Tauranga police say the region's extreme tail-gating problem will cost lives.
Sergeant Lester Polglase from the Western Bay of Plenty strategic traffic unit knows of at least two fatal vehicle accidents over the past 12 months as a result of tail-gating.

Sergeant Lester Polglase of the Western Bay of Plenty Strategic Traffic Unit.

He says someone will be killed if the trend of vehicles following too closely continues.
'When you drive, you concentrate on what is ahead of you and what the hazards are. You will occasionally look in the rear vision mirror but when you get someone right up your backside, you start concentrating on them and that's going to reduce your concentration of what's ahead,” says Lester.
'I can drive all the way down to Wellington and be quite comfortable but as soon as you come back over the hill to the Western Bay there's always some clown right up your backside,” he says.
'It's an attitude some of our drivers have. People think by getting up the backside of another car they are going to get to their destination faster,” says Lester.
He reinforces that it is against the law to drive less than two seconds behind another vehicle.
Police ask motorists being tailgated to record the number plate and report it to the *555 number.