Free stickers to deter tailgaters

The Highways Agency has commissioned Transport Research Limited to investigate the effectiveness of decals (stickers) on influencing tailgating, and it needs the help of organisations who are willing to stick stickers onto their vehicles.

The stickers, which are 19x47cm, are suitable for vans or lorries and will be provided free to those companies that take part. The sticker design is shown on the left.

The text at different speeds should only be readable to those drivers who are less than three seconds behind the vehicle in front. If a driver is travelling at 30mph and can read the small 30 on the sticker, they’re too close. Likewise for 50 and 70.

There might be some benefit in the reduction of nose-to-tail accidents for cars that have these stickers, but at Right Driver we don’t think this will have a lasting effect because there are too many other variables and pressures:

• People’s eyesight – there are many people who drive without glasses that should be wearing glasses
• People’s perception of how far away they should be – drivers may have (should have!) heard of the two-second rule and as theses stickers are set to three seconds this could cause confusion or apathy
• It doesn’t change a driver’s motivation
• There’s no reward for driving further back
• There’s no context around the stickers

Small initiatives like this may make some difference but need to be used in conjunction with other enforcement methods.

Contact Poppy Husband for your stickers: [email protected].

Want to know more about tailgating (including an unusual reason why it’s actually good!) Click here to find out.