Bad driving behaviours on the rise in Melbourne, Victoria revealed

“Reckless” tailgating, aggressive driving, excessive horn use and rage are rising concerns of Victorian motorists on the state’s busy roads, leading the RACV and police to issue stern warnings.

Tailgating, aggressive driving, excessive horn use and road rage are rising concerns of Victorian motorists, leading the RACV to issue a stern warning to those who behave “recklessly” behind the wheel.

The RACV on Thursday said a new poll had revealed 38 per cent of Victorian motorists had witnessed or experienced tailgating.

Many had also seen or been the victim of aggressive driving, abusive behaviour or over-the-top use of a car horn.

RACV policy chief James Williams said tailgating was more dangerous than what many motorists believed — and was also illegal.

Victorian tailgaters have been put on notice.

Traffic chaos on the West Gate Bridge. Picture: Brendan Beckett

Failing to drive a safe distance behind a vehicle, or tailgating, could see offenders fined up to $248 and one demerit point, he said.

“Tailgating is a reckless behaviour and in a split second an incident could cause the front driver to brake suddenly, resulting in a potentially significant crash between the tailgater and driver in front,” Mr Williams said.

“Additionally, extreme tailgating behaviour can divert the front driver’s concentration and impact their driving confidence, resulting in collisions or unsafe driving speeds … It’s just not worth the risk to tailgate. Always provide a safe enough distance from the car in front of you.”

That safe distance was dependent on factors including speed limits, road infrastructure and weather conditions, he said.

However, a rule of thumb was to keep at least a two-second gap between your car and the car in front.

Victoria Police said maintaining a safe distance from a vehicle travelling in front was not only courteous to other motorists but allowed sufficient time to react, which could help prevent collisions — particularly in bad weather, heavy traffic and when visibility was poor.

“Police are always on the lookout for poor driving behaviour, and we won’t hesitate to hold motorists to account who show disregard for any road rules,” a spokesperson warned.

What to do if you’re the victim of road rage

Stay calm and maintain a safe speed.

Don’t accelerate to increase the distance between you and the tailgater.

Prioritise safety and focus on the road ahead.

Don’t let yourself become distracted by other occurrences inside the car.

Change lanes (if on a highway or freeway) or allow the tailgater to pass when safe.

When safe to do so, report the incident to the police, noting the car’s make, model and registration number, if captured, as well as the area it occurred.

A worrying number of Victorian motorists have experienced or seen road rage.

Originally published as Bad driving behaviours on the rise in Melbourne, Victoria revealed