How to Get a Tailgater to Back Off

[siead_lietrathua]

But my main objection is with people who think it's wrong of people to use the passing lane at the speed limit. Sorry folks, but the roads are designed for that to be the safe maximum speed. Deal with it.

but the point of the passing lanes are to pass, not mosey along. and yes, the middle lane on the big highways are also passing lanes. if you have gone around who you need to you should get over. and if the people in the right lane are going the same speed as you then just snug in and let people who want to pass you get by.

sorry, i dislike it when people pull in front of me to pass the slower-than-limit vehicles, and then never get back out of the passing lane. suggesting people pass on he right is foolish. you aren't supposed to pass on the right, and people trying to pass in the right can cause jams and accidents trying to swerve between below-limit drivers.

yes, people shouldn't speed and etc, but breaking minor traffic laws just to be an intentional nuisance to those breaking other traffic laws just makes it more dangerous for everyone.

[angelkirie]

My favorite tailgater repellent = decide it's a great freaking time to clean your windshield. Granted, it works best on the freeway, but I spend more windshield wiper fluid pissing off tailgaters than I do actually cleaning, it has yet to fail and is incredibly satisfying.

[slavetotheman]

Seshat, from an engineering perspective, roads are actually designed to be safely traversed at speeds well exceeding the posted speed limit. Emergency vehicles -- the possibility of specialized training for their drivers notwithstanding -- can safely drive faster than what's allowed for the general populace. Speed limits are designed with the general populace in mind to establish an acceptable risk/benefit ratio for the average commuter, which is driven moreso by traffic patterns than road design.

[Red_Dazes]

My dad had a story that has forever been mounted in my tail gating hall of fame.


A friend of his was a tow truck driver, so he had the whole shebang of a truck... including those GIANT spot lights to help see at night. One night he is coming home up the Marshal Grade ((a small 2 lane rode that switches back and forth up the mountains with little to NO places to pull over)) in his truck, not towing anything he is going the speed limit. when all of a sudden this pick up truck comes tearing up behind him and riding RIGHT on his bumper. The Tow driver tried all the tricks, slowing down, tapping on his breaks... but the truck would just NOT let up.... so after about fifteen min the guy is fed up. He reaches into the console and Flips on BOTH of his GIANT spotlights aimed directly at the guys windows. That little truck stopped so fast there were tire streaks all over the road. And the Tow driver didn't see him again the rest of the night.


...I don't take well to tailgaters. I drive about 5 over all the time, but I also like keeping space between me and the cars in front of me. Usually if I can pull over I will to let someone pass who is moving faster than me. But if I can't and they start tailgating me... I turn into a BITCH. I'm pretty sure I have almost caused myself several accidents in the process, because after a point I figure... If you rear-end me, it's your fault and your insurance will be paying for my repairs. But usually by the time I get to that point they get the hint and cut it out.

[mandaliz8704]

I have lights (kind of like modified fog lights) on my back bumper to help see when I'm hooking up a trailer at night.

They get rid of tailgaters, too. One quick warning flash.... still dont wanna get off my ass? Then they get turned on until you do.

[crazylegs]

Be advised that in some countries/areas showing a white light to the rear is illegal.

[smileyeagle1021]

But my main objection is with people who think it's wrong of people to use the passing lane at the speed limit. Sorry folks, but the roads are designed for that to be the safe maximum speed. Deal with it.

*buzz* sorry, thanks for playing, but I'm afraid that is incorrect. I can't speak for all states, but at least in Nevada NDOT will set the maximum 'safe' limit at roughly 85% of what the road is actually designed for. I used to know several people who worked for NDOT (either directly or through a contractor) who sped by at least 10mph on the freeways, I asked them why, they should know better than anyone else what the road's safe speed was, and their response was "exactly, we do know what the safe speed is and we're going it".
That said, seeing how most people drive I can understand why engineers would intentionally lowball the speed limit (or conversely, overdesign the road). Doesn't mean those of us who did receive proper training can't be frustrated by the fact that the speed limit is set to coddle those who are too stupid/lazy to learn how to drive properly.

[MergedLoki]

fun lil fact.

there's talks now of making it a law (this is in Canada but it's thru GM so im sure it's in talks down in the USA too) of by 2011 making EVERY SINGLE NEW CAR not able to go faster than 110 KPH (umm... that's 60ish MPH i believe for you americans... dont ask me to convert i suck at it!)

now... i pray to hell this never occurs (and not because i speed all the time because i dont. or at least not that badly that i would need to go 150 or something).

but... think of this little senario. your on a two way road (only 2 lanes your way and opp direction).
you go to pass a guy who's only going 100.

so... you can ONLY go 110... and there's oncoming traffic coming right at you when you are right beside the guy your trying to pass.

This isn't going to save lives. speed does NOT kill people. bad driving/idiotic driving kills people.

[mandaliz8704]

Be advised that in some countries/areas showing a white light to the rear is illegal.

They've been on the truck since 2004, no one has ever said anything to me about them. I think I've only turned them on twice for reasons other than originally intended.

[mikoyan29]

*buzz* sorry, thanks for playing, but I'm afraid that is incorrect. I can't speak for all states, but at least in Nevada NDOT will set the maximum 'safe' limit at roughly 85% of what the road is actually designed for. I used to know several people who worked for NDOT (either directly or through a contractor) who sped by at least 10mph on the freeways, I asked them why, they should know better than anyone else what the road's safe speed was, and their response was "exactly, we do know what the safe speed is and we're going it".
That said, seeing how most people drive I can understand why engineers would intentionally lowball the speed limit (or conversely, overdesign the road). Doesn't mean those of us who did receive proper training can't be frustrated by the fact that the speed limit is set to coddle those who are too stupid/lazy to learn how to drive properly.

It's 85% of what the road is designed for under perfect conditions. IF it's raining (or snowing in these parts), that number gets lower. In the case of here, some the roads are so pot holed chucked...good luck going the speed limit.

[El Pollo Guerrera]

fun lil fact.

there's talks now of making it a law (this is in Canada but it's thru GM so im sure it's in talks down in the USA too) of by 2011 making EVERY SINGLE NEW CAR not able to go faster than 110 KPH (umm... that's 60ish MPH i believe for you americans... dont ask me to convert i suck at it!)

now... i pray to hell this never occurs (and not because i speed all the time because i dont. or at least not that badly that i would need to go 150 or something).

but... think of this little senario. your on a two way road (only 2 lanes your way and opp direction).
you go to pass a guy who's only going 100.

so... you can ONLY go 110... and there's oncoming traffic coming right at you when you are right beside the guy your trying to pass.

This isn't going to save lives. speed does NOT kill people. bad driving/idiotic driving kills people.

After reading this scenario, I choose the other option: I don't pass.

But that law will NEVER pass. The auto industry will pull every string they have left to stop it. Besides, any emergency vehicles would have to be modified to go faster than the limit. Then home modified vehicles would start appearing on the roads, leading to more accidents due to shoddy mechanics. It would end up being a mess. Never happen.

[smileyeagle1021]

This isn't going to save lives. speed does NOT kill people. bad driving/idiotic driving kills people.

thank you... speed can be part of bad/idiot driving... but it by itself isn't dangerous (just look at the autobahn).

[Seshat]

but breaking minor traffic laws just to be an intentional nuisance to those breaking other traffic laws just makes it more dangerous for everyone.

And I didn't advocate that. I drive to be predictable, road-courteous, and as safe as possible. But I refuse to speed just because other people want me to.

If someone is travelling at 90kph in the left lane (main traffic lane for us), then I will get into the right lane (passing lane), travel at 100kph (speed limit) until I pass him, then pull back left.

And I get tailgated and honked at for that. And THAT is what annoys me. I have every right to use the passing lane for what it's designed for, even if I choose to go the legal limit, not 5 or 10 or 20kph over.

Seshat, from an engineering perspective, roads are actually designed to be safely traversed at speeds well exceeding the posted speed limit.

I correct myself.

Roads are designed to be safely travelled at the posted limit, under 'average' conditions, with vehicles maintained to some standard approximating the typical, and drivers of some guesstimate of the 'normal' skill.

However, 90% of people think that they're above average drivers. Less than 40% can be right (presuming a bell curve).

Doesn't mean those of us who did receive proper training can't be frustrated by the fact that the speed limit is set to coddle those who are too stupid/lazy to learn how to drive properly.

So come up with some way to make a speed limit variable depending on driver skill and vehicle condition, that isn't going to end up with idiots driving too fast for their own ability and making road pizza.

I can't come up with a viable method. If you can, I applaud you.

It's 85% of what the road is designed for under perfect conditions. IF it's raining (or snowing in these parts), that number gets lower. In the case of here, some the roads are so pot holed chucked...good luck going the speed limit.

Road condition, vehicle condition, driver skill and condition.... yeah.

thank you... speed can be part of bad/idiot driving... but it by itself isn't dangerous (just look at the autobahn).

The change in momentum between full speed and stationary is what kills. It's like falling - it's not the fall that kills you, it's the sudden stop at the end.

And every 5 units of additional speed becomes a multiplier of 25 to the mass that's coming to such a sudden stop. That's why speed becomes one of the major targetted facets of road safety.

Now if we could enforce road courtesy with automated cameras.....

[Nohbody]

Now if we could enforce road courtesy with automated cannons.....

Fixed that for you.

[RecoveringKinkoid]

You know, I was in the exact situation as the OP last friday, and I, too, had my child in the car. It was pretty late in the evening and I had one of these assholes on my tail.

I always slow down, because if they are too incompetent to adjust their distance to their speed, I will adjust their speed to their distance for them. And he could have passed, but I imagine it was far more fun to just continue to tailgate and be a jackass. Which frankly baffles me, because I was in a beat up van, and how did they know how many people were in there?

Anyways, I flipped open my phone, fully intending to call the cops. It was dark, and I guess they saw the glow of the phone in the darkness. They IMMEDIATELY lost their nerve, came to an abrupt stop, and turned down a side road.

So I kind of have to think at this point they were up to something.

But yeah, normally I just keep slowing down until they either back off or pass. If they don't get the message, I roll to a safe, gradual stop.

I've actually had to resort to stopping a few times with a school bus. Yeah, sadly, you read that right. A freaking school bus was playing games with me one morning. And yes, it was full of children. And yes, I made a phone call.

I had one yesterday on my way home. Get this. Going through a cop filled neighborhood with a limit of 30. I know this neighborhood, so believe you me I'm going 30. Sow in an SUV (isnt' it always a sow in an SUV? ) runs up RIGHT on my ass. Yeah. 30 residential and she's running up on my ass. So I slow down and she PASSES me on a double yellow.

And that's not even the punch line. I was actually approaching a red light to stop while all this was going on. I shit you not. But, of course, I was the asshole, right?

You really do wonder sometimes what people are thinking.

That woman was so beyond the pale I think if I'd been alone I'd have been tempted to put on my blinker and turn suddenly...she would have hit me...and then I would have some nice free money.

If I pulled over for every horrible driver behind me, I'd never get anywhere. They can go around. If they can't due to traffic, well, if all that traffic is going the limit, then maybe speeder needs to adjust his speed accordingly instead of being a tool. If it's due to a solid yellow, well, it's not legal to speed nor is it legal to tailgate. So why stop at the solid yellow? I mean, geeze, at that point the guy's gonna start splitting hairs?

And I'd never pull over on the highway, either. Here's why: I'm in the slow lane, say, and someone wants to tailgate. Well, if I pull to the shoulder, that's insanely dangerous. That's not something you should EVER do unless an emergency forces you to. If I pull to the middle lane, that's dangerous, too, because if you have some douche 2 inches from your bumper, you don't know his intentions. He's likely to pass without any warning. If you're shifting lanes at the same moment he decides to do the same, you are going to be in a wreck, because if and when he shifts, he's going to do it at the same time he accelerates. Better to slow down gradually as much as you can until HE makes his move. And if you're in a wreck anyways, at least it was a lower speed one.