• Highways England trialling new roadside cameras on the M1 that measures the distance between two cars 
  • Motorists caught tailgating would receive a £100 fine and three points on their licence

Almost 90% of motorists support plans to fine fellow drivers for tailgating on the motorway. These are the results of a new poll by Motorpoint of over 1600 drivers.

The online survey reveals that 87% of drivers back proposals that would see other drivers fined £100.

Caught on film

It comes as the Government has been trialling new technology on parts of the M1 in Northamptonshire. Roadside cameras detect whether drivers are maintaining a minimum of a two-second gap between the vehicle in front. The trial has caught over  26,000 people tailgating on one section of road, many of them repeat offenders. The dangerous habit causes around 600 serious accidents a year, contributing to roughly 30 road crash deaths.

“Tailgating has become commonplace on our roads in recent years and we are delighted to see the Government finally taking action,”  states Mark Carpenter, Chief Executive Officer of Motorpoint. “The issue of tailgating extends far beyond just motorways, and this step won’t solve the problem overnight, but at least it is a move in the right direction.”

The trial

You can read more about the Highways England trials of tailgating cameras here.