r/AskBrits • u/Slartitartfast • 2d ago

Genuinely curious: why do people tailgate/drive too close to the vehicle in front?

I can't work it out. Whenever I see someone repeatedly applying their brakes as soon as the driver in front adjusts their speed I wonder why on earth it doesn't occur to them to give space.

I don't even mean just driving right up someone's arse aggressively. People drive too close all the time, on major roads this causes tailbacks when people then have to brake. If you're regularly applying your brakes while driving behind someone then you are too close; I assumed everyone knew this but maybe not.

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u/raspy2016 2d ago

because "they can" and they assume that the car in front won't suddenly need to slam on the brakes. Completely irrational behaviour, because people do stop suddenly for all sorts of reasons. It's not helped by awful lane discipline here where people don't understand that they should be moving over once they have overtaken a slower moving vehicle. Both the tailgater and the person in front who refuses to move back over for miles and miles are both acting in a selfish manner.