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Tailgating is the number one peeve when it comes to drivers breaking the road rules, according to our poll of more than 5500 motorists.
This bad behaviour was ranked by far the most annoying on SA roads, accounting for 27 per cent of the total 5584 votes cast on RAA’s pet peeves poll.
The other most annoying habits on the road reported to the RAA were;
We ran the poll to remind drivers to obey the road rules, and warn those who do break the rules that they can also be fined and are putting all road users’ safety at risk.
RAA Senior Manager of Safety and Infrastructure Charles Mountain said other drivers’ bad behaviour was a hot topic among motorists.
“There are many rule-breaking behaviours that people find annoying, and not surprisingly our poll shows tailgating is high among them,’’ he said.
“Indicating is a simple driving task and an important one for safety’s sake but failing to do so draws the ire of many motorists. It’s important to indicate for long enough so that traffic in the adjacent lane knows what you intend to do.
“All these traffic offences can also lead to situations in which other drivers can become enraged and end up making poor decisions as well.
“We obviously need to do more work in helping drivers understand all the road rules and how they work.”
These bad driving habits could create a serious safety risk, Mr Mountain warned.
“They can also result in a costly fine and loss of demerit points,’’ he said.
Latest figures show more than 5000 motorists have been pulled over by police for tailgating – resulting in $1.32 million worth of fines – during the past two financial years.
In the same period police figures show 1347 drivers were caught failing to keep left unless overtaking, resulting in 995 cautions and 352 fines worth $124,385. Want to have your say? Take the poll at What are your driving pet peeves | samotor The RAA Magazine