In any situation, tailgating is risky and dangerous. It can cause an accident that the driver could easily have avoided if they just backed off a bit from the car ahead of them. There’s a reason that experts recommend leaving two to three seconds between cars. Anything less increases the odds of serious injury.
Even so, people keep tailgating. You can see it any time you drive through Orlando. If you’re wondering why it happens, you should know that the National Safety Council says there are four very different types of tailgaters:
- The ignorant tailgater: Some people honestly think they are leaving plenty of space when they’re not. They just do not understand the risks. This is how they drive all of the time, and they have no idea how dangerous they are.
- The distracted tailgater: Others cannot keep their minds on the road. When they start talking to passengers or looking at the phone, they begin to tailgate accidentally. They don’t notice how close they are until it’s too late.
- The complacent tailgater: This driver grows complacent over time. They know, technically, that the way they drive is dangerous. But they haven’t crashed yet and they think it’s only something that happens to other people.
- The aggressive tailgater: Aggressive drivers are perhaps the most dangerous, as they tailgate out of anger or frustration. They may do it to retaliate for what they think was a driving mistake or they may do it in an attempt to get the car ahead of them to speed up.
If you get injured in an accident caused by a tailgater, make sure you know how to seek compensation.