Driving too close the the driver in front is both dangerous and irresponsible. So why do drivers do this? Sit them down and point it out and most would agree it is a dangerous practice. So why do it?
It comes down to their survival and ‘other priorities’.
For example:
Their survival reason could be they are hungry or need a bathroom break and by being close to you gets them to the food or bathroom sooner, but of course it doesn’t.
Their priorities could be they are late for an appointment and being close to the car in front gives the feeling they are doing something positive about it. Wheras if they used their intelligence a little more they could probably find safer opportunities to make headway along the road.
How many times have you been overtaken by someone who was travelling close to you and you to then catch them up at the next traffic light? Your perception was ‘you didn’t get very far’. Their perception was ‘I have made progress and I won’t be late’.
I have had cars almost touching my rear bumper whilst I was driving at 60mph before finally overtaking me. 10 minutes later I could be ahead at a second set of traffic lights by a good 50 metres.
Who is the least stressed with a safer result?
One psychologist put it more simply
‘They are lonely and need the company of other humans, a basic instinct of a human’.