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How do YOU deal with tailgaters?

#241
If I'm in the left lane at all, it's because I'm passing. I'll move right when it's safe for me to do so afterwards. What I won't do is speed ahead of the traffic I'm passing to accommodate the guy behind me. Once the right lane is clear, however, consider me there.

Honestly though, I get very few tailgaters on the highway. Most people realize that I'm going to get over to the right once I'm done passing. Tailgating here is far more often observed on two lane roads (as Ray Salamon noted earlier, this is a pretty difficult area to actually pass people in if you're not on the highway). In this case, I'm not going to pull off the road or whatever, since I usually travel above the speed limit anyway. If the guy behind me is really bugging me and flashing his lights and whatnot, I might consider moving, but only because it might be an emergency situation.

Some of you guys are crazy drivers, by the sound of it!
 
#242
Sundogue said:
You know that slow drivers in front of you are doing it on purpose just to irritate you, right?
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Of course not, but since slower traffic is supposed to move right and yield to faster traffic, I would argue that they're either not watching their rearview (unsafe driving) or are intentionally not moving over, a passive-agressive act, likely to cause conflict...another form of unsafe driving, IMHO.
 
#243
SomecallmeTim said:
If I'm in the left lane at all, it's because I'm passing. I'll move right when it's safe for me to do so afterwards. What I won't do is speed ahead of the traffic I'm passing to accommodate the guy behind me. Once the right lane is clear, however, consider me there.

Honestly though, I get very few tailgaters on the highway. Most people realize that I'm going to get over to the right once I'm done passing. Tailgating here is far more often observed on two lane roads (as Ray Salamon noted earlier, this is a pretty difficult area to actually pass people in if you're not on the highway). In this case, I'm not going to pull off the road or whatever, since I usually travel above the speed limit anyway. If the guy behind me is really bugging me and flashing his lights and whatnot, I might consider moving, but only because it might be an emergency situation.
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#244
What I don't understand is people that like to tailgate here in Michigan in the winter. My beef with tailgaters is more from a physics standpoint. If I'm being tailgated and something happens in the road that makes me have to stop quickly, If the guy behind me is a fraction of a second slower than me or doesn't slow down as quickly, I'm suddenly part of an accident-bound piece of steel with double the momentum and my car is being propelled forward by somebody who just didn't have the decency not to try to prove to me that I'm too slow.
 
#245
I believe the following statements will prove conclusive:

PLEASE NOTE: This does not apply to freeways. Obviously, speed limits, if followed, can be in fact deadly. Go with the flow of traffic on freeways. Do not obstruct the flow of traffic by any means.

THEORETICALLY: Any person who is going the speed limit in any lane should not have to move out of the way for another person. It's the law, folks. There is no debate in the matter. Get this through yo' heads: The speed limit is the law. It is not required for any driver to accommodate the speedy needs of another individual. There is no refuting this undeniable truth. However, if you are in fact traveling slower than 5mph below the speed limit, it is impractical for you to do so. You have two options: either speed up to the speed limit within reason, or simply switch lanes (the former is much more reasonable).

TO THE DRIVER WHO IS BEING TAILGATED: My note above will be ignored by nearly every driver who tailgates in the first place. The best thing for you to do is not try to anger them by slowing down or taking any other steps to prevent them from continuing to tailgate you. It is your best bet to just allow the person behind you to go past you. Hey, it's your life. You can try to teach one person one lesson, but this lesson most likely will not be received and learned. Also, by taking these measures, you may in fact end up hurting yourself, since you are putting both the tailgater and yourself at danger if you continue to obstruct their speedy path. Just save your life; get out of the way if it is practical to do so.

TO THE DRIVER WHO IS TAILGATING: Just stop it. Go the speed limit. If anyone in front of you is ignoring you and is going at least 5mph below the speed limit and it is practical for you to switch lanes and travel around them, by all means.

Also, I want you tailgaters to reassess just how far ahead you get by putting your life at risk. See how far you can get by switching lanes 8 times. You really don't get much farther, and you risk your life and other people's lives numerous times. You have a right to kill your own person, but to put another person at risk just so you can get a small distance ahead is NOT within the bounds of reason.

That is all, folks.
 
#246
When did this turn into a debate?

Let it go. You're not going to win at this. When did driving become something to win at anyway (excluding racing, I suppose)?

I guess my take on it is this: I don't really care. I prefer to go fast. If I can't? I'm not that concerned about it. I care little enough that if someone is wanting to go faster or slower than I am, for any reason, I assume their concern is probably more important than mine. I'll speed up if it's safe or move if it's safe. At least, that's what I try. Barring that, I think up some limericks. We can always do with more limericks.

The original question asked what I do about tailgaters. I do what I can. If I can't do anything and they can't understand that, I wish them good luck and a good day. And I even do it in a non-passive agressive way.
 
#247
blankstare77 said:
If anyone in front of you is ignoring you and is going at least 5mph below the speed limit and it is practical for you to switch lanes and travel around them, by all means.
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WRONG. Passing on the right is illegal (and unsafe, and ********)...and, as has already been repeated ad nausem here, so is the failure to keep right and yield to faster traffic, in most US states and foriegn countries.

Are we all just speaking Swahili?? What part of this simple rule of the road seems to elude you?
 
#248
Basshole said:
WRONG. Passing on the right is illegal (and unsafe, and ********)...and, as has already been repeated ad nausem here, so is the failure to keep right and yield to faster traffic, in most US states and foriegn countries.

Are we all just speaking Swahili?? What part of this simple rule of the road seems to elude you?
Click to expand...
It's actually not illegal. You wont get pulled over and ticketed for passing on the right.
You will, however, get pulled over, and ticketed (and, possibly lose your license) for speeding, tailgating, and driving like an idiot.

Here's how the law's written:
The driver of a vehicle may overtake and pass another vehicle upon the right as provided in this section only under conditions permitting such movement in safety. In no event shall such movement be made by driving off the pavement or main-traveled portion of the roadway.

If you're closing quickly on a car in the left lane, from that, and also that a driver has to do everything to avoid an accident, you could pass on the right under movement of safety. Note how passing on shoulders etc. is always illegal :).
 
#250
Any person who is going the speed limit in any lane should not have to move out of the way for another person.
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Is that REALLY how it works in the USA? Certainly not the case over here ,where you're supposed to get over to the left (that's the right for you American drivers) unless you're passing - regardless of what speed you're doing. I've driven in the USA and always stayed right wherever I could.

Does this mean on an empty highway you could travel at the speed limit in the left lane for miles and then stay there if somebody came up behind you wanting to overtake? Does the law say you have to stay in that lane to enforce the speed limit in the absence of traffic cops? Or does your law, like ours, say you're in the wrong lane and should get out of the way - whether the guy behind is speeding or not?

That's the law I'm asking about BTW - not just opinion about what you think is the right think to do.
 
#251
bassybill said:
Is that REALLY how it works in the USA? Certainly not the case over here ,where you're supposed to get over to the left (that's the right for you American drivers) unless you're passing - regardless of what speed you're doing. I've driven in the USA and always stayed right wherever I could.

Does this mean on an empty highway you could travel at the speed limit in the left lane for miles and then stay there if somebody came up behind you wanting to overtake? Does the law say you have to stay in that lane to enforce the speed limit in the absence of traffic cops? Or does your law, like ours, say you're in the wrong lane and should get out of the way - whether the guy behind is speeding or not?

That's the law I'm asking about BTW - not just opinion about what you think is the right think to do.
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In PA:
You can ONLY be in the left lane while passing. Riding in the left lane for extended periods of time can be cause for being pulled over.
HOWEVER,
If you are in the left lane, and doing the speed limit, you are IN NO WAY required to move out of anyone's way, especailly if it is not safe to do so. They are actaully expected to pass on the RIGHT (as noted above) to avoid collision.
 
#252
Dan1099 said:
Hahah. Right.
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I welded up a 80-schedule 2-3/8-diameter pipe bull bar and bolted it to my truck. To test it, I pushed a forklift (around 5000 pounds) and bumped a shop table that's 4 feet by 8 feet of 1" plate steel with a structural channel frame underneath. Neither test showed any marks on the pipe, nor any marks or signs of stress on my chassis.

Doubt me all you want. I designed the thing to protect the front end of my truck from anything. This ain't a cosmetic modification, it's stronger than anything you'll ever see mounted to a car. When I park in a parking garage, I bump my truck all the way up against the walls, with quite a thud. Sucker barely shows marks on the Rhinolining.
 
#253
Ray Salamon said:
In PA:
You can ONLY be in the left lane while passing. Riding in the left lane for extended periods of time can be cause for being pulled over.
HOWEVER,
If you are in the left lane, and doing the speed limit, you are IN NO WAY required to move out of anyone's way, especailly if it is not safe to do so. They are actaully expected to pass on the RIGHT (as noted above) to avoid collision.
Click to expand...

That explains a lot about PA drivers...

:rolleyes:
 
#254
Well, it's clear that safety, courtesy, and reason have no bearing here. The stubborn will remain stubborn, passively agressively causing road rage.

Funny thing is, I expected so much better of musicians, who are normally hip, and intelligent...not stuffy, slow-moving, "go around me", "get out of my yard" kinda fogeys clogging the left lane.

I had no idea, and frankly, I'm more than a bit disappointed.

Beam me up. I'm done in this thread.
 
#257
Wow, the number of people with the "go around me attitude" really surprise me. IMO Weather you are going the speed limit, or faster on the highway you're just as guilty as the tail gaiter of putting your life and the lives of everyone behind you at risk by not getting out of the way when you can do so safely.
It doesn't really matter if the person riding your bumper is right or not. It's a simple matter of courtesy to let them pass. It's not that hard, and far safer for everyone.

Bryan316: No offense, but you really should do some thinking about your attitude towards this before you kill someone, or get yourself killed...
 
#258
Reading through this thread, it becomes apparent that America needs...


SUMO-AKEBONO-25.jpg




...the ultimate sport of posturing. :)
 

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