Wise Up To The Dangers Of Tailgating

Whilst you might think that you are completely innocent of tailgating and believe that you always try to keep as safe a distance as possible between your vehicle and the one in front of you, the truth is that almost a quarter of incidents out on the road are as a result of rear-end collisions. A shocking statistic, isn’t it?

You may be the safest driver in the world, going about your courier work and taking all the necessary precautions, but every driver, no matter how safe they have been in the past, needs to be aware of the dangers that tailgating poses.

The Stats

As someone who makes a living out of courier work, you’ll probably already have read plenty of information about the statistics around incidents and safety out on the roads. But did you know that tailgating is a more common cause of van accidents than drink driving, poor weather conditions and even speeding? It was cited as the cause of well over 4,000 accidents during 2017.

How Tailgating Can Slow You Down

You want to get your jobs done as quickly as possible to maximise the efficiency of your driving, but that should never get in the way of the necessary safety precautions you must take. You’ll be well aware that accidents out on the road lead to major delays and, as a result, a lot of disruption for those doing courier work.

As such, whilst you might think that going as quickly as you can will help you get your work done faster, it could potentially lead to an accident that will slow you down a lot in the long run. Taking it slow and steady is the best way to ensure that you perform your courier workefficiently, safely and reduce the risk of an accident.

Keep Your Distance

Always remember to keep at least two seconds’ worth of distance between your vehicle and the one in front of you. This is very much the golden rule when it comes to avoiding the dangers of tailgating. Should a vehicle come in to take up the space front of you, simply back off and create a new space to ensure the rule-of-thumb safe distance is maintained. Should the weather conditions be very poor, you should double the distance between you and the vehicle in front, especially when it’s wet.

Of course, you also need to know what to do in the event of someone else tailgating you. In this scenario, be sure not to react in a reckless manner – just pull back and let them pass.

Now you’re fully clued up on the dangers of tailgating and why trying to increase your speed may actually slow you down in the long run. Just always be sure to keep a two-second distance between you and the car in front as this is the safest way to avoid what is a dangerous practice.

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Norman Dulwich is a correspondent for Courier Exchange, the world's largest neutral trading hub for same day courier work in the express freight exchange industry. Numerous transport exchange businesses are networked together on their website, trading jobs and capacity through what is now the fastest growing Freight Exchange in the UK.