New National Highways campaign urges lane hoggers and tailgaters to change their driving style

The survey findings – released today as National Highways launches a new campaign – show lane hogging was among the most likely behaviours to cause motorists and riders to feel frustrated, while tailgating was among the most likely to make them feel anxious, stressed or unsafe. 

The campaign is urging drivers to carefully consider their driving habits – as little changes can change everything. 

According to the survey, carried out by Ipsos UK on behalf of National Highways, nearly a third (32%) of drivers admitted to lane hogging at least occasionally while driving on England’s motorways and major A roads.  

When thinking about their most recent journey, around a third (34%) of those responding noticed middle lane hogging, and many of them reported that it made them feel frustrated or angry.   

Meanwhile almost seven in ten adults in England (67%) said close following, or tailgating, is a serious problem on these types of roads. 

The survey of 2,500 adults, aged 16-75, also revealed nearly a quarter (23%) of drivers admitted to tailgating at least occasionally. 

Nearly three quarters (73%) of people said that if they personally were to drive too close to the vehicle in front, this would be likely to cause an accident. Around the same proportion (75%) said that if other drivers drive too close to their car, this would be likely to cause an accident.  

Lane hogging and tailgating both fall under the offence of careless driving with police officers having the power to hand out on-the-spot fines of £100 and three penalty points, meaning failing to keep left on the motorway and close following could hit people in the pocket. 

The new campaign – carrying the slogan ‘little changes, change everything’ – will feature on radio and television adverts, podcasts, roadside billboards, posters at motorway service stations, retails parks and petrol stations, and on social media. 

National Highways Director of Road Safety Sheena Hague said:  

“Bad habits can make driving on our motorways a challenging experience, as those who lane hog or tailgate frustrate other drivers and make them feel unsafe. Both are dangerous and can cause accidents. 

“Our campaign aims to motivate motorists to embrace little changes, which will have an overall positive effect on both them and their fellow road users, reduce congestion and keep traffic flowing. 

“The message is simple – always allow plenty of room between you and the vehicle in front, and unless overtaking move into the left-hand lane.” 

Roads Minister Guy Opperman said: 

“This Government is on the side of drivers and is listening to their concerns. That’s why this campaign, as part of our Plan for Drivers, aims to tackle middle lane hogging and tailgating, which are not only irritating but dangerous too.” 

Edmund King OBE, AA president, said:  

“Considerate driving is not just about being kind, but it is about keeping safe. The top five types of drivers loathed by AA members are the tailgaters, the lane-hoggers, the phone abusers, the lane swoopers, and the undertakers.  

“All these activities are dangerous and indeed stressful for the perpetrators as well as other drivers. Sadly, some people seem to change personalities when cocooned in their metal boxes on wheels. We support National Highways’ campaign as we want to see drivers drive with a smile on their face rather than a frown.” 

RAC road safety spokesperson Rod Dennis said:  

“Simply put, middle lane hogging and tailgating are far more than mere annoyances for drivers – these actions put everyone on the roads at risk. Closely following another motorist, for instance, could easily result in a serious collision should the driver ahead need to brake sharply for any reason. The fact nearly one-in-four drivers surveyed admit to doing so on some of England’s fastest and busiest roads is frightening. 

“Some offenders might find these habits hard to kick, which is why this campaign is so important. By understanding how we choose to drive affects others, we can each make a real difference to the safety of our roads.”   

Lane hogging can disrupt the flow of traffic leading to congestion and cause frustration to other road users. It can also lead to other drivers undertaking. 

The middle lane should be used for overtaking, letting traffic onto the road, and when traffic conditions do not allow for driving in the left lane.   

When traffic conditions allow, people should drive in the left-hand lane and if overtaking should return to the left-hand lane when it is safe to do so.  

When it comes to close following, the Highway Code says drivers should “allow at least a two second gap between you and the vehicle in front on roads carrying faster moving traffic”. The two seconds are made up of the time needed for thinking and stopping. And when it’s raining drivers need to at least double that gap. 

Lincolnshire Police spotted this instance of tailgating on a major A-road. View the footage here

Find out more about the campaign at https://nationalhighways.co.uk/road-safety/little-changes/.

 

---

Notes to Editors

Other findings from the Ipsos UK survey include: 

Close following

• In a representative survey of adults in England, nearly a quarter (23%) of drivers admitted to tailgating at least occasionally while driving on England’s motorways or major A-roads in the previous 12 months. Five percent of drivers said they’d ‘always’ done this in their journeys in the past 12 months, 6% said they’d ‘frequently’ done it, and 12% said they’d ‘occasionally’ done it.   
• Almost seven in ten (67%) adults in England agreed with the statement that “close following (tailgating) is a serious problem on England’s motorways or major A-roads”.  
• When thinking about their most recent journey made on England’s motorways or major A-roads, almost three in ten (28%) of those responding noticed tailgating. Over four in ten (44%) of those noticing it said it made them feel unsafe, 34% said it made them feel angry and 28% said it made them feel anxious.   
• Sixteen per cent of all adults responding to the survey considered tailgating among the least acceptable behaviours when driving in the motorways and major A-roads in England. (This compares with 14% who said the same about speeding more than 10mph over the speed limit, and 27% who said the same about having a conversation on a mobile phone held in the hand, for example).  
• Nearly three quarters (73%) of people who had driven on England’s motorways or major A-roads in the previous 12 months said that if they personally were to drive too close to the vehicle in front, this would be likely to cause an accident. Around the same proportion (75%) said that if other drivers drive too close to their car, this would be likely to cause an accident.  
• Despite this, four in ten of all adults responding (41%) believed tailgating on England’s motorways or major A-roads would be unlikely to be punished.  

Lane hogging   

• In a representative survey of adults in England, nearly a third (32%) of drivers admitted to middle lane hogging at least occasionally while driving on England’s motorways or major A-roads in the previous 12 months. Five percent of drivers said they’d ‘always’ done this in their journeys in the past 12 months, 6% said they’d ‘frequently’ done it, and 22% said they’d ‘occasionally’ done it.   
• When thinking about their most recent journey made on England’s motorways or major A-roads, around a third (34%) of those responding noticed middle lane hogging. Nearly half (49%) of those noticing it said it made them feel frustrated, 29% said it made them feel angry and 13% said it made them feel stressed.   
• Nearly one in ten (9%) of all adults responding to the survey considered middle lane hogging among the least acceptable behaviours when driving on the motorways and major A-roads in England. (This compares with 14% who said the same about speeding more than 10mph over the speed limit, and 27% who said the same about having a conversation on a mobile phone held in the hand, for example).   
• Nearly half of all adults responding (48%) believed middle lane hogging on England’s motorways or major A-roads would be unlikely to be punished. This compares with nearly a quarter (23%) who said drivers who do this are likely to receive a punishment.  
• Twenty one percent of all adults responding did not know whether middle lane hogging is legal or illegal. Meanwhile, 23% believed it is legal and a similar proportion (27%) thought it is illegal in some circumstances. Three in ten (30%) thought it is illegal in all circumstances.   

Technical note on survey methodology

• Ipsos UK and National Highways surveyed 2,500 adults aged 16-75 in England, using Ipsos’ online panel. The survey findings reported are part of a large tracking study.   
• Survey fieldwork took place 21 – 29 July 2023 (inclusive).   
• Quotas were set by age, gender, work status, social grade, Government Office Region in England and ethnicity. Data have been weighted to the known population profile in the UK according to these variables to adjust for any non-response among particular groups, to generate a representative sample of the adult population of England.  
• Respondents’ ‘most recent journey’, where mentioned, refers to their most recent journey on England’s motorways and/or major A-roads in the previous four weeks (prior to completing the survey in July 2023) as a driver, passenger or rider.    Respondents were also asked about journeys they had made on England’s motorways and/or major A-roads in the previous 12 months before taking part in the survey (in July 2023), including risky driving behaviours they had personally engaged in themselves over this time period (e.g. lane hogging and close following). 

Operation Snap  

As part of Operation Snap, members of the public can report and submit digital footage showing potential moving traffic offences. This can range from driving dangerously or carelessly to overtaking on solid white lines, using a mobile phone while driving, ignoring traffic lights or dangerous driving around other road users, such as horse riders and cyclists. For more information go to the website: https://nextbase.co.uk/national-dash-cam-safety-portal/