How do you deal with 'Tailgaters' ?

Carpentry

AnonoBoy wrote: »

Something tells me I'll be using my now not-imaginary back off sign on you soon.

oh well, you're not the only one

The_Captain

If someone is driving agressively behind you, slowing down only makes them more likely to do something dangerous to get past you.

If you aren't in a hurry and you're a sensible driver, why not just let them pass?

FullblownRose

Decrease speed gradually (obviously!).
Hazard lights or gentle brake- tapping.
Indicate left when theres clearance for them to overtake (but for some reason a lot of them dont want to overtake, and prefer to stay there tailgating!)
What are Mercedes and Lexus drivers the worst for or is only Baudi drivers?

coffee_cake

The_Captain wrote: »

If someone is driving agressively behind you, slowing down only makes them more likely to do something dangerous to get past you.

If you aren't in a hurry and you're a sensible driver, why not just let them pass?

Slowing down is letting them pass more safely and frankly I'd be safer slower with some muppet near me than trying to race them

FullblownRose

The_Captain wrote: »

If someone is driving agressively behind you, slowing down only makes them more likely to do something dangerous to get past you.

If you aren't in a hurry and you're a sensible driver, why not just let them pass?

Unless you're driving over the line how are you stopping them?
You cant make a safe place to pull in magically appear in front of the driver ahead, by harassing them

Carpentry

What if the driver behind you doing this purposelessly and just feeling confident enough behind the wheel with not feeling the need to leave more space between two cars ?

uch

Carpentry wrote: »

What if the driver behind you doing this purposelessly and just feeling confident enough behind the wheel with not feeling the need to leave more space between two cars ?

Whaa ??

Carpentry

uch wrote: »

Whaa ??

purposelessly - without a clear purpose; "let's not purposelessly dispense the aid"

I know sometimes english language - hard language

Viper_JB

Carpentry wrote: »

What if the driver behind you doing this purposelessly and just feeling confident enough behind the wheel with not feeling the need to leave more space between two cars ?

I guess it depends on what a safe stopping distance at 50 kph would be, I know in city traffic you'd be pretty close to other cars at this kinda speed, probably would leave a bit more distance on country roads.

Probably not relevant....but was driving yesterday pretty much same deal as OP, 50 kph on the road I was on can in front was I guess like 50 meters or so out, we reached a small incline on the road and I ended up having to break quiet a bit as the car in front dropped down to about 30 kph as they couldn't be bothered accelerating up the hill which brought me fairly close to his car...so not always the car behinds fault, if you're not maintaining a consistent speed cars may end up tailgating you even if they don't intend it.

EazyD

Carpentry wrote: »

What if the driver behind you doing this purposelessly and just feeling confident enough behind the wheel with not feeling the need to leave more space between two cars ?

What? So confident that the laws of physics don't apply to them?

OldNotWIse

buck65 wrote: »

What about caution / hazard lights , this usually gives the message to back - off. Then pull in let them pass, follow them with your headlights on until you drive them off the road. Get out , take hurley from the boot and finish them off.

I like this one the best

OldNotWIse

Carpentry wrote: »

purposelessly - without a clear purpose; "let's not purposelessly dispense the aid"

I know sometimes english language - hard language

I've never seen that word in my life until now.

Carpentry

OldNotWIse wrote: »

I've never seen that word in my life until now.

that's why OldNotWise ???

jpb1974

Pumped the brakes on a raving lunatic one morning, was doing 100 in a 100 zone, he basically tried to bully me out of his way... a few miles later we had to stop at roadworks, he got out of the car after me and started mouthing off. I got out and was bigger than him, a lot bigger (6"4 18 stone) and told him to f off.

A few weeks later I seen him a few feet behind another car at top speed trying to bully his way by... dipstick. A punch in the bollocks might not have been wasted on him.

Carpentry

jpb1974 wrote: »

Pumped the brakes on a raving lunatic one morning, was doing 100 in a 100 zone, he basically tried to bully me out of his way... a few miles later we had to stop at roadworks, he got out of the car after me and started mouthing out. I got out and was bigger than him, a lot bigger (6"4 18 stone) and told him to f off.

A few weeks later I seen him a few feet behind another car at top speed trying to bully his way by... dipstick.

remember ---> the bigger the target the easier to hit :O)

Shiraz 4.99

I had a mad ex who was a cigarette rep, she used slam on the brakes when it happened with no warning.
She was never rear ended but many of her victims would have to swerve off the road depending on where she did it.
I did say she was a nutter.

ratracer

I don't get this at all. Why would you be intimidated by anyone driving behind you?? I'd just keep driving my own course. If someone wants to pass, let them off but don't stress over it, unless you are not confident in your own driving ability.

ratracer

ratracer wrote: »

I don't get this at all. Why would you be intimidated by anyone driving behind you?? I'd just keep driving my own course. If someone wants to pass, let them off but don't stress over it, unless you are not confident in your own driving ability.

In case you have to brake heavily and they slap into the back of you? Thought that was pretty obvious

FullblownRose

ratracer wrote: »

I don't get this at all. Why would you be intimidated by anyone driving behind you?? I'd just keep driving my own course. If someone wants to pass, let them off but don't stress over it, unless you are not confident in your own driving ability.

When you have to brake suddenly because a child or animal runs out in front of you you'll understand. Your driving ability has nothing to do with the cars braking distance.

Carpentry

FullblownRose wrote: »

When you have to brake suddenly because a child or animal runs out in front of you you'll understand. Your driving ability has nothing to do with the cars braking distance.

But they do teach you to look bit futher down the road and try to predict any hazards on the road so you should slow down anyway seeing children playing near the road, sudden braking not going to save their lives... common sense

Carpentry

Carpentry wrote: »

But they do teach you to look forward down the road and try to predict any hazards on the road so you should slow down anyway seeing children playing near the road, sudden braking not going to save their lives... common sense

That's one of the stupidest things I've ever read

jpb1974

Carpentry wrote: »

But they do teach you to look forward down the road and try to predict any hazards on the road so you should slow down anyway seeing children playing near the road, sudden braking not going to save their lives... common sense

Life ain't that simple... the need to brake suddenly can happen for lots more reasons.

OldNotWIse

Carpentry wrote: »

But they do teach you to look bit futher down the road and try to predict any hazards on the road so you should slow down anyway seeing children playing near the road, sudden braking not going to save their lives... common sense

Regardless of how good a driver you are, sudden breaking is a necessary fact of life at times. A child can run out from between two parked cars for example.

Carpentry

Snotaul Goodman wrote: »

That's one of the stupidest things I've ever read

Does that mean that you just simply don't give a f... about what's going on the road around you ?

Feel sorry for you....

...and by the way, it should have been "most stupid thing"

Philo Beddoe

It's amazing how often the term 'common sense' is used to mean 'popular ignorance'.

Carpentry

Philo Beddoe wrote: »

It's amazing how often the term 'common sense' is used to mean 'popular ignorance'.

I'd say common sense is what's the people in this country missing the most

Tokyo

Carpentry wrote: »

Does that mean that you just simply don't give a f... about what's going on the road around you ?

Feel sorry for you....

...and by the way, it should have been "most stupid thing"

I would argue that driving under duress with some ****wit driver inches from your rear bumper doesn't make you a safer, more aware driver, but that's just me.

Added to that that your braking distance is going to be the least of your worries if a kid runs out in front of you and you have the basic physics of another couple of tonnes of vehicle behind you propelling your forwards.

anncoates

Get out of their way. Give them the finger. Life's too short to do dangerous stuff like brake in front of them and slowing down will just enrage the fools into dangerous overtaking.

With any luck they'll end up a serious crash eventually.

Carpentry

Keep looking in the rear view mirror on the car behind definitely not going to help either

lertsnim

veryangryman wrote: »

Pull into the nearest hard shoulder momentarily to allow them to pass. What's the issue?

If the weather is absolutely **** and it's dark, there are times when you would have no idea what might be in the hard shoulder.

People driving on the hard shoulder is one of my pet hates.