How do YOU deal with tailgaters?

[jrthebassguy]

If the person doing the gating is being a tool, I do this...

Make sure my driver's window is down.
Open up my can of Coke.
Move to the right margin of my lane (Mr. Tool will start to move left, trust me!).
Hang my Coke out the window, about door handle height.
Allow the airflow to gently lift the Coke out of the can, in a thin ribbon-spray, all down the side of Mr. Tool's car.

If he doesn't back off immediately, pour a little faster and higher. Either he'll get the picture, or he'll need new paint soon...

It works almost as well as dropping a handful of roofing nails out your window!

If you've done that and gotten away with it, I have to wonder what part of Houston you've done it it in...if you tried that on 610 I'm afraid what the other car would do in retaliation.

 

[Selta]

What about two lane roads? I have more people tailgate me on those than highways. You can't "get out of the way" there. What say you, defenders of tailgaters?

 

[jrthebassguy]

What about two lane roads? I have more people tailgate me on those than highways. You can't "get out of the way" there. What say you, defenders of tailgaters?

IME/IMO, that entirely depends on the road and how fast you're going, it's really hard to speak in universal terms when it comes to that kind of situation. Personally, in most cases I would never tailgate in that kind of situation. (nor do I really tailgate in interstate situations either...fwiw)


That said, I'm not so much a "pro-tailgater" so much as a "pro-slow & speed limit traffic keep right" kinda guy.

 

[Diggler]

Nobody's defending tailgaters... people ARE being called out for people being inconsiderate, self-righteous, and making a situation even more dangerous though.

 

[jonly]

What about two lane roads? I have more people tailgate me on those than highways. You can't "get out of the way" there. What say you, defenders of tailgaters?

not here to defend, but simply point out that a driver's intelligence is never proportionate to # of lanes

 

[Basshole]

What about two lane roads? I have more people tailgate me on those than highways. You can't "get out of the way" there. What say you, defenders of tailgaters?

Nobody's defending tailgaters... people ARE being called out for people being inconsiderate, self-righteous, and making a situation even more dangerous though.

Exactly.

What you do is, if conditions allow, you do the speed limit. When a break comes up in the solid double yellow, you aid the person behind you by waving them on to pass you when it is clear.

If they are tailgating you in a dangerous manner, slow to the point that they will frustrate sooner (respecting any posted minimums), and they will pass you all the more rapidly.

That's the right thing to do. I can't claim that's what I'd do, however. I'm NOT a Monk.

I'm too reactionary. I do the speed limit, maybe 5 over. If that's not enough to satisfy the dufus, I lock all 4, or handbrake them.

I don't claim to be perfect. I prefer to do the righteous and safe thing when possible, though...and almost always try that first. Failing that, I get ugly, and try to teach them a lesson.

Maybe when I'm 50 I'll be less of a jerk. Still hoping...

 

[Selta]

IME/IMO, that entirely depends on the road and how fast you're going, it's really hard to speak in universal terms when it comes to that kind of situation. Personally, in most cases I would never tailgate in that kind of situation. (nor do I really tailgate in interstate situations either...fwiw)


That said, I'm not so much a "pro-tailgater" so much as a "pro-slow & speed limit traffic keep right" kinda guy.

Actually, it's not all that difficult:
DON'T TAILGATE. End of story .

 

[Basshole]

No problem, and point taken.

Now enough driving for one day, let's stop in and have a few of these:

Cheers. Still suprises people I guess when someone takes the adult tack, and actually apologizes when they're wrong. I'm not too big a man to admit that [swigs ale].

It costs nothing to apologize.

 

[Selta]

Exactly.

What you do is, if conditions allow, you do the speed limit. When a break comes up in the solid double yellow, you aid the person behind you by waving them on to pass you when it is clear.

If they are tailgating you in a dangerous manner, slow to the point that they will frustrate sooner (respecting any posted minimums), and they will pass you all the more rapidly.

That's the right thing to do. I can't claim that's what I'd do, however. I'm NOT a Monk.

I'm too reactionary. I do the speed limit, maybe 5 over. If that's not enough to satisfy the dufus, I lock all 4, or handbrake them.

I don't claim to be perfect. I prefer to do the righteous and safe thing when possible, though...and almost always try that first. Failing that, I get ugly, and try to teach them a lesson.

Maybe when I'm 50 I'll be less of a jerk. Still hoping...

Especially around here, there's not too many zones where you can pass. We live in the curvy mountains. So, should you still pass? It'd be twice as illegal to; first off you're speeding, then passing in no-passing zones.
FWIW, I'm 21. What I normally do whilest driving is between +0 to +5 of the speed limit. If you come up on me, and ride my ass for a prolonged period of time, I will slow down to the speed limit if I'm going any above it. If that doesn't give you the hint, I'll lock it in at 5 under. If you still don't get the hint, it goes to 10 under. Around here, it never gets to that point. People realize they're not going to get me to go any faster. They get off my rear then, and we both do around +5.
I've already had people attempt to pass me in no passing zones. It's rare that anyone has been able to, as well, it's hard to beat the acceleration a 350 in a small and light car gives you. If you do try to pass me, though, I'll generally let you around. At that point, I grab your plate and well, you get a nice notice in the mail .
I'm not trying to police the roads. That's not my jobs. But as a citizen, when I see something wrong, I wont just turn a cold shoulder to it and let it go. It's already killed a good friend of mine, and put a relative in good danger.
When someone's tailgating me, I actually find myself hoping that something on the road ahead will give me a good reason to brake check.

 

[Turock]

If someone is riding my a$$, we are going to slow way down. If I have to stop suddenly, I would rather be hit in the rear with him going 25 mph rather than 70 mph.

 

[Bad Brains]

Driving time is NOT "mellow time". It's PAY ATTENTION time. You are in control of over a ton of metal and plastic. I use Cruise Control myself, but is is NOT a license to become a passing lane obstruction.

Your CC has a RESUME feature. That is what it was placed there for. USE IT.

Move right, you are not driving as safely as you have convinced yourself. The blind spot issue is not as responsible for accidents as the closing speed issue. Buy a small stick-on convex spot mirror to apply to your right rear-view, and keep right except to pass.

Driving time IS mellow time, for me. Who says I can't be mellow and still pay attention?

And If I'm in the fast lane, going ABOVE the speed limit, why should I move into the right lane where cars are going SLOWER than me, causing me to have to reset my cruise control, check blind spots, switch lanes, switch lanes again while checking blind spot again, and setting my cruise control back?

That's too much work, you can go around me if you want to. go as fast as you want. Just don't expect anything from me.

Now if I'm going the speed limit or below, then that's a different story, but I'm not, so it isn't.

 

[Toasted]

Many of the posters in this thread fail at life.

 

[kserg]

Many of the posters in this thread fail at life.

And we knew who it was even before this thread was started...

 

[Basshole]

Driving time IS mellow time, for me. Who says I can't be mellow and still pay attention?

Most people don't descibe attentiveness as "being mellow"

And If I'm in the fast lane, going ABOVE the speed limit, why should I move into the right lane where cars are going SLOWER than me, causing me to have to reset my cruise control, check blind spots, switch lanes, switch lanes again while checking blind spot again, and setting my cruise control back?

Because it's courteous. Because it's safe. Because it's in most cases the law, and because it's the right thing to do.

That's too much work, you can go around me if you want to. go as fast as you want. Just don't expect anything from me.

That's wrong-headed thinking. Just because you want to go 5-10 over, doesn't mean you should impede those who wish to travel 10-15 over. Who made you the speed police? You're the guy the george Carlin makes fun of, and we all laugh at. Anyone going slower than you is an idiot, and anyone who wants to go faster is a maniac. What an ego on you...and how remarkably selfish you are.

By making people pass on the right, you are creating a dangerous situation. If the guy forced to pass on the right is going 15 MPH faster than you, and the woman (with a family of four children, or the school soccer team) in the minivan in the right lane is going 15 MPH slower, you've now created a 30 MPH closing speed. This is dangerous. Do you think your laziness and arrogance entitles you to put others (even innocents) at risk?

You could even force someone going 20 over right into the back of someone's grandmother doing the posted 45 MPH minimum, creating a VERY dangerous situation.

I've seen people like you cause accidents like I've described firsthand. What sick form of entitlement makes you think your selfish laziness places you above the safety of others?

Now if I'm going the speed limit or below, then that's a different story, but I'm not, so it isn't.

There is NO EXCUSE for not moving right for faster traffic. In most states, it's the law, and in all cases, it's the safe, responsible, and courteous thing to do.

 

[hartke20g]

if i'm in the left lane and i'm already speeding (+/- 7mph) and someone tailgates me, i'll move if he can't- better him than me. but if there are more than 4 cars within 70ft of each other in any of the other lanes, he better move first. the left lane IS the fast lane, but "fast" is in relation to the speed limit. about 5-10mph over the speed limit IMO is top speed for the passing lane, since it's for passing. i'm only there when passing/making a left, and you should be too.

i'm also a fan of the 'rolling roadblock' method to right-side tailgaters. but what really pisses me off is people who ride my bumper when i just take off from a traffic light. just because your AT ricer can jump to a start, doesn't mean my 2-ton MT truck can.

 

[Jeff Moote]

There is NO EXCUSE for not moving right for faster traffic. In most states, it's the law, and in all cases, it's the safe, responsible, and courteous thing to do.

Exactly.

Why is this so hard? You've said it more than once here, others have said it, yet the few people who insist they are correct don't even pay attention to these posts.

 

[Jazzin']

I just speed up until they can't catch me.

 

[Bad Brains]

By making people pass on the right, you are creating a dangerous situation. If the guy forced to pass on the right is going 15 MPH faster than you, and the woman (with a family of four children, or the school soccer team) in the minivan in the right lane is going 15 MPH slower, you've now created a 30 MPH closing speed. This is dangerous. Do you think your laziness and arrogance entitles you to put others (even innocents) at risk?

And tailgating doesn't create a dangerous situation?

What exactly does tailgating accomplish?

 

[Bad Brains]

There is NO EXCUSE for not moving right for faster traffic. In most states, it's the law, and in all cases, it's the safe, responsible, and courteous thing to do.

Wouldn't someone being in the right lane next to you so you can't move over be considered an excuse?

 

[Nick man]

Wrong. My grandmother was hit in her car and got serious injury due to an ******* doing 10MPH over the speed limit. They didn't see her vehicle, somehow, and slammed into the back of it. The resulting collision caused her car to go off the road. From there, had the median been any smaller, she would've been forced into oncoming traffic, and could possibly be dead now.

A good friend of mine was T-boned by a driver doing 20 MPH over the speed limit. He's no longer with us due to this.

If you're speeding and you come up on me, don't expect me to pull over for you. The speed limit is that, a limit. It's the law. You follow it, or hopefully you get your license taken away. If you come up on me, and are speeding, expect me to go excatly the speed limit. And, if you do get around me, expect me to follow you long and close enough to get your license plate.

The reason your grandma was injured was because the guy wasnt paying attention and didnt notice her. I dont know the reason your friend was t-boned, but someone must have run a red light or a stop sign for that to happen.

The speed limit was not a factor.