Tailgating becoming increasingly common on Irish roads

It’s the bane of so many drivers, but it seems tailgating is becoming increasingly common on our roads with 80% of drivers saying they recently endured another motorist driving closely behind them.

Up to 40% of Irish drivers say that they experience tailgaters once a week while 79% say they’ve been tailgated in the past year. Another 55% say they endure it on a monthly basis.

Best driving practice stipulates there should be “two seconds” between you and the next driver while that distance should doubled in wet weather.

More than 82% of the 1,000 surveyed were in favour of adopting the German autobahn practice whereby a motorist approaching a vehicle in the outer lane indicates right to request the vehicle in front vacate the lane so they can pass.

Tailgating can get your back up, but the research suggests that Irish motorists don’t give in to road rage easily. Nearly a third of the drivers say they ignore tailgaters, while another 38% pull over or change lanes to let the driver pass.

Just over a quarter of those questioned brake repeatedly in the hope that the tailgating driver behind them will get the message. Just 5% admit that they give in to the bullying and speed up.

Just three out of 10 of those surveyed in the Easytrip research admitted to driving too close to other vehicles. Out of those questioned, 53% of men owned up while just 24% of women put their hands up. Most cited slow driving as the reason for engaging in the behaviour. The survey found 42% of respondents admitted to using aggressive tactics to get a motorist to move aside, including flashing their lights and beeping. Just 7% of men admitted using hand gestures to signal their displeasure.