Highways Agency launches DVD to encourage safer driving

The Highways Agency has launched a new DVD to encourage drivers to leave a safe distance between vehicles.

'Don't Be A Fool', presented by BBC Newsreader Sophie Raworth, educates drivers about the dangers of being too close to the vehicle in front.

Following too close is a factor in one third of road accidents, according to the Highways Agency. Drivers are encouraged to use the 'Two Second Rule' to measure the distance between themselves and the vehicle in front.

To check your distance, choose a point in front of you, such as a bridge or a road sign, and when the vehicle in front passes it, start to repeat at the sentence "Only a fool breaks the two second rule" or count out loud "One second, two seconds". If you're at the correct distance, you're vehicle should pass the landmark only after you've finished speaking.

During the making of the DVD, Sophie Raworth went out with Highways Agency traffic officers in Yorkshire to see for herself the dangerous driver behaviour that causes a third of all accidents on roads.
Stuart Lovatt, safety action plan co-ordinator at the Highways Agency, said:
"Being too close to the vehicle in front is a major factor in approximately a third of all accidents on our roads. These are accidents that could be avoided by leaving a safe gap between you and the vehicle in-front.

"Whilst we have one of the safest road networks in Europe, more can be done to prevent incidents and drivers have their part to play. Our advice is simple. Don't be a fool. Follow the two second rule."

The new DVD is backed by the AA and the RAC and was produced by the Highways Agency as part of its commitment to improving road safety and journey reliability because of the high number of accidents where following too close was a factor.

Andrew Howard, head of roads and transport policy for the AA, said: "Drivers have two completely different views on tailgating: one through their rear window and the other through the windscreen. 62 per cent of drivers claim to have been 'aggressively tailgated'; but only six per cent say they have tailgated someone else.

"The reality is that everyone has to accept that, unless they are at least two seconds away from the car in front, the only thing they're not following too closely is the Highway Code."
Edmund King, executive director of the RAC Foundation, commented;

"Almost half of all motorists say that tailgaters are their biggest motorway fear. Motorists are right to fear tailgaters, who are putting their own lives and those of others on the line by driving too close.

"As well as being a large factor in fatal and serious accidents, tailgating is the biggest contributor to the build up of "phantom" traffic jams which result in delay and many less serious collisions.

"All drivers need to be more considerate in their motorway driving style. Too many drivers have forgotten the "two second rule" which helps keep them a safe distance from the vehicle in front."

For further information, visit highways.gov.uk.