ALTHOUGH this may sound somewhat stupid, the only time I have ever had a close call while driving on a motorway, I was following the two-second rule' highlighted in today's road safety feature.

A stretch of the M6 had introduced miles of white chevrons painted on the tarmac with accompanying signs advising drivers to leave two of them between yourself and the car in front.

It wasn't easy, but I settled in to the idea and was feeling extremely pleased with myself pootling along in the centre lane at a steady 65 miles per hour.

So pleased in fact that I actually stopped looking at the road and was becoming almost hypnotised by the flashing chevrons when I only just spotted that the traffic had stopped suddenly.

It doesn't take a rocket scientist to work out that driving too close to the car in front at speed - tailgating - is dangerous, dim and asking for trouble.

But why is it that so many of us do it, some without even being aware that their emotional state - late, preoccupied, domestically-challenged - is turning them in to poor, ill-disciplined motorists in charge of half a ton of speeding metal?

Driving on today's roads appears to have turned in to some kind of competition.

Can I get one space ahead of this person as we merge from two lanes in to one?

Can I beat that sports car from the lights?

If I keep speeding a few feet away from his bumper will he or she be bullied in to getting out of my way?

This ridiculous competitive streak - and it's no longer just men at fault - can result in road rage incidents and accidents.

So keep your distance, your no claims bonus and your sanity...