The Most Annoying Thing About Driving On The Garden State Parkway

New Jersey is home to roads on which drivers indulge in habits that would drive anybody crazy. Think of excessive speeding, braking at EZ Pass collections, switching lanes with no turn signal, bouncing in and out of lanes, talking on the phone, and not being hands-free.

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Driving on the Garden State Parkway, however, is its own beast entirely. It can be a mixed experience. The GSP is one of the major highways in New Jersey, known for its scenic routes along the state's coastline and through wooded areas.

Accident risks increase during summer months on Garden State Parkway

If the variable speed limits and traffic congestion aren't enough to drive you nuts, the constant tailgating certainly will. Who knows why someone would want to basically sit on top of your rear bumper with hardly any room in between cars is beyond me. It's also extremely dangerous when you have six or seven cars right on top of each other, going 80 to 90 MPH and riding the left lane.

According to the website car laws.com, nearly one-third of rear-end accidents are caused by tailgating. Tailgating causes accidents, and it's against the law. You could be ticketed up to $140 or more depending on how fast you're going. You can also throw in 5 motor vehicle points into the mix if you are caught.

You should give yourself a few seconds of space between you and the car in front of you during the day, 3 or more seconds at night, and up to 4 seconds or more during bad weather. Even heavy rain, snow, and ice won't deter certain drivers from tailgating.

It's really annoying and only increases the risk of accidents on the parkway once summer returns and it becomes even more congested.

So, before that happens, slow down, please, and don't tailgate!

Better to be safe than sorry. That's especially true when traveling on some of NJ's most perilous roadways.