Interesting timing on your post there Sixy; I was discussing the very same issues just this lunch time with one of the other pilots here, a vastly experienced aviator who is currently an examiner for our flying instructor training.
'Frame of mind', we feel, is not so much 'wrong' in many drivers, but absent altogether. Allow me to clarify. We have a 'condition' within aviation known as the 'Mission Bubble': You're going flying, so from a point prior to commencement of that activity, that is at the forefront of your concentration. Within the bubble you make every effort not to allow factors that do not influence it to penetrate into your thoughts.
I feel many, if not most, drivers lack a similar approach to driving. They jump in and go, not giving the proper priority within their concentration to the task at hand. The aviation maxim of 'Aviate, Navigate, Communicate' applies equally to driving (substituted for 'aviate' of course!).
We also felt that tailgating was a much greater threat to road-safety than anything the current policy addresses (speeding/phoning/etc). Without adequate space to think and react, any hazard at all becomes disproportionately severe. I made the analogy of low flying; at altitude an engine failure will see you making a reasonably safe approach to a suitable landing area, potentially even an airfield, whereas at low level it is likely to see you ploughing into the ground in short order.
Of course I could go ahead and concoct an automated enforcement system that measured the distance between two cars and sent out fines automatically where that gap was less than, say, 2 seconds, but that would be no better than speed cameras (though it might make me a fortune):
It would penalise those conducting the activity safely, for example adopting the primary overtaking position.
It would be prone to errors, on multi-lane roads for example, or jointed vehicles such as artics, caravans or trailers.
It would not educate the driver, or prevent them from continuing the unsafe practice for up to a fortnight, and the fine may very well find itself on the doorstep of their widowed spouse or bereaved parent.
It would only discourage the behavior for a short stretch of road. I would imagine the braking would be even more severe to quickly establish a safe gap on approach to the device, likely causing severe pile-ups in queues of tailgating traffic
Evidently it shares many of the flaws common to all automated enforcement!
So is specific legislation 'outlawing' tailgating required? Of course not! The only possible reason for doing so is so that it can be enforced by non-police agencies for profit, since current Careless/Dangerous Driving legislation is more than adequate for purpose.
So how to eradicate it? Highlight its dangers (I am certain it features much more highly in crash stats than exceeding the speed limit or phoner-driving) through education and provide trained and qualified policing as a stick to help home the message.
I would be interested to hear from any of our BiB contributors about their experiences regarding tailgating, and any guidance they have been given.
How to encourage the 'Mission Bubble' in drivers? A more difficult task, since giving a disproportionate amount of attention to any one aspect (as with speed, or tailgating, kills) is contrary to the ideal. Also people will be loathe to postpone the driving task merely on their state of mind. Promoting more tolerance in drivers would be a great start, since angry driving is seldom, if ever, as safe as calm driving, and giving strategies to manage any anger that does arise. Making drivers realise the gravity of the task they are undertaking is the goal, but it is easily corrupted by specifics: Don't speed/Don't run over kids/Don't tailgate can all threaten to divert attention from other areas. Increased tuition and ongoing, non-recriminatory, supervision would seem like the way to go.
Bit of a ramble I'm afraid, but the exploration of ideas is often such!
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