Motorists who drive too close to the car in front are being targeted in a new safety campaign.

Highways England, which looks after motorways and major A roads such as the A35 in Dorset, has launched its ‘Don’t be a Space Invader’ campaign.

Previous research has shown tailgating to be the chief bugbear among road users.

But new data from an independent national survey of 1,200 motorists, reveals it’s much more than just a nuisance.

The study, conducted by Select Car Leasing, revealed that tailgating is also the thing that causes us to be the most frightened and distressed while behind the wheel – more than actually having a crash.

The study also lifted the lid on the motivations behind tailgating itself.

Almost one in ten – 8 per cent of men and 6 per cent of women – said they’d deliberately tailgated as an act of ‘revenge’, because the rival motorist had ‘behaved poorly’ towards them.

Meanwhile 7 per cent of women and 6 per cent of men had accidentally tailgated without even realising they were doing it.

Overall, a third thought that tailgating had become more of an issue in the last five years than in previous eras, as UK road behaviours become more aggressive.

Highways England says one in eight of all road casualties are caused by people who drive too close to the vehicle in front, with more than 100 people killed or seriously injured each year.

Richard Leonard, Head of Road Safety at Highways England, said: “We know that if you get too close to the car in front, you won’t be able to react and stop in time if they brake suddenly.

“Tailgating also makes the driver in front feel targeted and victimised, distracting their attention from the road ahead and making them more likely to make a mistake.

“If that leads to a collision, then people in both vehicles could end up seriously injured or killed.

“We want everyone to travel safely, so the advice is – stay safe, stay back.”

Punishments for tailgating range from a £100 fine and three penalty points, a driving ban, or even a prison sentence.

The Highway Code states that you should leave a two-second gap between cars. The two seconds are made up of the time needed for thinking and stopping. And when it’s raining, that gap should be at least doubled.