You cannot intimidate me with tailgating!

[PepperElf]

I was driving home from visiting my parents for almost a week, doing about 70 (give or take a couple of MPH). For the most part I was in the right lane, except when passing etc.

I came up to a car going slower than I was, saw my way clear to pass... Only to have a white commercial truck pull in right behind me, so close I couldn't even see his plates and getting closer.

Apparently he thought he could intimidate me. What he got was me tapping my brakes. He backed off.

When I was ahead enough, I went back to the right lane and saw the white commercial truck speed off, zipping in and out of traffic. I suspect that's why I hadn't noticed him in the first place - the way he was driving it looks like he switched lanes right after I had... and just assumed he could intimidate me into speeding.

Sorry, 13+ years of military... it'll take more than an asshole in a truck to shake me into speeding.

Besides... not like I didn't have a right to be in the left lane, cos I was passing a slower car on the right. And one guy with an attitude problem and a heavy foot doesn't make a "flow of traffic".

[ditchdj]

Well that comes from getting someone to do something for you. Some people think that being an aggressive dickwad will do the trick. That doesn't work for me. I usually end up just pushing back and then things get ugly and the objective doesn't pan out.

[Pedersen]

I found a new method for getting a tailgater to back off. Works best when a passenger does it, though, so as to avoid the driver getting distracted.

Take their picture.

Seriously. Chances are you've got your cellphone, and it has a camera. Just take their picture. Hell, delete it right after if you wish. The other driver will notice, and is very unlikely to want to risk more of them, so backs off.

Actually, you don't even have to push the button. Just make like it's happening. It's all a psychological game, anyway

[PepperElf]

oooo nice idea. too bad i was driving alone.

but next time i drive to visit my family my boyfriend should be with me visiting... so I can hand him my cell to use, or just have a camera on hand

[mikoyan29]

My favorite is the person who tailgates when there is a string of traffic to the side and a string of traffic ahead. Yeah......tailgating me will make the mass of traffic ahead of me go faster.

[Andara Bledin]

That always baffles me. There will be traffic all over, no place to go, and yet some douchenugget will decide to ride my bumper like it's his bitch.

I had one episode with a tailgater where I'll admit I was a bit immature, but the guy was a complete asshole. I was in the fast lane, going as fast as traffic would permit, and this guy comes racing up behind me to sit on my bumper. I tap my brakes a couple times, but he won't take the hint. So, since he's majorly unsafely close, I pull back on the throttle, slowly decreasing my speed.

We get down to about 50 mph and he pulls two lanes to the right in an attempt to get around. I already know this won't work, 'cause if I could go faster I would have gone around myself. Once he's out from behind me, I go back up to 70-ish. Not two minutes later, he's back behind me, riding my bumper again. Rinse and repeat for two more times, the last of which I drop all the way down to 40 in the fast lane on Sunday evening on the ever-busy and usually-fast 91 freeway heading from Orange County into LA County.

These days, I'm a lot more mellow in my driving (heck, the difference between me now and three years ago is pronounced), so when someone rides my bumper now, I just take note of how close they are and make a point of giving the car ahead of me extra room so I can have more time to slow if necessary.

The other thing that bugs the heck out of me is something my dad and my brother both do (although if you tell my brother he does anything like our dad, he'll flip out on you... it's the worst insult you can say to him), which is to run up right behind someone before changing lanes to go around. Seriously, . Three miles of no traffic except for one car that happens to be ahead of you in the lane you happen to be in, and you can't change lanes until you're inches behind him?

^-.-^

[McGoddess09]

When someone is tailgating me, I go slower and slower and slower.

[Andara Bledin]

When someone is tailgating me, I go slower and slower and slower.

That's exactly what I used to do at your age.

These days, I'm more mature, plus I understand that by doing that, I was creating a potential hazard for other drivers that this guy might end up running into because he got so wound up trying to get around me.

^-.-^

[McGoddess09]

I make sure no-one else is around. If there are other people, I just keep the same speed.

[blas]

I call the drivers who come right up on your ass then literally dart into the other lane and whizz around you "Emphasis Drivers".

They somehow feel the need to show you and put emphasis on just how slow you're *supposedly* going and how much you are in their way, so they will get right up on your bumper and then erratically wind into the other lane and rocket past you.

I never understand why, when I'm commuting to work sometimes at night, there will be NO ONE for miles and someone has to tailgate me and stay behind me, even though we go 10 miles or more on a 4 lane freeway with little to NO traffic that time of night.

[Bandit]

I never understand why, when I'm commuting to work sometimes at night, there will be NO ONE for miles and someone has to tailgate me and stay behind me, even though we go 10 miles or more on a 4 lane freeway with little to NO traffic that time of night.

Ah - you have picked up a Duckling. It happens a lot at night, I've noticed. Dunno why.

B

[LewisLegion]

I've gotten a couple people in the dead of night on a clear freeway who will not only feel the need to tailgate me, but will flash their headlights repeatedly trying to get me to speed up.

Dude, the ENTIRE EIGHT LANE FREEWAY is clear! Pass me, because I'm NOT going any faster than I am now. And I may go slower, just because you're being a twerp.

[wolfie]

When someone is tailgating me, I go slower and slower and slower.

One of my "dream gadgets" is a scrolling LED sign in the back window, hooked into the car's data bus (to pick up speed info) and a radar/sonar/laser distance measuring device. Hit a switch on the dash and it would show this message:

Minimum safe following distance at current speed: <distance> Maximum safe speed at current following distance: <speed> Will you increase the distance, or do I need to reduce the speed?

[blas]

Haha, a Duckling....that's funny.

[mikoyan29]

Saturday night as we were heading back to my mom's, I was on a two lane highway that occasionally has passing lanes. So I had this person tailgate me. I was staying at 55 because it's up north and there are deer. Plus it being Memorial Day weekend, there are usually a few cops out. So finally we get to a passing lane...He doesn't pass me. We get to the freeway, he's still tailgating me....Finally he decides to pass me but he takes his sweet time...so I hit the breaks so that he finally passes me.....

Jesus Christ, he must have been tailgating me for a good 20 miles....It's not like he didn't have plenty of opportunities to pass me. What a douche.