and... this is why you don't tailgate

[PepperElf]

A few days ago I was just minding my own business, driving home from the dog park when I made a turn and noticed... huh? metal square plates all over the road. I don't remember ever seeing those there before so I tapped the brakes to avoid hitting them. not sure if they were fallen trash or things actually embedded in the road.

then i happened to look up in the rear view mirror and saw someone was *directly* behind me, tailgating.


um yeah. that's why you don't tailgate. you never know when the person you're crowding will have a legitimate reason to hit the brakes. like if there's weird junk in the road.

[RecoveringKinkoid]

I had a big styrefoam crate blow out from under my van once and explode all over a tailgater's hood. He damn near drove off the road and probably pissed himself.

Same sort of thing, only the obstacle in my path was light enough to get caught up in the wind draft under my van. Fortunately, I had slowed down from about 35 or 40 so we weren't go that fast.

I almost drove off the road and pissed myself, too, but while he was doing it out of startled terror, I was doing it out of gut splitting laughter.

[Jay 2K Winger]

Yes, always pay attention to the car in front of you, at the very least. (Ideally, look at the car in front of them, if you can.) For these very reasons.

Once, on one of my car-trips up to Philly to see Ring of Honor with my friend Sean, we were following behind this car towing a little wooden trailer with a lid. Sean (who at the time was aspiring to become a pro wrestler) was talking about this heel (bad guy) gimmick he'd come up with-- "Tragedies Over Time"-- involving dressing up as various "evil" figures throughout history. He specifically mentioned Nazis and the Columbine killers, even while I'm pointedly telling him what a horrible idea this was.

But while Sean is talking, I'm paying attention to that trailer. Because I can see the lid on it is unfortunately hinged at the rear, and the draft is catching underneath it and threatening to rip it off. Which is exactly what happened.

Fortunately, I had been paying attention and backed off, swerved to avoid the flying lid, and then got out from behind the trailer.

Sean went quiet after this, then looked towards heaven and said, "Okay, God, I get it. It's a horrible idea, I'll drop it now."

[XCashier]

Sean went quiet after this, then looked towards heaven and said, "Okay, God, I get it. It's a horrible idea, I'll drop it now."

Funny quote, but I'm very glad you guys weren't hurt. It could've been so much worse.

I wasn't tailgating, but I had a very close call back in 1997. We were going south on I-10 (75 MPH speed limit) from Phoenix to Tucson, I was driving with hubby in the passenger seat. We had just passed Casa Grande when the truck in front of us kicked up a three-foot-long steel bar (a mud flap bracket from a big rig) and sent it through our windshield. It happened far faster than I can tell it, no warning at all, literally one second nothing, next second SMASH!!! Tore up the hood and bonnet, destroyed the left windshield wiper, smashed the windshield, went through the steering wheel (tearing up the dash as well) and stopped about five inches from impaling me.

Yep, we both spent a lot of time talking to God after that.

[bhskittykatt]

Yes, always pay attention to the car in front of you, at the very least. (Ideally, look at the car in front of them, if you can.) For these very reasons.

This.

I was driving down the highway once, and saw waaaay down the line, cars were moving out of the middle lane for some reason. So I prepared to move out of the lane as well. Turns out, there was a couch in the middle of the interstate.

I just drove around it, since I saw it ahead of time but...I know way too many people that don't see beyond a few feet past their hood. I don't know what happens when you slam into a big ol' couch at 70mph, but I'm sure it's not good.

[Irving Patrick Freleigh]

This.

I was driving down the highway once, and saw waaaay down the line, cars were moving out of the middle lane for some reason. So I prepared to move out of the lane as well. Turns out, there was a couch in the middle of the interstate.

I just drove around it, since I saw it ahead of time but...I know way too many people that don't see beyond a few feet past their hood. I don't know what happens when you slam into a big ol' couch at 70mph, but I'm sure it's not good.

If you were in West Virginia, the couch would've been on fire.

[Jay 2K Winger]

If you were in West Virginia, the couch would've been on fire.

And there STILL would have been a few rednecks sitting on it, drinking beer.

[dalesys]

And there STILL would have been a few rednecks sitting on it, drinking shine.

WV friend of my folks told of layin' under his pappy's still, catchin' drips 'n' stumblin' throught the woods. Aged five.

[PepperElf]

Yes, always pay attention to the car in front of you, at the very least. (Ideally, look at the car in front of them, if you can.) For these very reasons.

This. Every day I drive to work because I take the highway to get there.

there's a lot of good sections where you can peer down the road ahead and around a turn to see how the traffic is. and yet there are people who still think the car ahead of them is the only thing that's in their way. and there can't possibly be any cars further up ahead

[Crossbow]

Yes, always pay attention to the car in front of you, at the very least. (Ideally, look at the car in front of them, if you can.) For these very reasons.

Agreed. I had some idiot tailgating me a week or so ago on my way home from work. Traffic was slower than usual on one of the overpasses, and I gave the guy in front of me some extra room.

Good thing I did. He pulls to the left to go around the recent deer strike. I had plenty of room to do the same thing. Idiot behind me? Not so much. He did manage to "mostly" dodge, but still ended up with two wheels on the grass because he overcompensated. He's lucky he didn't go into the ditch.

[mikoyan29]

If you were in West Virginia, the couch would've been on fire.

Or Columbus or East Lansing...

[Gaki]

It was a dark night and I was coming home from work when I ran over a plastic bag which got whipped up into the air from my Blazer and it plastered itself right over the driver's side of the windshield of the tailgater behind me. It had gotten caught on his wiper. Unfortunately for him there was almost nothing he could do because it happened on the bridge over the river so he slammed on the brakes and was stopped there probably pissing himself because if he had decided to swerve the wrong way his ass could have ended up 30 feet down in 4 feet of water.

FORTUNATELY there was nobody behind him and as they came up they were able to move into the other lane.

Bet he never tailgates on a bridge again.

[ArcticChicken]

This reminded me of a story I heard from a dude who was an EMT.

He got called to the scene of a one car accident, and there's a card embedded in a fence or something. A pole has gone through the windshield, stopping less than an inch from impaling the driver. He figured the driver had to be drunk out of his mind, 'cause he was no where to be found, and if he'd been sober he'd've still been sitting there sobbing in terror.

[PepperElf]

which reminds me. yes i saw a box in the middle of the road, actually the same day (or the day before) my original story.

i saw it, turned on my directional lights, tapped the brakes twice to warn the guy behind me (not really tailgating me tho) and made my move.

i think he was a bit surprised ...