Queue jumpers largely to blame for rear-end accidents, study finds

If you wanted another reason to despise those pesky queue jumpers in traffic, read away.

An Australian study has found impatient and pushy drivers are a key reason why people choose to illegally tailgate on congested roads. And guess what? Tailgating has been identified as the leading cause of rear-end crashes.

The Prevalence and perception of following too closely in Queensland report by the Queensland University of Technology reveals some telling though not surprising insights of 500 motorists. Released this week, the research also encompasses Queensland’s rear-end crash blackspots along with on-road monitoring.

"For the first time tailgating has been conclusively linked with rear-end crashes but we also identified queue jumping as the main reason for not keeping a safe distance," said the report’s co-author, Dr Sebastian Demmel, from the Centre for Accident Research and Road Safety Queensland.

"Drivers blamed queue-jumpers for tailgating, they wanted to avoid another driver cutting in front of them."

While tailgating is considered illegal and carries significant penalties in Australia, it remains a common sight on our roads.

Fifty-five per cent of respondents said they fail to maintain a safe following distance in peak hour traffic, prescribed as between two to three seconds. Some 44 per cent said the gap was less than one second.

Tellingly, some 60 per cent of respondents admitted to using inconsistent meterage as a guide rather than physically counting out the seconds between themselves and the car in front.

"There was a higher rate of males and young drivers involved in rear-end crashes, which can be explained by the fact that these inexperienced drivers have been shown to be more likely to adopt risky driving and aggressive behaviours," Dr Demmel added.

“However, the relative speed difference of vehicles, meaning a slower vehicle followed by a line of faster vehicles, is also a significant predictor of tailgating."

Rear-end collisions account for roughly one in five accidents on Queensland roads, representing about one-quarter of insurance claims.

The report made a number of recommendations mostly concerning education and consistent messaging around the importance of a safe following distance. Improving active safety technology was identified as another key solution in reducing rear-end crashes.

"As many as two-thirds of drivers are not keeping a safe distance, despite the belief that they are," Dr Demmel said.

"Risk taking and perception of risk are also important, as drivers were found to leave a smaller distance during heavy peak hours which leads to more rear-end crashes. Campaigns targeting tailgating linked to drivers preventing queue-jumping may also have a significant impact."