Pwned by the Kinkoid

[RecoveringKinkoid]

So this redneck broad is riding my ass today. I think we have a thread around here somewhere where we are talking about how tailgaters love to fly around you and slam on brakes.

Well, that is what redneck broad thought was going to happen. What actually happened was this:

Since we were going pretty slowly (since there was, you know a little traffic in front of me) and the road was two lanes in either direction (meaning she could and should pass if she's unhappy with the speed in her lane) I have her a mild brake check. I don't usually do that, but her behavior excessivly obnoxious and there was nobody behind her. I just flashed the lights, I didn't slam on the brakes. I don't do that.

Of course, since she was about half an inch from my bumper, she about threw her car out of alignment trying to stop.

So she did the obligatory tear around me with the intent to cut me off and slam on brakes. But I hadn't sped up at all when she changed lanes, and by the time she realized I was not where she thought I was, she was a safe distance to get in front of me. And it was hilarious to watch her awkwardly brake trying to get less distance between me and her.

I predicted that as well, and there was distance, so I was able to simply put even more distance by not accelerating. So now she's well in front of me, and she finally does her lane change and brake.

Yawn. I didn't even have to brake at all. That's a luxury you have when you don't tailgate. I could, however, see her pissed off and probably swearing face in her side mirror as she watched me. I don't know if she could see my face, but I hope so. I was laughing.

The kicker? A couple hundred yards down the road, she had to fight to switch lanes because all that foolishness she was trying to play put her in the wrong lane for her turn. Bottom line? She needed to be in the other lane. All she had to do from the get go was get in the other lane, but her little game of fail was way more important to her than just fucking driving her car to her destination.

Wow.

[roothorick]

I regularly "brake check" tailgaters. I never slam; I just put enough pressure on to decelerate by 1-2mph in a second or so. It's the highlight of my driving experience to watch their reaction in my rearview. With any luck, they'll learn something from the experience. I'm not afraid of them hitting me; even in the absolute worst case scenario, I won't be hurt, and they'll be paying for my new car between their medical bills. I'm not big on big cars, but they do have their advantages.

[LillFilly]

Hee! That was great fail; go you!

[Amina516]

Thats great!

I really think that hood cams should be mandatory for awesome people. Lol.

[unperson]

even in the absolute worst case scenario, I won't be hurt, and they'll be paying for my new car between their medical bills. I'm not big on big cars, but they do have their advantages.

You are painfully, completely wrong about that - being rearended can cause significant damage, even in a big vehicle - I have a friend who's facing a spinal disc replacement and two fusions in his neck because someone slammed into him on the road.

Don't underestimate the impact of several tons of metal, moving at speed, on your spinal column as your head whips back and forth.

Be safe out there.

[roothorick]

You are painfully, completely wrong about that - being rearended can cause significant damage, even in a big vehicle - I have a friend who's facing a spinal disc replacement and two fusions in his neck because someone slammed into him on the road.

Don't underestimate the impact of several tons of metal, moving at speed, on your spinal column as your head whips back and forth.

Be safe out there.

Rear-ending a stopped car at 30MPH is one thing. (I've been in a car where that happened. Not pretty.) Bumper-kissing because of a sudden slowdown and tailgating is another. If one car is going 69MPH and the one in front of it 64MPH, and they collide, that's an effective collision speed of 5MPH. The rear vehicle will have extensive frontend damage (probably will need a new bumper cover, headlight assemblies, probably corner panel and hood damage too) and the vehicle in front will get off light (Bumper cover, sometimes a taillight or two if it's a small or low-sitting car. Btw, taillights are consistently cheaper than headlights.) I really doubt anyone would be hurt -- 5MPH is below human run speed, and you have a seatbelt protecting you from faceplanting on the dashboard. I was just being dramatic.

[Mytical]

Unless said collision causes the person going 69 miles per hour to go out of control which is very possible and highly likely. Then the damage can be great. Don't forget the momentum is for 69 mph and not 5mph. A sudden jar (even the equivalent of a 5mph one) can be a lot especially if not expecting it.

[ravevolution]

I don't acknowledge tailgaters, I let them drive like the idiots they are. They can drive around, when they do I just give them a cold hard stare, they never look lol

[Krivak]

i typically go about 10 miles under the speed limit, depending on the limit. Dont hit my breaks, i just "lose" speed

*edit* just noticed 4 days past. im tired :P

[wolfie]

Rear-ending a stopped car at 30MPH is one thing. (I've been in a car where that happened. Not pretty.) Bumper-kissing because of a sudden slowdown and tailgating is another. If one car is going 69MPH and the one in front of it 64MPH, and they collide, that's an effective collision speed of 5MPH. The rear vehicle will have extensive frontend damage (probably will need a new bumper cover, headlight assemblies, probably corner panel and hood damage too) and the vehicle in front will get off light (Bumper cover, sometimes a taillight or two if it's a small or low-sitting car. Btw, taillights are consistently cheaper than headlights.) I really doubt anyone would be hurt -- 5MPH is below human run speed, and you have a seatbelt protecting you from faceplanting on the dashboard. I was just being dramatic.

You might want to consider what happened to one of my co-workers. A car (driver must have been dozing, and on cruise control set slightly higher than CW's) hit his rear guard with a speed differential of under 5 MPH, and he felt the impact. Why "rear guard" instead of "rear bumper"? My CW was driving an 18 wheeler at the time, with about 20,000 pounds of cargo. Front end of the car was munched, but it was still driveable (drove off while CW was getting info from his permits book to exchange insurance info - safety director "round-filed" the accident report). Rear guard had a bit of scratched paint.

If you can feel the impact when there's that much of a weight differential, then it's definitely not safe to take that kind of hit when you're in a similar class of vehicle to the one doing the rear-ending.

[Magpie]

It's an energy problem, not just a speed one. You need to dump enough energy to get your speed down to the slower speed. Energy is related to speed squared. So it might only be a 5 MPH speed differential, but 69^2 - 64^2 is more than 5^2 - 0^2.

[Andara Bledin]

Just a note to all you brake-checkers: If the dipshit behind you hits you and you were braking at the time without sufficient cause (your lights on = braking in this case), you can be found at fault.

Also, something else to be aware of: You may not see much damage in a low-speed collision, but your bumper has shock absorbers that need to be replaced once they get used. As with bike helmets, once they've done their job, you need to replace them. They may look fine, but they're no longer going to be able to protect you the same.

^-.-^