Attorney-General, Simon Corbell has recently launched a new road safety campaign highlighting the impact of tailgating on the ACT community.
“Not only are rear-end collisions in the top three crashes for injuries, but the costs of these crashes impacts on the whole community through CTP premiums,” Mr Corbell said. “This campaign is intended to raise awareness of the impact of tailgating and encourage drivers to slow down and provide a safe gap to the car in front.”
Mr Corbell pointed out that in 2013, there were 7,863 reported traffic crashes in the ACT, which involved 15,399 vehicles and resulted in 792 casualties, including seven fatalities and 140 hospital admissions. Just under half of all reported crashes were rear-end crashes, where tailgating is a major causal factor.
“Many drivers underestimate the distance required to stop a vehicle. When you take into account reaction time and braking distance, the stopping distance at a speed of 60km per hour is 56 metres. At 100km per hour the stopping distance increases to 127 metres,” Mr Corbell said.
Mr Corbell explained that in the 2013/14 financial year, ACT Policing issued 104 Traffic Infringement Notices and 108 Cautions for tailgating, which also reinforces the need for messaging about the extent of tailgating and its impact on the ACT community.