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National Highways has launched a new wave of its campaign to encourage drivers to ‘stay back, stay safe’. It aims to prompt safer following distances and reduce the risk of collisions caused by insufficient stopping space between vehicles.
Close following listed as a contributing factor in around 8% of accidents where someone was killed or seriously injured in recent years, and one in four drivers admitting they sometimes drive too close to the vehicle in front of them.
The campaign uses social norms and Britain’s shared sense of courtesy to prompt reflection on driving behaviour. By framing close following as inconsiderate and out of step with everyday etiquette, it highlights how rushing another driver at speed is both dangerous and contrary to the values many people take pride in.
There’s a simple message about the two-second rule members may like to pass on to customers:
- Maintaining a safe following distance (at least two seconds) is an easy yet crucial action. It not only enhances safety but also fosters a more relaxed and considerate driving environment.
- Driving too close to the vehicle in front creates a sense of pressure for the other driver and evokes the same unsettling feelings as standing unnecessarily close to someone in everyday life.
- To use the two-second rule, choose a fixed object ahead, such as a lamppost sign or a bridge. When the vehicle in front of you passes it, say to yourself ‘only a fool breaks the 2-second rule’. The phrase takes about 2 seconds to say, so if you pass the same fixed object before you’ve finished saying it, you’re too close to the vehicle in front and need to drop back.
- The gap should be at least doubled on wet roads and up to ten times greater on icy roads. Motorcycles and large vehicles, such as HGVs, will need a greater distance to stop safely.
More information on the National Highways website: Too Close for Comfort? Stay Safe. Stay Back
