A NEW study has revealed the nation’s worst motorways for dangerous tailgating, with the M1 near Leeds revealed as the country’s tailgating hotspot.

Sections of the M42 near Solihull (West Midlands) and M1 near Brent Cross complete the top three sections of motorway with the highest number of vehicles tailgating, reveals the study, commissioned by Direct Line.

Analysis of traffic flow data from nearly 6,500 sites on the Highways Agency motorway network shows that nearly half (49 per cent) of all vehicles were found to allow less than the recommended two-second gap from the car in front. The study found 17 per cent of vehicles were travelling with less than one second apart.

Vehicle flow data suggests that for vehicles travelling at speeds of 60-69mph, 78 per cent of cars had gaps that were less than their calculated stopping distances (73-94m) and 54 per cent had gaps less than half the calculated stopping distances.

Drivers on the M42 most regularly ignore the Highway Code’s two-second safe gap between vehicles, with four sections of the motorway between Solihull and the NEC, Birmingham, included in the national top 10 motorway tailgating hotspots.

Police reports indicate that more than 1,700 injuries (up to 15 per cent of all injury collisions) on Highways Agency roads are caused by close following, including around five deaths a year.

Young drivers are the most likely to be involved in tailgating accidents, with around 37 per cent of those crashes caused by under-30s.

The cost of the accidents is estimated to be between £79 and £129 million a year, with a further national cost of between £4.2 million and £12.6 million due to the congestion caused by tailgating collisions.

Behavioural analysis of why people tailgate concluded that there are two underlying causes - driver error in assessing speeds and gaps in the traffic and drivers actively trying to close the distance with the vehicle ahead on purpose and sometimes aggressively.

Rob Miles, director of car insurance at Direct Line, said: “All drivers have a responsibility to keep a safe distance between their vehicle and others on the road.

"Tailgating is extremely dangerous and also against the law, regardless of whether it’s done intentionally or in ignorance.

"Often people can find themselves too close to other vehicles on motorways as they rush to their destination or try to keep up with traffic flow. We’d urge drivers to keep their stopping distances in mind, as these are often forgotten in times of haste or frustration.

"Drivers should aim to always have at least a two-second gap - over 60 metres - between themselves and the car in front to keep safe on the motorway and avoid facing the on-the-spot fines for tailgating that were introduced last year.”