There are numerous reasons why you might utilize the roadways across North Carolina. Perhaps driving is part of your daily commute? Maybe you depend on a vehicle to get to and from school for your children? In any case, what’s important is that you reach your destination safely.
While you may take every precaution to remain safe on the roads, you cannot control the actions of other road users. Tailgaiting is a form of driving behavior, that is often based on aggression, and it is a contributing factor to approximately one-third of all crashes in the U.S.
Essentially, tailgating amounts to another vehicle following too closely behind you. This is dangerous for various reasons, but largely because it removes your focus from the road ahead of you. So, what can you do to protect yourself from tailgaters?
Safely move to another lane
For the most part, the roadways consist of slower and faster lanes. If you are stuck in a faster lane with someone following closely behind you, your options are more limited. If it is safe to do so, you can place yourself in the slower lane’s safer location. This increases your options. For example, you can head onto the shoulder lane or exit the roadway at the nearest exit.
Let them pass
Impatience and aggression are often the root cause of tailgating. An impatient driver may feel that their journey is more important than yours, and they are entitled to arrive at their location before you. This is a conflict that you want to avoid. No harm can come of you allowing the driver to safely pass you. Even if your journey is delayed by a minute or two, that’s much better than the alternative of being tangled up in a collision.
Reaching your journey in one piece is the top priority and avoiding tailgaters can make sure this happens. Unfortunately, some accidents are simply unavoidable and if you have been caught up in a road traffic collision, you have a number of legal options.
