Washington State Patrol cracking down on tailgaters

Starting Tuesday, the Washington State Patrol will crack down on drivers who are following too close to the vehicle in front of them.

Tailgating is one of the most frequent cause of crashes.

Nearly 10,000 crashes were caused last year by drivers who were following too close.

The problem is simple. If the car in front of a driver has to hit its brakes, they have less time to react.

The Washington State Patrol pulled over 24,000 drivers for tailgating last year. The fine is $136, but if a crash is caused by tailgating, the the ticket will go up to $187.

So, how close is too close?

"There's no exact rule. The RCW states that you have to be a reasonable and prudent distance from the vehicle in front of you and a lot of that has to do with the speed that you’re traveling, the traffic conditions and the weather conditions,” said WSP trooper Chase Vancleave.

The rule of thumb for normal conditions is one car length for every 10 mph, or basically six car lengths at freeway speed in regular conditions.

If it's raining or snowing, then even more distance is needed.

Cox Media Group