With rear-end bingles accounting for a third of all crashes on Queensland roads, a new QUT study is aiming to find out why drivers struggle to follow at a safe distance.
Dr Judy Fleiter, from QUT's Centre for Accident Research & Road Safety - Queensland (CARRS-Q), said tailgating was ranked by drivers as one of the most annoying habits on our roads but crash rates indicate that most drivers were guilty of following too closely.
"The key to reducing nose-to-tail crashes is to help people understand the importance of keeping a safe distance from other traffic on the road and work out the best way to help people decide what that distance is," Dr Fleiter said.
"What this study aims to do is to find out how drivers decide how close to follow another vehicle and whether their ideas of a safe following distance change according to different driving conditions.
"For example, are drivers tailgating because they're disobeying the rules or because they don't know the rules?"
As part of a study to reduce the incidence of rear-end crashes, CARRS-Q has launched an online survey to determine what Queensland drivers think is 'too close' when travelling behind another vehicle.
"Although rear-end crashes are not likely to be fatal, they are more likely than any other type of collision to result in a mildly severe injury and this represents a significant human and economic burden on society," Dr Fleiter said.
"In addition, rear-end crashes bump up everyone's insurance premiums, with about 40 per cent of Compulsory Third Party claims resulting from nose-to-tail collisions."
"We know that when people are travelling too close to the vehicle in front, they are putting themselves and others in danger. Now we'd like to work out better ways of reducing this danger."
Dr Fleiter said in Australia rear-end crashes represented about a third of all reported crashes.
"There are many factors at play when drivers try to decide how much distance to leave between their vehicle and the one in front.
"This study aims to find out what drivers think is safe and also how best to educate people about keeping a safe distance to help avoid rear-end crashes.
"The results will be used to inform education strategies to help reduce these crashes in future."
To take part in the study, please visit http://www.carrsq.qut.edu.au/rec
Media contact:
Sandra Hutchinson, QUT Media (Tue, Wed), 07 3138 9449 or media@qut.edu.au
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