A Picture and a Video to Prove that Tailgating Causes traffic Jams!

Take a look at this picture. There are four travel lanes. The one on the far right is ending, it's an on-ramp. Notice all of the brake-lights in the right travel lane? See the two cars trying to merge? Notice how trying to merge at the last second makes the highway stop? The tailgater trying to merge (the one with the brake-lights on) should have driven slower or equal to the flow of traffic (not faster), then he would have seen the space he just missed. If he had two car-lengths of space in front of his vehicle, he could have merged easily, without making anyone step on their brakes. If you have to step on your brakes when you merge, you didn't do it right.You could also say that the car in the right travel lane, tailgating behind the white car, caused this minor bottleneck, because he didn't supply the space that the tailgater merging needed.

Scientifically speaking, space is the opposite of traffic.

This is a great example of a traffic wave, as mentioned in my Ten Keys to Safe City Driving. If only all of these drivers knew how to keep enough space in front of them...

Truck Driver Education Source

Big City Driver is dedicated to trucking safety. Webmaster and founder Ken Skaggs has dozens of articles that promote Trucking Safety and Safe City Driving from a drivers perspective, but professional enough for Trucking Company Safety Departments. Here at Big City Driver you will find true stories and serious driver education lessons, like Tales of the Tailgater, Wind, the Silent Killer, Preventing Preventable accidents and Holidays and accidents. You will also find funny and entertaining stories, like Chickenhauler School, Monkeys can Drive and Driver Cuss-Out.There are lots of anecdotal, true stories and inspirational stories and articles.

In this line of work, it's easy to get depressed, gain weight, and lose touch with reality because of the long periods of time gone from home that many drivers experience, not to mention the aggravation of New York City, other big city dangers and aggressive drivers. It's important for todays professional drivers to be smart enough to learn how to stay calm under pressure and keep their sense of humor, which is not easy, and, try to look at daily driving hazzards scientifically instead of emotionally, and learn to relax and entertain themselves.

Many experienced truck drivers love to talk about the good ol' days, of course I am no exception. Because of all the trash-talk on the CB lately, some will argue that there was a time when drivers had class, but in my twenty-five years of trucking, I found that they still do, and even more now than ever. I think it's an age thing, or, just common sense.