Latest news with #tailgating
Daily Mail
a day ago
- Entertainment
- Daily Mail
American woman living in the UK reveals common US habit considered 'crass' in Britain
An American woman living in the UK has revealed the everyday habits from back home that Britons find baffling - including one US tendency she claims is seen as 'crass'. The woman, known on TikTok as Yorkshire Yank, regularly shares her take on the cultural quirks she's noticed since settling in the UK. In a recent video that's already gained plenty of traction, the expat took a deep dive into the subtle differences between British and American life. And the most notable difference between the two nationalities is the inclination to talk openly about money. 'One thing that you'll hear in the States is how much somebody paid for a house, or whatever,' she began. 'I remember going around a house tour once and being told, "We got this sofa from Ethan Allen and it was $1,500… and here's our beautiful stove and this is how much it cost." 'Brits just don't talk about differences in money because, honestly, it's crass and why do I need to know how much your sofa cost? It's like you're bragging or something.' In her view, this difference reflects a broader cultural mindset: 'I think UK people are more mindful of others… more mindful of how others do not have things, while in the US, it's more like, "Well, I have this and you don't".' The candid clip also touched on other staples of American life that simply don't exist, or don't translate, in Britain. 'Another thing that we don't do in the UK that's really common in the United States is we don't have tailgating parties,' she explained, referring to the pre-game gatherings in car parks (often fuelled by hot dogs, lawn chairs and portable grills) before American football games or college sports. 'Could you really imagine a bunch of football supporters having a tailgating party prior to the actual match?' She continued: 'Another thing that we don't really do in the UK is we don't really have cheerleaders to the extent that we do in the United States. 'I mean, in the US we would have kids doing cheer when they were tiny. I was a cheerleader when I was very young - I was from the YWCA cheerleading days, so that will tell you how old I am.' The YWCA, or Young Women's Christian Association, runs youth programmes across the US. The TikToker also mentioned how rites of passage in American schools simply don't carry over to British education. 'As far as I know, the UK doesn't really have the senior picture thing… we don't have the graduation parties, the yearbooks, the senior pictures to the extent that we have in the US.' When she says yearbook, she means a huge, photo-packed book that captures the full high school experience, including extracurriculars, friendships, class photos and embarrassing hairstyles. 'It literally covers everything that we did in our high school years - it was fantastic and it's an amazing memory.' She reminisced about one event in particular: 'Another thing we did in the high school I graduated from, which you would probably not have here, is we had a locked-in party. 'They locked us into the school and it was fantastic - it was one of the best parties I ever had.' She added: 'Another thing you don't do is you don't have the high school graduations. We had your uni graduation but for high school - kind of cool, actually.' Yorkshire Yank went on to show off some throwback photos from her own high school graduation, complete with a towering 1980s perm and an impressive celebratory cake. Wrapping up her list of observations, she said: 'This is my final thing - we don't really have the yellow buses like we do in the United States. 'They do use city buses [in the UK] but you're not going to see the yellow buses like we do in the US.' In the States, the yellow school bus is a symbol of childhood itself. Britons rushed to the comments to clarify their position on discussing money, confirming the TikToker's idea British commenters were quick to weigh in, with many confirming that openly discussing money remains firmly off-limits in UK culture. One viewer wrote: 'We brag more about how cheap we got it. I'm a charity shop shopper.' Another agreed: 'Whereas in Britain you might tell me you like my dress and I'll immediately brag about getting it on sale… or the pockets.' One person reflected on the British distaste for financial disclosure, writing: 'It's not classy to talk about money, and I personally don't want anyone to know my financial situation. I don't want people to borrow money or feel sorry for me because I don't have any lol.' Another said simply: 'We don't talk personal money in the UK. It's just not on.' While the US and UK may share a language, certain customs don't always cross the Atlantic.
The Sun
13-05-2025
- Automotive
- The Sun
New high-tech cameras that fine drivers £100 for tailgating catch whopping 1MILLION rule-breakers – would YOU spot them?
TRIALS of high tech traffic cameras that detect tailgaters have caught a massive 1 million motorists during trials. The state-of-the-art high tech cameras were installed along four major motorways as part of a test scheme. 4 4 National Highways ran the tests between 2017 and 2021 with 1 million motorists caught dangerously tailgating by the cameras. Figures were obtained from National Highways via a freedom of information request. They showed a whopping 844,060 offences recorded by the temporary cameras during pilot schemes. Dangerous tailgating is a careless driving offence and comes with a minimum fine of £100, serious cases can lead to a driving ban. The first test of the cameras was on the M3 between October and the start of December in 2017. During this pilot test a total of 237,648 possible offences were identified by the cutting edge AI cameras. This was followed by a 12 month trial on the M6 in 2018 during which 319,787 cases of dangerous tailgating were identified. Another test on the M20 between 2018 and 2019 registered 226,282 instances of drivers tailgating. The final trial on the M1 near Northampton between October 2020 and September 2021 saw 60,343 motorists caught red handed. No enforcement was taken against the hundreds of thousands of motorists caught in the act during the trials. During the final trial however, motorists identified as repeat offenders were sent warning letters by cops if the cameras detected them. The cameras work similarly to speed cameras but measure the distance between two vehicles the position of the same car at different points in time. Tailgating presents a serious danger and causes a huge number of crashes every year. 4 4 There are hopes that the new cameras will help to lower the number of fatal crashes if rolled out. National Highways told the MailOnline that there were 'no plans at present' to roll out the cameras permanently. When asked if cameras could be used to enforce tailgating endorsements in the future a spokesman for the Government-operated division told the MailOnline: "This would be a decision for the relevant police forces as the enforcement body.' "Driving too close to the vehicle in front of you makes it difficult to stop in an emergency, and is a factor in one in eight collisions on our network. "Safety is our number one priority and we, along with our enforcement colleagues in the police, will continue to explore all opportunities to make our roads safer." Estimates have suggested that tailgating is responsible for around 1 in 8 road accidents. Tailgating is usually an offence that can only be enforced by coppers on the road if they witness it. The new traffic cameras will make it possible for police to enforce the offence even when they're not present to witness it.
Daily Mail
09-05-2025
- Automotive
- Daily Mail
EXCLUSIVE The new UK motorway cameras that caught almost 1MILLION drivers dangerously tailgating
Cameras installed on four major motorways to detect dangerous tailgating identified almost one million instances during groundbreaking UK trials, we can exclusively reveal. National Highways deployed state-of-the-art cameras designed to catch motorists following other vehicles too closely in pilot schemes running between 2017 and 2021. In total, 844,060 offences were recorded on the stretches of carriageway where the devices were temporarily located. The figures, obtained from National Highways via a Freedom of Information request by Select Car Leasing and shared with This is Money, have been revealed as drivers are reporting increasing instances of fellow road users sitting too close to their rear bumpers. In a poll of UK motorists, almost a third say they're victim to tailgating at least once a week - and half believe the offence has become more prevalent in the last two years. So, with the technology proving effective and drivers complaining of a rise in aggressive behaviour on the roads, are we set to see a rollout of tailgating cameras in the future? We asked National Highway... The Government department responsible for the nation's busiest trunk routes says tailgating is a factor in one in eight crashes on motorways and major A roads. Dangerous tailgating is a 'careless driving' offence, which is punishable by a minimum £100 fine and three points on a driving licence. However, more serious cases involving accidents are dealt with by the courts and potentially lead to a driving ban or even a prison sentence. Yet it is an offence that typically can only be enforced by officers witnessing instances on the road. However, between 2017 and 2021, trials took place to measure the 'capability of the camera technology to detect tailgating behaviour'. The first was carried out on the M3 over a two-month stint between October and the start of December 2017. Some 237,648 'possible offences' were identified. A year later, National Highways oversaw a near-12-month trial on the M6, which in 2018 spotted 319,787 cases of dangerous tailgating. Another year-long pilot on the M20 between 2018 and 2019 registered another 226,282 instances of drivers following too closely, while the last trial on the M1 motorway near Northampton between October 2020 and September 2021 witnessed another 60,343 instances. Yet despite hundreds of thousands of motorists being caught in the act, no enforcement action was taken against offenders during the trials. Only in the last trial - which was conducted in partnership with Northamptonshire Police - did repeat offenders get sent warning letters telling them to clean up their act. How close to the driver in front is tailgating? The Highway Code classifies tailgating as driving too closely behind another vehicle. It's dangerous and illegal. Instead, motorists should leave enough space between themselves and the vehicle in front so they can pull up safely if it suddenly slows down or stops. National Highways urges motorists to follow the so-called 'two-second rule' - allow at least a two-second gap between you and the vehicle in front on roads carrying faster-moving traffic and in tunnels where visibility is reduced. But the rules are more nuanced than that. The two-second gap should be increased to 2.4 seconds at 50mph and 3.1 seconds at 70mph. Furthermore, the gap should be at least doubled on wet roads and increased further still on icy roads. Will tailgating cameras be rolled out across the UK? Following the 2022 trial, National Highways head of road safety, Jeremy Phillips, said: 'Unfortunately, as highlighted by the M1 trial, we know that too many people are driving too close on our roads.' However, he attributed 'most tailgating' instances as being 'unintentional' mistakes by drivers who 'don't realise that they are infringing on someone else's space'. Despite the successful deployment of camera trials - and the arrival of new roadside devices that can identify tailgating as well as other illegal activity such as drivers using a phone behind the wheel - National Highways told us there are 'no plans at the present time' to roll out further trials or to make this type of technology permanent. When asked if cameras could be used to enforce tailgating endorsements in the future, a spokesman for the Government-operated division told us: 'This would be a decision for the relevant police forces as the enforcement body.' They added: 'Driving too close to the vehicle in front of you makes it difficult to stop in an emergency, and is a factor in one in eight collisions on our network. 'Safety is our number one priority and we, along with our enforcement colleagues in the police, will continue to explore all opportunities to make our roads safer.' National Highways previously attributed 'most tailgating' instances as being 'unintentional' mistakes by drivers who 'don't realise that they are infringing on someone else's space' Graham Conway, managing director at Select Car Leasing, said drivers would likely welcome camera technology to mitigate the scourge of tailgaters on Britain's roads. 'National Highways takes the view that most tailgating is unintentional and perpetrated by drivers who don't realise that they are infringing on someone else's space,' he said. 'But that's not how the drivers we surveyed see it. The vast majority - 68 per cent - equate tailgating with a sign of driver aggression. 'With tailgating a factor in so many accidents, and under the sheer volume of incidents identified by National Highways, a full roll-out of cameras designed to detect - and prosecute - those who get too close to the car in front would surely be welcomed by many motorists here in the UK.' In a poll of UK motorists, almost a third say they're victim to tailgating at least once a week - and half believe the offence has become more prevalent in the last two years Tailgating - an epidemic getting worse every year A separate Select Car Leasing survey - of 1,000 UK driving licence holders - shines further light on so-called 'space invaders' who plague UK roads. Tailgating was found to be the second worst trigger for road rage (35 per cent of respondents), with 'being cut up' taking top spot (39 per cent). Tailgating also happens with alarming regularity. Some 28 per cent said they experience it at least once per week, with one in 20 claiming to endure it daily. Of the respondents surveyed, 49 per cent said tailgating has become a bigger problem in the last 48 months while almost two thirds called for tougher police prosecution. That said, one in six in the panel revealed they have been spoken to by police regarding tailgating other motorists.
