Tailgating getting more common

Big Balls

K-TRIC wrote:

You clearly have a problem with anyone on the road apart from you. A motorbike has just as much right to be driving on the road as anyone else.

It's people with your attitude that tailgate because you seem to thing nobody else should be in front of you.

Not ONCE did I say I go around sitting on people's bumpers... my car is worth a lot more to me than that thanks.

If you want to hold up traffic just to pootle along in your own world, do so at your own risk.

maidhc

Big Balls wrote:

I do about 800 kms a week purely in Dublin city so I'm well used to seeing what I see happening.

Maybe you should get a bike!

spockety

I hope that there are no bikers reading this who now feel they are doing the wrong thing by using the centre of their lane.

Ignore anyone who says you are wrong to do this. It is vital for your own personal safety that you hold a commanding position in the centre of your lane, no matter what speed you are capable of doing.

For those people in cars who don't understand bikers holding their line in the centre, you should take some driver training, and ask your instructor about safely overtaking motorcycles and scooters. If you're basing your discontent with bikers holding the centre of their lane on your own ignorance, then it's just something you're going to have to live with.

Bikers, hold a commanding position in the centre of your lane. Don't be intimidated into thinking that you are obliged to pull to the left etc, to allow someone in a car or van to perform a ludicrously dangerous and over confident overtake.

TempestSabre

A guy I know driving down the country on a bad wet night, was forced to brake suddenly when someone made as if to pull out in front of him from a side road. Couldn't go around as there was on comming traffic. Almost as soon as he braked he heard and felt something hitting his car from behind. He pulls over, and sees cars in the other direction stopping. As he walks back it becomes clear, a biker tailgating him, probably about to overtake as gone into the back, and bounced across into far lane, straight into the oncoming car. Killed instantly.

Don't screw about on the road with all this braking and putting on lights. You'll kill someone.

ballooba

I personally would much prefer that motorcyclists would stick to the centre of their lane rather than sitting on the rear wing of my car in my blindspot. You don't know when the muppets are going to try and pass you and they probably won't see your indicators if you turn because they're so close.

eth0_

Tailgating on motorways is getting worse. It's really astounding to see all these cars up ahead, driving up each others arses!

What if they hit fog? or an accident? Do these people not worry about a pileup or a rear-end at 120km/h?

TempestSabre

ballooba wrote:

I personally would much prefer that motorcyclists would stick to the centre of their lane rather than sitting on the rear wing of my car in my blindspot. You don't know when the muppets are going to try and pass you and they probably won't see your indicators if you turn because they're so close.

Same here. Stay where I can see you, and I'll pull over and let you pass. However when you see one in that corner you should check the other side because where theres one theres often two. The other guy will pass you on the inside.

Sparky

spockety wrote:

I hope that there are no bikers reading this who now feel they are doing the wrong thing by using the centre of their lane.

Ignore anyone who says you are wrong to do this. It is vital for your own personal safety that you hold a commanding position in the centre of your lane, no matter what speed you are capable of doing.

For those people in cars who don't understand bikers holding their line in the centre, you should take some driver training, and ask your instructor about safely overtaking motorcycles and scooters. If you're basing your discontent with bikers holding the centre of their lane on your own ignorance, then it's just something you're going to have to live with.

Bikers, hold a commanding position in the centre of your lane. Don't be intimidated into thinking that you are obliged to pull to the left etc, to allow someone in a car or van to perform a ludicrously dangerous and over confident overtake.

I agree with this, ive been using a bike for 2 and a half years now and always use the commanding position, after all i am going the speed limit and with the flow of traffic and i pay my road tax aswell so im entitled to also.

I dont generally overtake cars but i only overtake in slow moving traffic and/or stopped traffic, taking into consideration people hanging their hands out windows and being the arse not using indicators.

If at all i think bikers are more road aware than car drivers

I think some drivers need to have a week on a bike on the roads, we are all not couriers on a deadline, some of us know the limits and keep to them.

Big Balls

Sparky what you desribe is something everyone can agree on.. the only reason a car would be close to the rear of a bike anyway is if the bike was going particularly slow.. in every other situation the bike would be quicker I'd imagine.

The initial poster clearly was causing an obstruction that morning if someone couldn't get by him at 5 in the morning and that is the type of driving I have a problem with be it car or bike.

If a car for no reason is doing under 30 or a bike is doing under 30 then I will go around it.

KTRIC

Big Balls wrote:

Sparky what you desribe is something everyone can agree on.. the only reason a car would be close to the rear of a bike anyway is if the bike was going particularly slow.. in every other situation the bike would be quicker I'd imagine.

The initial poster clearly was causing an obstruction that morning if someone couldn't get by him at 5 in the morning and that is the type of driving I have a problem with be it car or bike.

If a car for no reason is doing under 30 or a bike is doing under 30 then I will go around it.

How the hell do you know what speed I was doing !! or if I was causing an obstruction. The van driver behind me had loads of opertunities to get by me and chose not to. Stop jumping to conclusions and padding up your posts with facts you made up yourself.

I've been driving a bike for 5 years now and like many other posters on this thread I know the rules of the road and how to behave.

Idleater

Big Balls wrote:

the only reason a car would be close to the rear of a bike anyway is if the bike was going particularly slow..

There is no reason why a car should be close to the rear of a bike or any vehicle for that matter.

And what does particularly slow mean? There are no prescribed minimum speeds on the roads apart from on motorways...


L.

Kazujo

I think alot of people seem to be mis-reading the OP. He said he was driving in the centre of his LANE not the middle of the raod. This is where all bikes should ride. I've been muscled in towards the kerb i the past. it never ceases to amaze me how little some car drivers feel they need to leave when over taling a bike, be it in the city centre or on the motorway.

I know people are going to jump on me startight away with the whole "bikes are always weaving in and out of traffic" and how close the bikers sometimes drive to cars.

There is one very big difference between a car and a bike. The next time your driving your car look to your left. What do you see? That's right your passanger door a short distance away from you. on the other side could be an object. Your perception of the disance of that object from said door is all personall judgement and mirrors.

Now imagine the same situation onaa bike. I look left I see the car next to me. I look down I see the road. Everywhere I look I see the actual distance between me and other objects around me. It's not the distance betwwen the side of my vehicle and the object. It's the distance between me and the object. My vision is completely unobstructed ot the world around me so I'm in a much better position to make a judgement if it is safe to proceed though a gap or overtake, taking into account all of the other environmental variables like weather road condidtions, the other vehicles and my visibliltiy to otehr motorists.

Just to reiterate IT IS NEVER ACCEPTABLE TO TAILGATE A BIKE. While tailgating a car if the lead brakes there is a crash maybe some whiplash and damage to the car. If a rider has difficulty and falls he could end up under your car?

The whole Bike v Car debate/arguement will never cease

Most of the people on Irish roads are simpy lacking in common sence and a little bit of patience.

Kermitt

Dare i say we forget the bike/car tribunal and agree that everyone should cop on when driving and stay back from other vehicles.. Tailgating has no positive outcomes. you either pi$$ someone off and get nowhere fast or you crash and end up doing damage to car/bike/person/all of the above. I had a rear end crash last year and i think most people don't realise how quickly you can end up in the ar$e of the vehicle in front if they stop suddenly. Made me change my habits, pity it took a smash to do so. Wise up folks.. End of rant/waste of time..

Kazujo

I agree it's not a matter of what you drive but rather how you drive it. Cars and motorbikes are not dangerous. They are safe stationery objects until someone jumps in/on and takes control.

omb0wyn5ehpij9

Big Balls wrote:

Listen lads, bikers spend their time swerving in and out of lanes and breezing through the traffic, rarely driving along in a lane like a car has to so I don't even get the point you are trying to make.

On the odd occasion where for example, a moped wants to sit in the middle of a lane barely being able to reach 30 mph in less than 20 seconds and they are holding up traffic because of it, then I think that is a pain in the arse and I doubt any other drivers think any different and don't see why they can't pull in a bit and let cars past. Traffic is Dublin is bad enough without people on two wheels trying to make a point - but like I said, most of the time on a bike is spent swerving between cars and overtaking them due to traffic congestion.

I do about 800 kms a week purely in Dublin city so I'm well used to seeing what I see happening.

I read up to this point in the topic and couldn't go on without saying something. You are a f*cking moron. I don't care if i get banned for this post. You have absolutely no road sense. I would love it if i could make you drive a bike for a few months instead of your car and then you would see how SOME car drivers like yourself are so retarded and haven't a clue about how to drive properly. Every motor vechicle in this country has to pay road tax and insurance, so everybody has as much right to be on the road as you. Bikers like myself are a lot more vunerable on the road than somebody in a car.

Driving a bike close to the left of the lane, near the kerb is the most dangerous place on the road for a bike. A lot of new/less experienced people on bikes think this is a safe place to be, which it is not. It is dangerous because morons like you think it is safe to squeeze past which can lead to all sort of trouble for a bike.

Again, this guy is an example of how much of a shambles the driving system over here is. England have the right idea with the CBT (compulsary basic training)

omb0wyn5ehpij9

Kermitt wrote:

agree that everyone should cop on when driving and stay back from other vehicles.. Tailgating has no positive outcomes. you either pi$$ someone off and get nowhere fast or you crash and end up doing damage to car/bike/person/all of the above. I had a rear end crash last year and i think most people don't realise how quickly you can end up in the ar$e of the vehicle in front if they stop suddenly. Made me change my habits, pity it took a smash to do so. Wise up folks.. End of rant/waste of time..

Well said mate