Tailgaters in firing line as new road rules aim to cut down crashes

New South Wales has introduced new road marking on one of its busiest highways in a bid to reduce the number of rear-end crashes in the state.

Arrow-like markings have been painted on the M1 Pacific Motorway providing drivers with a visual guide on how much distance there should be between their car and the one in front.

The new arrows run along a 13km stretch from George Booth Drive at Seahampton and Palmers Road. Signs displaying the message “keep at least 2 chevrons apart’ – which is around 92 metres – have also been erected in this area. Those who are caught tailgating other drivers in the area will lose three demerit points and be forced to pay a $448 fine.   

While it’s common knowledge that drivers should leave a three-second gap between vehicles it’s often ignored, leading to tailgating and crashes.

Data released just months ago from national insurer AAMI revealed one in three crashes on Australian roads throughout 2016 were caused by tailgating. A total of 31 per cent of all road accidents were caused by nose-to-tail collisions, which is often linked to tailgating and driver distraction.

Motorists in Victoria were the worst in the country for these type of collisions with 33 per cent of accidents caused by tailgating, compared to Tasmania where only 17 per cent of accidents were caused by tailgating. 

In South Australia there were 4,656 rear-end crashes during 2016, three of which were fatal. Meanwhile, in NSW, there were a whopping 21,900 rear-end crashes recorded from 2013 to 2017, leading to 66 deaths and 3,840 serious injuries.

Read more: One in three road accidents caused by tailgating: Report

Speaking to news.com.au, Centre for Road Safety Chief Executive Bernard Carlon explained while the three-second gap is taught when learning to drive, this is the fastest time a driver is able to respond to an incident. He said the higher the speed limit the greater the distance should be between vehicles.

“Safe distances can vary depending on the speed a vehicle is travelling, as well as other conditions such as the weather,” he told the news outlet. “However, as a general rule motorists should travel three seconds behind the vehicle in front.”

NSW isn’t the first state to introduce the markings with Queensland painting the markings back in 2009. The arrows are found on a stretch of the Bruce Highway just south of Caloundra.

However, none of the other states and territories in the country have followed suit.

What are your thoughts on the new markings? Do tailgaters annoy you on the road?