Tailgaters on notice

First it was stationary speed cameras appearing everywhere, then red light cameras became speed cameras too. Now all fixed 'safety' cameras could become tailgate traps in a bid to kerb the dangerous behaviour.

That's the word according to Gordon Lewis, Victoria's road safety camera commissioner – the man responsible for the state's 270 fixed speed cameras.

He says the existing stationary speed camera technology could be adapted to snap and fine tailgaters.

"The current fixed road safety cameras would be modified to detect when vehicles are travelling too close to each other," Lewis told Melbourne newspaper The Herald Sun.

He stated that tailgaters, or motorists who travel too closely to the vehicle in front of them, should be targeted and penalised for their dangerous behaviour.

Currently tailgaters are fined $303 and get one demerit point but these motorists can only be caught by police who witness the illegal conduct.

Lewis hastened to add that no new cameras would need to be deployed as the state's 270 speed cameras could easily be upgraded to capture offending tailgaters.

However, Victoria's road safety camera commissioner admitted the laws around 'tailgating' would need to be scrutinised, particularly when computer software – and not a trained police officer – was making the judgement.

"I stress that there would have to be an agreed standard of what 'travelling too close' is at speed, as the current road rules are very vague in this particular area," said the commissioner.

The new policy is being considered due to rising levels of dangerous driving, with police statistics showing an increase in the number of tailgaters nabbed by police. There were 3024 infringements in 2014/2015 — up from 2430 in 2011/2012.

There's no denying that tailgating is dangerous because it significantly reduces vehicle/driver reaction times, but in Victoria in particular anecdotal evidence suggests tailgating has been exacerbated by the state's unprecedented focus on speed and strict enforcement of speed limits, resulting in traffic 'bunching up'.

What's your take on tailgating? Is it an epidemic that needs to be more closely monitored or just another revenue-raising scheme that fails to address a deeper problem?