‘Don’t be a Space Invader – stay safe, stay back’ (campaign)

Highways England launched this campaign on the back of figures showing one in eight road casualties are caused by people who drive too close to the vehicle in front.

The campaign uses the well-known Space Invader video game character to alert drivers to the anti-social nature and risks of tailgating.

Highways England says that while a small minority of tailgating is deliberate, most is an unintentional act by drivers who are ‘simply unaware they are dangerously invading someone else’s space’.

As part of the campaign, Highways England launched a dedicated webpage where drivers can find more information about tailgating and what they can do to stay safe.

It also published the findings of a new survey which reveals tailgating is the ‘biggest single bugbear that drivers have about other road users’.

The survey suggests that nearly 90% of drivers have either been tailgated or seen it, while more than a quarter of drivers admitted to committing the action.