OPINION: Tailgating's not only rude, it's dangerous

Almost 92 per cent of motorists surveyed recently by RACQ listed tailgating as the most annoying thing other drivers do on the road.

Almost 92 per cent of motorists surveyed recently by RACQ listed tailgating as the most annoying thing other drivers do on the road. Picture: Contributed

MY palms are getting clammy, I'm getting a sick feeling in my gut and my face is becoming hot. The ute has been sitting right on the back of my X-Trail for a kilometre. I'm trying to get over into another lane but the traffic is busy.

Finally, I spot a gap, indicate and merge. Hopefully that'll get rid of the ute.

The ute changes lanes, too. It's right behind me again. I can see the driver through the back window of my car, he doesn't seem aggressive - he's just really close to me. There is probably a metre at most.

This continued for several kilometres before the ute passed me. To this day I have no idea what he was doing. Was he just unaware?

Almost 92 per cent of motorists surveyed recently by RACQ listed tailgating as the most annoying thing other drivers do on the road. Tailgating's not only rude, it's downright dangerous. It can intimidate drivers and could force them to make a mistake that could lead to a crash. If the driver in front brakes, there may not be enough time to avoid going up the back of them, and it's not as if tailgating will get you to a destination any faster.

My tailgating incident happened many years ago. While I certainly don't get as stressed behind the wheel nowadays, it reminds me to be a more courteous driver on the road. Couldn't we all do that too?