A new survey by sat nav company TomTom reveals 44% of drivers admit to having to brake sharply because of a ‘sudden’ traffic jam. Picture: Nigel Chadwick
HAVE you ever had to brake suddenly because of a traffic jam ahead? If you’re aware of stopping distances and always leave the correct gap between your van and the vehicle ahead, then the answer should be ‘never’.
But a new survey by sat nav company TomTom reveals 44% of drivers admit to having to brake sharply because of a ‘sudden’ traffic jam. And almost one in four – 22% – say a following vehicle has rear-ended them when braking suddenly in traffic.
Did you know?
- Only 44% of drivers know the correct stopping distance at 60mph (it’s 240ft)
- Only 35% know that the stopping distance at 30mph is 75ft
- 7% of all road accidents are caused by sudden braking – and the cost to the economy is over £1 billion a year
- September is worse for jams than August – with 35% more congestion
- The average daily traffic jam length across the UK in September is 248 miles!
While keeping a safe distance from the vehicle in front is of prime importance in accident prevention, knowing the precise location of a traffic jam would provide an additional safety factor.
TomTom believes the new research reveals a serious issue that the company aims to address with its technology.
A TomTom spokesman told Business Vans: “Our traffic information has become so accurate that we can now pinpoint the precise location of a traffic jam.
“On our new GO range we have developed a ‘Jam Ahead Warning’ that shows drivers clearly where a jam starts and crucially alerts them to slow down if they are travelling too fast.”
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