Too Close for Comfort: Dealing with Tailgaters on New Jersey’s Highways

It happens every day on New Jersey’s highways. The driver in back of you lodges their own personal protest regarding the speed at which you’re traveling by riding inches from your back bumper. By the time you have to stop for a traffic light, stop sign or pedestrian, they’re close enough to you to smell what fragrance of air freshener you have in your car, making it very difficult to stop with enough time to avoid an accident. Unfortunately victims of tailgating commonly lodge their own counteroffensive by stopping short and brake-checking tailgaters, creating even more of a possibility for a crash.
Tailgating is one of the leading causes of motor vehicle accidents in the Garden State and accounts for nearly seven million accidents across the country each year. The health risks of being rear-ended can be catastrophic, ranging from head trauma and broken bones to whiplash and even paralysis. If you’ve been rear-ended by a tailgater, it’s imperative that you talk to an experienced attorney to pursue maximum damages and compensation. The fact is, even if you don’t appear to suffer any immediate impact, you never know what long-term complications lie in wait for you.
It’s common for tailgating accidents to occur in high-speed areas, often because left-lane drivers are unsatisfied at the speed with which those in front of them are traveling. This sort of frustration can potentially give way to road rage and cause extremely aggressive driving. Even if you’re traveling above the speed limit, it will never be fast enough for some drivers. You shouldn’t have to pay for anyone else’s impatience. While you can’t always protect yourself from tailgaters, you can certainly be protected in the event that their impulsiveness gets the better of them and causes an accident.
The team at Lombardi and Lombardi has spent years helping victims of rear-end collisions get the justice and compensation they deserve. If you have been injured because the driver in back of you couldn’t wait to get to where they were going, call us today for a free consultation.