I very much doubt that 'tailgating' would ever be listed as an offence in court, and thus no records of offences would exist.

Driving without due care and attention / reckless driving / dangerous driving would be used in such cases - assuming there was enough evidence to prosecute, which would be highly unlikely unless it was dashcam footage from an unmarked police car which was being tailgated.

On the rural roads and lanes around here, overtaking is virtually impossible. The narrow width of the roads also governs the safe speed to travel, around 30-35mph, because the verges are littered with ditches, water filled potholes and deep ruts, so slowing down when encountering an oncoming vehicle is neccessary. However, the local 'nutters' still catch you up and tailgate. There is no reason to catch up because they cannot get past and no reason to tailgate for the same reason. Yet these idots insist on driving up against my boot lid. I simply slow down very gradually to about 20mph for a mile or so, then accelerate to the safe speed of about 35mph and hope they get the message. Some do, others don't. Then they look in wonderment at why they have to stop when I turn off! Had they been 50 metres or so behind they would not even have to slow down. I really don't get it how some people are so thick they cannot see this simple fact. It is much easier to assess the situation, travel accordingly and safely and arrive unstressed. Ok, rant over. Where are my blood pressure tablets??

Cheers Concrete

In Sussex there's an easy way of reporting anti-social driving:

webcontact.sussex.police.uk/ASDPRS/default.aspx

The tailgating in France is endemic as anyone who has driven over here will tell you. It's got so bad I've just bought a dash cam to fit that has a dedicated rear camera.

I'm going to print out a small notice to put in the rear window -

SOURIRE POUR LE CAMERA SVP >

(Smile for the camera if you please)

With the arrow pointing to the camera position.

It remains to be seen if it has any effect.

Today returning from Saturday shop in our nearest big town, turning left third exit at a 4 way roundabout, the driver of a Opel Corsa had to give way to me at the first exit and then followed me out of the town, because he had to give way to me, a brit driving a RHD drive french registered car, he was absolutely furious and tailgated me at the standard french following distance, about a metre, swerving in and out to try to overtake in a busy street before he turned off and left me alone. We then stopped at the bank and OH went to get some cash out of the cash machine and I sat waiting in the car parked off the road as you have to do here and watched the traffic.

It's a holiday weekend here so the locals are in holiday mood which means driving twice as badly as they normally do witnessed by high speed overtakes in the town, kids on 50cc trailie mopeds doing wheelies down the high street, and this is before they've been at the bottle!

If you think the driving is bad in the UK-the driving here is atrocious at times.

And the french government's answer? More speed cameras-just like the UK.

The reason? Speed cameras are profitable - nearly a billon euros in fines last year.

Putting more gendarmes on the roads to improve driving standards costs money.

Cynical? Moi? Oui- certainement!