Tailgaters

cantdecide

How do you deal with them?

trad

Unless you want to change your user name to suicide stay away from them

hobochris

Open the throttle and put some distance between if possible.

Idleater

hobochris wrote: »

Open the throttle and put some distance between if possible.

just make sure they aren't the gardai before you do that.

OP, whereabouts are you on the road to get "tailgated" by? i.e. if you are in an overtaking lane, then I'd suggest moving left, if you are on a normal carrigeway and are progressing at what you consider to be safe (in your comfort zone) I would recommend letting the other vehicle past. Indicate your intent to pull over and do so, tailgaiting really isn't worth the hassle.

Also, I don't know how much training you have done, but advanced driving courses can teach you how to better protect your zone on the road.

In summation, you should not do anything hasty or rash, but concern yourself with transforming the situation from one where you are looking behind, to one where you are looking forward.

cantdecide

I got my grade 2 a while back but I've been considering more training.

This particular gentleman was driving a half repainted, less-than-roadworthy looking, boy-racered A4 about 10' behind me. We were on an empty, straight, 2 way 50km/h link road in a nearby town. There's is a hatched/ bollarded area between the lanes to my right and a raised kerb are to the left.

I had to ease up and pull into the hatched area and wave him past on my inside. He flashed his toy lexus lights because he thought I was being sound.

bigSuzi12

If the slow lane is empty I'll move into it but if I'm in fast lane in traffic on dual-carriageway/motorway and someones up my arse, I'll wave my hand back for them to back off. Always works.

Idleater

bigSuzi12 wrote: »

I'll wave my hand back for them to back off. Always works.

Generally yes, but in the case of the OP, I don't think this would have done much good.

cantdecide wrote: »

I got my grade 2 a while back but I've been considering more training.

This particular gentleman was driving a half repainted, less-than-roadworthy looking, boy-racered A4 about 10' behind me. We were on an empty, straight, 2 way 50km/h link road in a nearby town. There's is a hatched/ bollarded area between the lanes to my right and a raised kerb are to the left.

I had to ease up and pull into the hatched area and wave him past on my inside. He flashed his toy lexus lights because he thought I was being sound.

In my view you handled the situation as best you could, and I don't think I would have done much different in the same circumstances.

One interesting thing that I learned in my Advanced Course was to apply the stereotype to each and every road user. If they conform to the stereotype, you have adjusted your driving to suit, if they don't they are the exception that proves the rule.

Boy racer types generally will drive close to the vehicle in front and move in an apparent aggressive manner, generally caused by larger than necessary movements due to poor (too close) road positioning on their part. You can see this when they sit in behind a tractor or truck.

This was the case in your situation in that they just "caught up" with you and thanked you for getting out of their way. I assume you passed them at the first junction in the village. At that point I would have given them the slight wave as I passed

HorsesNHarleys

bigSuzi12 wrote: »

If the slow lane is empty I'll move into it but if I'm in fast lane in traffic on dual-carriageway/motorway and someones up my arse, I'll wave my hand back for them to back off. Always works.

Wow, y'all are much more tolerant and polite to tailgaters than we tend to be. I usually will give the wave of the hand for them to back off as my first warning and that tends to work most of the time. However in the rare instance that doesn't work a good handful of bb-gun pellets dropping slowly out of your hand tends to make them back off rather quickly too as they start pinging their windshield, just saying.:D:D:D

faceman

cantdecide wrote: »

I got my grade 2 a while back but I've been considering more training.

This particular gentleman was driving a half repainted, less-than-roadworthy looking, boy-racered A4 about 10' behind me. We were on an empty, straight, 2 way 50km/h link road in a nearby town. There's is a hatched/ bollarded area between the lanes to my right and a raised kerb are to the left.

I had to ease up and pull into the hatched area and wave him past on my inside. He flashed his toy lexus lights because he thought I was being sound.

You did the right thing IMO too. Handgestures as being suggested might work in some situations but in others might only serve to aggravate the driver behind you more and even run the risk of the driver overtaking dangerously.

Its not worth it.

Interceptor

It depends on the conditions - in heavy rain when a bikers visibility drops and its safer to slow down, then cars can sometimes creep up. Usually I'm working through and past traffic - I don't get cars behind me but when I do, I hold a defensive road position until I can put some distance between us. In extreme cases where I get some nut trying to prove his Passat is faster than my gsxr1000 then I fcuk off over the horizon like a scalded cat.

I also agree that you did the right thing by pulling in though.

'cptr

Dorsanty

Had an in interesting tailgater a while back in a bus lane. Right up the back of me for 10+ seconds which is an age for me. As some have said I too normally respond with a bit of twist and I'm gone. I didn't do that this time I think because there was a taxi 50 or so meters ahead but then I get a flash of blue and a beep from the siren of the unmarked car. I pulled into the regular lane and he sped off like a scaled cat, jumping between lanes with no indication and no further use of his siren or lights, which I thought was quite dangerous on his part should he come across a half asleep car driver.

Anyway the moral of the story is look for extra antennas on the roof or a snow globe on their dash before clearing off into the distance.

Idleater

Dorsanty wrote: »

Anyway the moral of the story is look for extra antennas on the roof or a snow globe on their dash before clearing off into the distance.

Or the two "large" gentlemen wearing blue shirts or hi-viz jackets in the front seats, the car being a mondeo (most common), focus, or avensis, no/one hubcap(s), the LED lights on the bumpers, the centre flashy light in the front window, the LED light in the centre brake light.

Oh, and watch out for the forrester.

Interceptor

Dorsanty wrote: »

Anyway the moral of the story is look for extra antennas on the roof or a snow globe on their dash before clearing off into the distance.

Ha ha - good job you didn't start chucking BB pellets at them!! ^^^

'c

blackbird98

nereid wrote: »

Or the two "large" gentlemen wearing blue shirts or hi-viz jackets in the front seats, the car being a mondeo (most common), focus, or avensis, no/one hubcap(s), the LED lights on the bumpers, the centre flashy light in the front window, the LED light in the centre brake light.

Oh, and watch out for the forrester.

or a BMW... if your eyesight / observation is very good - no insurance disk on a garda car

goldie fish

If you can speed up, speed up
If not, let the cnuts pass.


the brake light trick that cars use just wont work on a bike.

7ofBrian

personally, i like to slow to a frustratingly slow speed. If they back off, i speed up. if they stay on my ass, or act aggressively, the better get used to 30 kph cos i aint letting them pass

goldie fish

br7ian wrote: »

personally, i like to slow to a frustratingly slow speed. If they back off, i speed up. if they stay on my ass, or act aggressively, the better get used to 30 kph cos i aint letting them pass

And if they get too close, and you have to stop suddenly, and they run into the back of you.... then what?

reece

goldie fish wrote: »

And if they get too close, and you have to stop suddenly, and they run into the back of you.... then what?

compo

goldie fish

reece wrote: »

compo

Compo isnt much good to you if you are dead.