Why Do You Tailgate on the Motorway?

WindSock

I don't understand it, why do you do it? Do you not realise how dangerous it is to be driving so close to the person in front? Do you not know what stopping distance is? Do you do it hoping to bully the person in front to speed up? It happens EVERY time I am in my car. I know how to use the overtaking lane. I don't go slower than the speed limit. There must be many of you here that do it. Can you answer me why? Do you not realise you are doing it?

monkeyfudge

I'm sorry. It won't happen again.

Sir Digby Chicken Caesar

moved from after hours

Frisbee

WindSock wrote: »

It happens EVERY time I am in my car.

That sounds like a case of everyone else is wrong and your right...

Krsnik87

I was trying to make you crash, see you on the way home

WindSock

monkeyfudge wrote: »

I'm sorry. It won't happen again.

Thanks. The less Monkeys behind wheels, the better :pac:

|-*SxyDubGrrl93*-| wrote: »

moved from after hours

Ah the motorheads won't own up to it

monkeyfudge

WindSock wrote: »

Thanks. The less Monkeys behind wheels, the better :pac:

Monkeys go nuts once they see a nice tail.

WindSock

Frisbee wrote: »

That sounds like a case of everyone else is wrong and your right...

That case may be frisbee, but I don't understand it when I am driving the speed limit. I also see it happening to other drivers.

RobAMerc

Can I ask why you won't pull over ?

Just because you are doing the speed limit and there is another car a mile ahead of you on the inside - you don't have the right to stay in the overtaking lane all day.

ianobrien

WindSock wrote: »

I don't understand it, why do you do it? Do you not realise how dangerous it is to be driving so close to the person in front? Do you not know what stopping distance is? Do you do it hoping to bully the person in front to speed up? It happens EVERY time I am in my car. I know how to use the overtaking lane. I don't go slower than the speed limit. There must be many of you here that do it. Can you answer me why? Do you not realise you are doing it?

I do it to improve my fuel consumption. You know, drag and all that.......:)

Oh note to all fast lane hoggers. I was talking to some trucker friends of mine and they said that in the South of Italy, if you hog the fast lane, they WILL tap the back of the car hogging the lane.

WindSock

monkeyfudge wrote: »

Monkeys go nuts once they see a nice tail.

I thought you were driving up peoples asses for the fudge.

lightening

So this happens when you are driving in the driving (left) lane and the other lane is empty? That's not good. Do you have your fog lights on or something?

WindSock

Krsnik87 wrote: »

I was trying to make you crash, see you on the way home

I will drive extra slow then so I can see your disgruntled retarded face in my rear view mirror

Alun

WindSock wrote: »

Thanks. The fewer less Monkeys behind wheels, the better :pac:

Corrected that for you

Guy:Incognito

WindSock wrote: »

That case may be frisbee, but I don't understand it when I am driving the speed limit. I also see it happening to other drivers.

I never see people being tailgated in the driving lane. What I do see is people coming up behind drivers, moving out a lane and overtaking. I've seen pplenty of people tailgating driviers that are sitting in the overtaking lane though.


What has pissed me off no end and moreso since the 3 lane sections of M50 opened is people not knowing how to use lanes (sorry for hijacking threads, mabe this should be in its own). Each time I'm on it (I uaually travel both ways between Tallaght and Palmerstown) and doing the speed limit in the drivign lane there are people sitting at either the speed limit or about 80 in the middle lane. Today , all the way from when I joined at Palmerstown to Tallaght, there was a dumper truck sitting in the middle lane at 100k. When it changed down to 2 lanes just before Tallaght he moved into the driving lane (what was wrong with it when it was 3 lanes?)

Theres plenty of us here on boards, why not all take the time to explain (properly, if you dont know yourself dont spread ignorance) the use of motorways to others in their families (middle aged and upwards seem to be a particular offender for the middle lane driving) and I'm sure there is some industrious member here with some free webspace that they could put up a little infor site that people could show to others and link to. Just a thought.

WindSock

lightening wrote: »

So this happens when you are driving in the driving (left) lane and the other lane is empty? That's not good. Do you have your fog lights on or something?

Nope, I was overtaking yesterday for example on the M1. The cars in the left lane were doing about 100 k or so, I was overtaking at 120-5 or so (even slightly speeding going over the 120k mark) yet I had an <SNIP> up behind me. When I got to a safe distance to pull back into the left lane his <SNIP> made a face at me and the sped off to harangue the next driver.

I drive with my half beams on in the dull weather but not my fog lights.

I also notice this tailgating phenomenon when I am in the left lane or on a single lane, again when I am driving the limit.

seamus

Depends on what type of car you drive too.

If what you drive is clearly a girl's car (Micra, Smart, Mini, etc), then you're going to have people riding on your ass, even at 140km/h.

You're better off getting out of their way than getting mad. If they're tailgating you, they're putting you at risk. So pull over, let them go by, then enjoy stress-free motoring.

Would you prefer to be crippled by a tailgater, safe in the knowledge that you were in the right, or would you prefer to swallow your pride and maintain your physical faculties?

omega man

Agree with you if a single lane road. However, what about the idiot who sits in the 'overtaking' lane whilst the 'driving' lane is clear? It does not matter if the person is driving at or above the limit, if someone wants to drive beyond the limit then it is up to the Gardai to take action, not joe public.

seamus

omega man wrote: »

It does not matter if the person is driving at or above the limit, if someone wants to drive beyond the limit then it is up to the Gardai to take action, not joe public.

An episode of road wars had a good case of that. The cops were tailing a suped-up car in an unmarked car down a UK motorway, without their siren on. Both were approaching about a tonne with about 300m between them. One car in the driving lane, thinking they were racing, pulled in between them (in front of the cop car) and jammed on, down to about 60mph.

He got a £2k fine and 12 months' disqualification for thinking he was doing the right thing.

lightening

WindSock wrote: »

Nope, I was overtaking yesterday for example on the M1. The cars in the left lane were doing about 100 k or so, I was overtaking at 120-5 or so (even slightly speeding going over the 120k mark) yet I had an obnoxious prick up behind me. When I got to a safe distance to pull back into the left lane his bulldog bitch made a face at me and the sped off to harangue the next driver.

I guess he is just an idiot. Weird that it happens to you every time you go on the motorway.

Creamy Goodness

omega man wrote: »

Agree with you if a single lane road. However, what about the idiot who sits in the 'overtaking' lane whilst the 'driving' lane is clear? It does not matter if the person is driving at or above the limit, if someone wants to drive beyond the limit then it is up to the Gardai to take action, not joe public.

the original poster never stated she was in the overtaking lane only except for when she was overtaking a car herself.

WindSock

seamus wrote: »

Depends on what type of car you drive too.

If what you drive is clearly a girl's car (Micra, Smart, Mini, etc), then you're going to have people riding on your ass, even at 140km/h.

You're better off getting out of their way than getting mad. If they're tailgating you, they're putting you at risk. So pull over, let them go by, then enjoy stress-free motoring.

Would you prefer to be crippled by a tailgater, safe in the knowledge that you were in the right, or would you prefer to swallow your pride and maintain your physical faculties?

While I agree with most of that (and it's a peugot 207, didn't happen so much in my Pajero but it still happened) Sometimes it is not safe to pull into the left lane as there is not enough space in between the cars to do so, so in order for me to pull in there I have to slow down my speed a good bit to get in there safely with the full use of my indicators, of course.

How can I pull over on a narrow country road, however?

-Chris-

I try and stay in the left lane as much as possible, I travel in the right lane to overtake.

If I'm coming up behind a slower driver in the right-hand lane and I feel there's space in the left lane for them, I'll flash them and maintain about 1 1/2secs braking distance between us (close enough for pressure, but not so close I'm up their exhaust).

If someone comes up behind me in this situation I get frustrated as I'm now in the middle of a "tailgaiting sandwich" and I now feel extremly exposed. I'll normally back off the car in front to increase my reaction distance, but that means the car behind is now up my exhaust.
I now have to pull out of their way in order to be safe, so I'm even more frustrated. Frustrated drivers aren't safe drivers and it's not fair that I'm provoked in this way.

I have to ask the question, if someone is tailgating you and you have the ability to position yourself to the left and let them pass safely, why would you not take that opportunity?
Would you willingly frustrate that driver (who's obviously less mature and a worse driver than you) by holding your line?

Tailgating is dangerous, and I wouldn't condone it, but if you can't see anyone ahead of you and you can see a line of cars behind you, odds are you're holding up traffic and you're going to get overtaken dangerously eventually.

My driving instructor told me that, if you see someone trying to get out of a side street, then the best way to make sure they don't pull out unexpectedly in front of you is to let them out! Your courteous behaviour leaves you in control of the situation. It's more important to be safe than always right.

Using the same logic, you should monitor your rear view mirror and make sure you aren't holding up other drivers; while making your way (at a calm, controlled and comfortable speed) to your destination.

</rant>

seamus

If the car is coloured red or purple, or it's the 307CC, then there's a good chance that they're doing it purely because they hate being behind a girl.

WindSock

lightening wrote: »

I guess he is just an idiot. Weird that it happens to you every time you go on the motorway.

Not even just the Motorway, but a lot of it is everyday on the roads. When I am moving in traffic, there is always at some point everyday someone who is driving far too close behind me ignoring the 2 second rule.

WindSock

seamus wrote: »

If the car is coloured red or purple, or it's the 307CC, then there's a good chance that they're doing it purely because they hate being behind a girl.

Heh. It's green but I don't have any of those standard breast cancer pink or blue ribbons, or a witless bumper sticker informing them that I am a bitch. i was thinking of inversting in one of those programmeable LED signs and I will type different messages onto it so it flashes with the touch of a button :pac:

-Chris-

WindSock wrote: »

Not even just the Motorway, but a lot of it is everyday on the roads. When I am moving in traffic, there is always at some point everyday someone who is driving far too close behind me ignoring the 2 second rule.

It hasn't been discussed too much in this thread (even by me), but you do need to take into account that some people are just crap drivers!

At any given time at least half of all drivers are below average, and some are a lot worse. :rolleyes::D

I don't get tailgated much, but if I am I let them past. I'd never dab the brakes or anything like that.

I do also find, however, that the more distance that I leave between me and the car in front, the more distance I find between me and the car to the rear - I think some people take their lead from the car in front, and if you leave good distance then subconsciously they're more likely to leave a similar distance to you.

WindSock

AudiChris wrote: »

I have to ask the question, if someone is tailgating you and you have the ability to position yourself to the left and let them pass safely, why would you not take that opportunity?
Would you willingly frustrate that driver (who's obviously less mature and a worse driver than you) by holding your line?

Of course I would drive in the left lane if it were empty or there was a safe space in which to do so. I don't drive my car purposly to frustrate other motorists, I drive to get from A-B as quickly and as safely as is legally possible.

-Chris-

WindSock wrote: »

...Do you do it hoping to bully the person in front to speed up? ...

And another thing, while I'm thinking about it, I don't believe any driver should ever try and influence the driver in front to speed up. I believe it's ok to expect the driver in front to pull over and let you past (if safe to do so), but never to speed up.

-Chris-

WindSock wrote: »

Of course I would drive in the left lane if it were empty or there was a safe space in which to do so. I don't drive my car purposly to frustrate other motorists, I drive to get from A-B as quickly and as safely as is legally possible.

Not pointing that at you specifically WindSock, more at the cliche "lane-hogger" in my head.

WindSock

AudiChris wrote: »

I do also find, however, that the more distance that I leave between me and the car in front, the more distance I find between me and the car to the rear - I think some people take their lead from the car in front, and if you leave good distance then subconsciously they're more likely to leave a similar distance to you.

I always try to leave a safe stopping distance between me and the car in front. Even if opportunists see the gap and swerve in, I slow down to re-open the gap. I do notice that sometimes the cars behind will also leave a longer gap, but others get frustrated for some reason and drive too close, as if it's going to make a difference when there is traffic on all sides.