I hate tailgaters

[nevets88]

16 minutes ago, jkelley9 said:

I would never put my brakes on that hard. As someone above said, it endangers others around them. However, yes, I got a lot of satisfaction watching the tailgating clown go into the median (and not hurting anybody).

I also will just slow down until this guy gets the point. I'm particularly mindful of others' speeds on the road and always move over if someone comes up behind me. But if they'er just being an ass about it... well tuff. I just slow down even more.

I gotta get me an in-dash cam. I have one picked out but can't seem to pull the trigger. 

Off topic, but if you get a dash cam, I'd recommend getting one with both front and rear views.

[jkelley9]

7 minutes ago, nevets88 said:

Off topic, but if you get a dash cam, I'd recommend getting one with both front and rear views.

Yep, I have the Rexing V1P picked out :) 

[Lihu]

8 hours ago, nevets88 said:

Tailgater gets brake checked, swerves out of control.

So, the tailgater was completely dumb. He didn't really leave the car in front enough room to change lanes. Also, what if there was an emergency and the person in front had to stop suddenly? Then the brakes of the car in front would need to also stop the extra load from the tailgater's car after the driver and car gets rear ended. That would work out just great.

This is kind of a good example as to why it's dumb to tailgate.

The thread topic should be changed to "Why you don't want to tailgate. . ."

Edited March 24, 2017 by Lihu
grammar, probably still bad, but...

[Golfingdad]

I don't understand this from either angle.  Tailgating is dangerous and dumb.  But you know what else is dangerous and dumb?  Brake checking somebody who is tailgating.  Sure, we can laugh at this one because the only person who crashed was the tailgater, but he could've just as easily gone right and smashed into an innocent bystander.  There was also a high probability of the tailgater not seeing and rear ending the guy - I'm sure he'd have felt joy at that outcome.

If somebody behind you wants to go faster than you are going, just get out of their way.  It's really that simple.

And, @boogielicious, I also thought the same thing when I read the thread.  If it was started by @Lihu, it would have definitely been about football game tailgating, and he'd be complaining about all of those annoying UCLA fans that tear up his golf course every Saturday.

[treebound]

My rule of thumb is:

In urban areas with congested traffic, keep the thru traffic in the left lane and leave the right lane for entering/exiting traffic. And if three lanes then the middle lane is for transitioning.

Rural areas, move right when clear.

Now, when I'm on a motorcycle and someone tailgates me like that then all bets are off. Someone who would freak out if I stood two feet behind them in a grocery store line doesn't seem to have a problem being two feet off my rear tire at 70mph on the freeway.

Too few people have any patience or consideration for other people these days, or they just don't care. And while I think the braker checker above was dumb and dangerous, I also have no sympathy for the tailgater.

[jamo]

Instead of "break checking" tailgaters, can't you turn your lights on and off? Or have I been doing that for nothing all this time?

[iacas]

15 minutes ago, jamo said:

Instead of "break checking" tailgaters, can't you turn your lights on and off? Or have I been doing that for nothing all this time?

Your brake lights aren't the same as your running lights (or whatever they're called).

Plus in daylight it can be tough to see red tail lights.

I think you've been wasting your energy.

[Papa Steve 55]

1 hour ago, jamo said:

Instead of "break checking" tailgaters, can't you turn your lights on and off? Or have I been doing that for nothing all this time?

I see your from CT. Does it count as tailgating when your going 10MPH on 95? Worst stretch of road on the east coast.

 

[Buckeyebowman]

7 hours ago, TN94z said:

What I hate are the ones I like to call "followers."  No matter how fast or slow you are going, they tailgate you and act like you are in their way.  But when you move to the other lane, they do not pass you or speed up...sometimes even moving over behind you as well. I like to think they are scared to lead the fast pack because of tickets or what not. so I call them followers.

On the flip side of that, I hate it when a car is in the fast lane and holding up the cars behind them. Or every car behind them has to move to the slow lane to go around. I mean, if you see all of these cars passing you from the slow lane, it may be time to move over yourself. It never fails that this happens on my way home from work every day. But i do not tailgate. I cannot stand tailgating. It puts everyone at risk. From my observations of daily driving in my area of the country, slow drivers cause many more traffic disruptions (and almost wrecks) than the faster drivers.

My big beef is that I am in the right lane, in cruise control, at a comfortable speed. A vehicle comes up behind me and just plants themselves there, way too close! I swear, in 95% of these cases it's a woman at the wheel!

I won't slam on the brakes, I'll just take the car out of cruise and gradually slow down. I had one woman stay with me from 67mph down to about 42mph before she finally decided to pass!

I've often wondered what causes such behavior. It's only my opinion, but I'm convinced that women desire an "escort" to their destination, and will latch onto one wherever they see the chance.

I know the PC crowd will decry this idea, but I believe that it is hardwired into our DNA!

[Jack Watson]

Most people don't know how to drive.

Brake checking someone is a teenage male move.  It's stupid and dangerous as is slowing down when someone is on your ass.

Smith system teaches proper driving.

How would the brake checker in the video posted feel if the idiot tailgater suffered major injuries or caused a bigger pile up perhaps causing major injuries or death to other drivers?

The video is a perfect example of stupidity and reckless immature behavior.

If someone gets on your ass it's best to simply signal and move over when it's safe.

Part of driving is dealing with the idiocy that runs rampant on our roadways.

People are so stupid in their vehicles.  They want to race when they have no business doing so.

If you like racing keep it on the track.  The object of driving is simple...Get from a to b safely.

[Gator Hazard]

12 hours ago, DaveP043 said:

I gotta admit, I chuckled when he lost control.  I'll still touch my brakes, enough to light the brake lights, but I've stopped actually slowing down.  First, if its some moron texting or on his phone, he may just run into me before he notices, and I lose out that way.  Second, I'd hate to cause that moron, or any of the innocent people following us, to get injured if the moron loses controls and crashes.

I do agree, the worst kind of tailgater is the one who's 10 feet off my bumper going 60 on an absolutely full highway.  Does he think I can speed up and plow the other cars out of our way?  

It looked like the guy was waiting to pass the car merging in right lane onto the highway from ramp when the guy ran up his butt. 

Anymore what I do when someone gets that close is I just slow down, a lot, until they get out from behind me. Anyone who knows me knows I am not a slow driver and that I'll get over when safe, but if I have nowhere to go and you run up on me, be ready to be frustrated. I'd rather any collision happens at a lower speed anyway. 

I should say I've only done that a few times and almost always when there is nowhere to go, as in I'm boxed in with a car right ahead of me. Can't you see I have nowhere to go? Usually I put my arms up in the air in a "what do you expect me to be able to do" and they back off. But the times they don't, I slow down until they get out from behind me. 

Edited March 25, 2017 by Gator Hazard

[Lihu]

18 hours ago, Golfingdad said:

If it was started by @Lihu, it would have definitely been about football game tailgating, and he'd be complaining about all of those annoying UCLA fans that tear up his golf course every Saturday.

 

 

Unfortunately, I'll probably become one of them Unless my son decides to go to UCSD.

[Golfingdad]

17 hours ago, Jack Watson said:

Most people don't know how to drive.

Brake checking someone is a teenage male move.  It's stupid and dangerous as is slowing down when someone is on your ass.

Smith system teaches proper driving.

How would the brake checker in the video posted feel if the idiot tailgater suffered major injuries or caused a bigger pile up perhaps causing major injuries or death to other drivers?

The video is a perfect example of stupidity and reckless immature behavior.

If someone gets on your ass it's best to simply signal and move over when it's safe.

Part of driving is dealing with the idiocy that runs rampant on our roadways.

People are so stupid in their vehicles.  They want to race when they have no business doing so.

If you like racing keep it on the track.  The object of driving is simple...Get from a to b safely.

Well said.

[JonMA1]

I hate being tailgated as much as the next person. I was rear-ended at high speeds twice in one year while driving my truck (though neither was by a tailgater). Now that I drive a compact car, I'd prefer it not happen again.

Slowing down when being tailgated is not always an unsafe practice and the reasons are not always immature. When done in the right manner, it gives the person behind you a safer opportunity to pass. Also, my logic is that if I'm going to be rear-ended, I'd rather that occur when both vehicles are running at 55 mph instead of 60 or 65 (I generally run at about 5 over on dry roads).

Several years ago I had a semi driving way too close. We both came over a hill to a doe standing in the middle of the highway. It didn't cause an accident, but the semi driver decided to stay further back for the rest of the commute.

Not sure if this is the same thing as "brake checking", but I can tap my brakes to activate my brake lights without significantly slowing down the vehicle. It's done for the purpose of communicating to the driver behind they are too close, much in the same way you might flash your high beams to someone who is unaware they are driving with theirs on. It's not done to be a prick or scare the person behind. If they continue to tailgate, I'll gradually slow down to the speed limit and concentrate on the road in front of me.

Most of the highways on my commute are 55mph with limited places to safely pass. I drive before or after dark for most of the year. Pulling over isn't really a safe option.

[Lihu]

22 hours ago, Jack Watson said:

Most people don't know how to drive.

You got this right, and some people get scared with someone tailgating them. . .with an unfortunate reaction to step on the brakes.

I agree that people shouldn't purposely "brake check" a tailgater, but sometimes that's their first reaction to being scared or whatever when driving. It's not like all people being tailgated are Nascar drivers.

4 minutes ago, JonMA1 said:

Slowing down when being tailgated is not always an unsafe practice and the reasons are not always immature. When done in the right manner, it gives the person behind you a safer opportunity to pass. Also, my logic is that if I'm going to be rear-ended, I'd rather that occur when both vehicles are running at 55 mph instead of 60 or 65 (I generally run at about 5 over on dry roads).

Several years ago I had a semi driving way too close. We both came over a hill to a doe standing in the middle of the highway. It didn't cause an accident, but the semi driver decided to stay further back for the rest of the commute.

Not sure if this is the same thing as "brake checking", but I can tap my brakes to activate my brake lights without significantly slowing down the vehicle. It's done for the purpose of communicating to the driver behind they are too close, much in the same way you might flash your high beams to someone who is unaware they are driving with theirs on. It's not done to be a prick or scare the person behind. If they continue to tailgate, I'll gradually slow down to the speed limit and concentrate on the road in front of me.

Most of the highways on my commute are 55mph with limited places to safely pass. I drive before or after dark for most of the year. Pulling over isn't really a safe option.

Agree, and well written.

Edited March 26, 2017 by Lihu
added that the post I was quoting is very well written

[jamo]

22 hours ago, Jack Watson said:

Most people don't know how to drive.

Actually, it amazes how good most people are at driving most of the time.

[Lihu]

14 hours ago, jamo said:

Actually, it amazes how good most people are at driving most of the time.

Avoiding collisions most of the time and such is a pretty low bar for "good".

 

[jamo]

Just now, Lihu said:

Avoiding collisions most of the time and such is a pretty low bar for "good".

I'm serious. For a species whose previous top speed was like 15 MPH I think we do surprisingly well in a metal box careening down a highway at 65.