Police are cracking down on drivers travelling too close to cars in front of them on Melton City’s busiest roads.
Senior Constable Allan Edwards said police would target tailgaters on the Western Freeway and Melton Highway.
“The most common collision reported to police is a rear-end collision, which is almost always the result of the offending vehicle travelling too close to the vehicle in front,’’ he said.
“At 100km/h, a vehicle travels almost 28 metres in one second and at 110km/h it’s 30.5 metres in a second.
‘‘Most drivers will take a minimum of one second to react to brake lights coming on in front of them, and if they are closer than these distances a collision will most likely occur.’’
Senior Constable Edwards said drivers should stay at least two seconds behind the vehicle in front of them, at any speed.
Motorists caught tailgating will be fined $217 and lose one demerit point.
He said police were also targeting speeding motorists and those driving in the right lane when not overtaking.
Senior Constable Edwards said there would be more police on north-west roads over the next few months.
“TAC funding will provide for an extra 16 shifts to be worked by Melton highway patrol from April 4 to May 25, with an emphasis on drink-driving offences,’’ he said.
“Apart from conducting random breath testing, members involved in the operation will be conducting random patrols around all licensed premises within the police service area and testing drivers leaving licensed premises.”
