Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment she has made of the adequacy of her Department’s guidance on following distances.

Rule 126 of The Highway Code includes guidance on stopping distances and states that drivers and riders ‘should leave enough space between you and the vehicle in front so that you can pull up safely if it suddenly slows down or stops’ and ‘…never to get closer than the overall stopping distances’ set out on pages 52 and 53 of the code. Tailgating can be considered careless driving, which is a fixed penalty offence.

All road users are required to comply with road traffic law. If road users do not adopt a responsible attitude or if their use of the highway creates an unsafe environment, or causes nuisance, they may be committing a number of offences that can make them liable for prosecution.

Enforcement of the law is a matter for the police who will decide on the evidence of each individual case, whether an offence has been committed and the appropriate action to take.

In addition to the Highway Code, National Highways uses Variable Message Signs on motorways to encourage appropriate lane discipline. The Government’s THINK! road safety campaign also provides information to road users to encourage safer behaviour. Enforcement of road traffic law is a matter for the police.

In June 2025, National Highways ran a communications campaign on this issue, using media, digital and social media. The aim was to align the uncomfortable feeling of being followed too closely in everyday life with the similar feelings this evokes when being tailgated on a high-speed road, namely discomfort and anxiety.

Following the success of that campaign, and the genuine media interest in this topic, National Highways is planning a new communications campaign to launch next month. This low / no cost campaign moment will educate drivers on the dangers of tailgating and aim to change behaviour by looking at driving etiquette and evoking England’s love for manners and respect.

The campaign will launch w/c 23rd February across owned and earned media channels. It will involve:

• Press activity which demonstrates the scale of the issue and brings its regional elements to life. This will be pitched to national broadcast channels and print/ online outlets
• Creative social media content addressing the campaign themes, activated across channels including Facebook, Instagram, Threads and Shorts
• Interactive digital activity illustrating the regional trends
• Stakeholder engagement and sharing of key campaign messaging

National Highways adheres to the Government Communication Service evaluation framework and will be measuring the success of this campaign wave through a series of measures, including social listening tools and Media Equivalent Value.