If I recall correctly, they tested a small handful of traffic myths on the TV show MythBusters, which could be where that traffic study came from. (Just a guess.) I wholly agree though, tailgating is a huge cause of traffic. Which actually reminds me of another pet peeve I have with some drivers. Regardless of the lane, some people refuse to drive behind someone giving buffer space to the car in front of them. They will go crazy trying to pass just to end up tailgating the next car ahead.
I loved Mythbusters but no this was done by smarter brains than Jamie and Adam, it was an MIT study.
If you can make your way through all the ads this goes over it and there's even a gif that shows an example.
Or just search for "MIT tailgating study" and choose a site.
It's all about line of sight for me. I like enough of a field of vision ahead of me that makes it easy for me to react. I like to go ahead if a vehicle is too slow in front of me and is relatively easy and safe for me to pass. If it's too fast to pass easily, I'll hang back and let it go far enough ahead for me to get the field of vision I'm comfortable with.
I regularly watch a youtube channel by Dandan the fireman and I think there's a lot of wisdom for drivers there.
