According to analysis by leading driving experience provider, DrivingExperience.com, the number of reported road accidents when following too close to another vehicle was a contributory factor has been on the decline for six consecutive years.
The newly released figures from the Department for Transport highlight that the reported accidents when following too close was a contributory factor have dropped dramatically by 68% year-on-year, from 7,757 in 2014 to just 2,439 in 2020, the latest year for which full figures are available.
This represents one of the largest percentage decreases of all the contributory causes of accidents caused by an injudicious action, which means due to a lack of judgement.
Alex MacGregor at DrivingExperience.com commented: "These statistics are a welcome sign that efforts to drive down the number of tailgating related accidents appear to be working."
"This progress can be attributed to a number of factors, including advanced safety features on modern cars, such as adaptive cruise control, which ensures a safe distance is maintained from the vehicle in front. Certainly, improvements to driver training and road safety initiatives have also contributed to the tailgating tail off."
"However, we'd also like to think that drivers have parked up road rage and become calmer and more considerate to other road users."
Indeed, this is reflected in other areas of road safety, with the number of road accidents where exceeding the speed limit decreasing to 4,391 cases in 2020, compared to 4,664 in 2019. Additionally, the number of incidents attributed to travelling too fast for the conditions was 3,658 in 2020, down from 4,666 in 2019.
Alex concludes: "Because driving at speed should only be reserved for controlled environments off public roads under the supervision of professionals, we would like to think we've contributed to the speeding related incidence decline, as we offer Brits the chance to put their pedal to the metal on our driving experience days."
To book one of our Driving Lessons including Young Driver Training sessions, please visit the Driving Lessons page on the Driving Experience website.
