RACV is reminding Victorian motorists to refrain from, and remain aware of dangerous road behaviours, following a poll asking Victorians what type of road rage behaviour they see most.
Results from the more than 4400 respondents to the poll showed that 38 per cent saw or experienced tailgating, followed by aggressive driving, abusive behaviour and excessive use of the horn.
Road rage can include dangerous driving or abusive behaviour targeted at other motorists, and the impacts can be fatal if a collision were to occur.
RACV’s head of policy James Williams said tailgating is more dangerous than what motorists might expect.
“Tailgating is a reckless behaviour and in a split second an incident could cause the front driver to brake suddenly, resulting in a potentially significant crash between the tailgater and driver in front,” he said.
“Additionally, extreme tailgating behaviour can divert the front driver’s concentration and impact their driving confidence, resulting in collisions or unsafe driving speeds.”
Motorists should be aware that in Victoria, tailgating is illegal. Failing to drive a safe distance behind a vehicle, or tailgating, can see offenders fined up to $248 and one demerit point.
“It’s just not worth the risk to tailgate. Always provide a safe enough distance from the car in front of you,” Mr Williams said.
“That safe distance is dependent on factors including speed limits, road infrastructure and weather conditions, however a rule of thumb is to keep at least a two-second gap between you and the car in front.”
