I remember making my way back to Kuala Lumpur from Johor Bahru via the North-South Expressway in a Mercedes-AMG GLA 45. Traffic was fairly busy that day and I was maintaining a safe distance with the car in front while swooping past the slower cars in the middle lane.

Out of a sudden, a first-generation Toyota Vios merged into the fast lane and came dangerously close to the rear of the Mercedes-AMG GLA 45. Now, before you accuse me of hogging the fast lane, I am moving with the flow of the traffic.

To my passenger’s surprise, I gave way to the tailgating Vios – in a GLA 45. As I explained to my puzzled (and somewhat dissatisfied) passenger, the moment I slam the brakes and the AMG Performance brake callipers clamp the slotted rotors, there is no way in hell the Vios could stop in time. It’s not a risk I’m willing to take.

Come on people, I understand you’re in a rush but there will never be a good excuse for you to tailgate. It is not a race, this move of ‘putting pressure’ on the driver in front of you will never have a place on public roads.

By tailgating, you have a shorter distance to stop, decrease your margin of error and blocks your awareness of our surroundings. In short, there is absolutely no merit in closing up on the other car’s bumper.

You are endangering yourself, your family, your friends and most importantly other innocent road users. Keep a safe distance to the car in front of you, and if the person is hogging the lane, a gentle high beam from a distance is a much, much safer and equally as effective as tailgating.

To the Vios owner, I hope you are happily telling your peers that a GLA 45 gave way to you. To everyone else, please don’t be a tailgater like him/her.