The Tale of Tailgating Twit.

[ArenaBoy]

We all get those tailgaters who get too close, usually when they have a close call they stop. Then there is the Tailgating Twit. Tailgating Twit is a different kind of tailgater. The one who is too dangerous to be on the road.

Yesterday, I was driving down a side road that's light on traffic. I usually take this road because I hate the main road as it's always stop lights everywhere. As I'm driving, this white car speeds up and is riding my bumper too close for comfort. Her driving is more dangerous due to the fact that part of her car is off to the side of the road in case an accident happens.

So I try every trick I know, slowing down, swerving, and all that fun stuff but she doesn't relent. Realizing that my temper is rising, I pull off into a restaurant and try to relax. As I saw her pull away, she was tailgating another person in the same manner.

So Tailgating Twit, I hope you get pulled over. I hope that the cop finds out that you've been ticketed for something and get your license revoked. I hope you don't get to drive again, because you suck.

Sincerely, a pissed off driver.

[terakhan]

Hate to tell you, but people like that, too stupid to recognize their own dangerous behavior, are also too self-absorbed to allow a little thing like the law stop them from driving.

Everything considered, you did the safest thing by getting the heck away from that moron.

[Exaspera]

I was being tailgated on a 4 lane road(2 each direction). Nobody else nearby, he is just stuck on my bumper. We both turn left at a light. He passes me on the right and gives me the ol' evil eye.

It was the usual SUV entitlement thing.

I'm glad you could get out of EW's way.

[Zellie Crescent]

A couple of relatives on my mom's side drive like that.

[protege]

It was the usual SUV entitlement thing.

It's not only SUV owners who drive like that. I've had plenty of idiots, in various vehicles, ride my bumper over the years.

The best though, had to be the guy in the Geo Metro. For whatever reason, he decided that I wasn't driving my grandmother's Oldsmobile Cutlass Ciera fast enough. He's flashing his lights at me, and is literally on my tail. Seriously? Are you kidding me? I'm in a much larger (and heavier) 4-door sedan. He's in a little 2-door, 3-cylinder hatchback. If he does hit me...he'll be visiting the hospital. It's not like I was driving slow to be a dick--I was out on the highway, and the speed limit was 65mph. He could...possibly pass me on the left

So far, I've found that the best way to deal with them...is to not get intimidated. Simply slow down, and they'll usually back off.

[blas]

There are tailgaters who are so skilled at their game that nothing intimidates them, and you either have to turn off or change lanes just to get them to get away from you.

It's pretty scary that some people are so good at it.

[EvilEmpryss]

In most places in the US there is a minimum speed limit on highways, but not on other streets. Minimum highway speed is usually 20 MPH below the post limit. You'd be surprised how quickly a tailgater will find a way to pass if you're doing 45 in a 65 zone, or 15 in a 35. And you won't get a ticket for it, either.

Most of the tailgaters I see nowadays, though, are the cellphone talkers/texters. They're oblivious to what's going on and are only keeping the car ahead of them in their peripheral attention: sort of a guide to keep them on the road and not speeding. *They* won't notice you're slowing down for miles.

[Willis]

It's not only SUV owners who drive like that. I've had plenty of idiots, in various vehicles, ride my bumper over the years.

I posted a story in here probably over a year ago. I had some luxury vehicle tailgaiting me on Mulholland Dr. on the way from work one late night. Mulholland Drive is dangerous and even worse at night. It's a death trap up in the Hollywood Hills with stories told, theme park rides named after it (because of the constant dangerous curves) and movies made about it.

This person was utterly ridiculous. First it was raining, second this person was on my bumper so hard I could barely see their headlights if at all. It was almost like I was towing them they were that close. I don't scare that easy but this guy had me extremely worried and for a rare time while driving, I didn't know what to do. They simply would not stop being a jackass no matter what I did. There's nowhere to really pull off on this road except for maybe a few spots here and there but once you hit certain stretches you can forget it. You have to drive behind the other person until the lane splits into two once you reach Sherman Oaks.

Once the lanes split the guy went from like 0-60 in 2 secs. Seriously? He was gone. He looked at me but I couldn't really see them. I was doing probably 10 over the posted limit already and wasn't trying to die. His car probably had great handling but don't try it while behind someone.

[crazylegs]

Heh - oddly enough, no-one ever does that to me when I'm at work; I wonder why...

[ADoyle90815]

That happened to me yesterday, but I was getting ready to turn right into a major shopping center. I was in the far right lane, and it was a while before you could turn into the center, and someone decided to get right on my bumper and stayed there until I could turn right. I even had my signal on to show that I was going to turn right, but the person was too close to really see it. I easily could have been rear-ended by that tailgater because they were that close. I didn't see if that person was tailgating someone else, as I got to indulge in retail therapy to get over how annoying that is.