resulting mayhem caused by their actions.   Not a day goes by while I’m following my profession that I don’t see several potentially fatal collisions just waiting to happen due to drivers who have either forgotten or chosen to ignore safe following distance guidelines.

Don’t get me wrong.  This is not the sole domain of four-wheeler drivers.  Many truck drivers fall into this dangerous practice as well, and they are the worst offenders.  They are driving the heaviest and most dangerous vehicles on the road.  They are the ones with the longest stopping distance.  On top of that, they are the ones who should be most conscious of the dangers, and most importantly the law.

Although the law in most jurisdictions does not decree an exact distance, they all specifically state, “vehicles must leave enough space when following another vehicle to allow a third vehicle to change lanes and enter between them safely”.  A lot of truck drivers use that as an excuse for tailgating.  Their logic is, “every time I ease off and leave an opening, another vehicle cuts in front of me and I have to slow down”. The problem with that reasoning is if everyone thought that way there would never be a chance to change lanes.

When I see a tractor trailer following a four-wheeler 10 feet behind it’s bumper and notice a child or children in the back seat I get sick to my stomach.  What person in their right mind would take this kind of risk? One false move and someone will die.  I’ve tried speaking to such drivers on the CB about it but the usual response is “You drive your truck, I’ll drive mine”. So that pretty well sums up the mentality of people who tailgate. Would they do the same thing if the occupants of the car in front of them were their family members?

I don’t know the solution to this particular problem because stupidity is hard to legislate against. However, the police really need to start cracking down on these thoughtless offenders and the courts have to treat culprits more severely.

No I didn’t forget I promised an answer to the question….  What is the guideline for gauging the appropriate distance from your vehicle to the one ahead?

For four-wheelers it’s the two second rule and for big trucks it’s the four second rule.  This is because it takes about twice as long for a truck to get stopped as a car.  The way it works is, you watch for an object close to the side of the road ahead and when the vehicle in front of you passes it you count…..one elephant….two elephant and if you pass that same object before the end of your count you are too close.  In bad conditions such as wet, snow covered, or icy roads you need to extend that distance accordingly.

So. Please try to avoid tail gating both for your own safety and to help cut down on my grumpiness.  I really would appreciate it.