Organisation: National Highways
Date of Publication: February 2026
Uploaded to Knowledge Centre: 4 March 2026
This campaign has been developed to address tailgating, or driving too close to the vehicle ahead, which makes road users feel anxious and uncomfortable. Whether intentional or not, it remains a serious safety issue on the roads, contributing to an average of 147 people being killed or seriously injured on England’s motorways and major A-roads every year.
National Highways says that despite this, tailgating has become worryingly normal. One in four drivers say they sometimes drive too close to the vehicle in front.
Britain prides itself on politeness and consideration. Yet millions of drivers feel like their day-to-day manners worsen when they are driving. Especially when running late (27%), feeling tired (20%) and driving during peak commuting times (16%).
As part of this campaign, National Highways has developed a regional ‘Driving Etiquette’ scoring system to reveal which regions have the best and worst driving behaviours. It factors in data-points like the number of serious incidents recorded where close following was a contributing factor; the number of drivers from each region who admit to sometimes driving too close to the car in front; and other drivers’ views of driving etiquette in that region.
Explore the interactive map to see how these scores vary across the country. Drivers in the South West score highest for road manners, while London and the South East rank lowest.
https://nationalhighways.co.uk/road-safety/too-close-for-comfort-stay-safe-stay-back