How to deal with tailgaters?

[Deeko]

Uhh, slamming brakes is a bad idea. I don't tailgate, but I am an aggressive driver(I live in the city, you have to be), and I can assure you, you care a lot more about your car than I do about mine. If someone slammed on their brakes in front of me, for the sole purpose of being an asshole, I would have no qualms about plowing into them. I have insurance, and I hate my car.

 

[MustangSVT]

Originally posted by: XZeroII

Originally posted by: edro13
OMG, you go 56 in a 55? You SHOULD be tailgated! Here's an idea... SPEED UP, or move over.

It's a single lane highway, and there are subdivisions that shoot off from it.

and as a side note, the city wants to expand it to 2 lanes (each way), but the locals are dead opposed to it. Then those locals go only 45 down the road. There are no places to pass either.

interesting...

you need some boost mobile in your area so old folk can busta quarta and burn a hole in ppls a$$. 5-0 5-0!!

 

[Ferocious]

Speed limit of 55

Many years ago I once came off an exit leaving Akron and this small pickup truck followed me onto the interstate. He was not tailgating me yet. I stayed on the slow lane doing about 60. The fast lane traffice was doing about 65. He tried getting onto the fast lane several times but couldn't get over.

I decided to speed up to 65 for a bit but then slowed back down to 60 casually after he deciced to TAILGATE me to make me go even faster. A few seconds later I notice him finally move over onto the fast lane.

Unfortunately for him the lane wasn't clear and he drove over or clipped the front corner of a small car he apparantly had not seen. His pick-up truck rolled onto its side and it skidded hundreds of feet down the interstate before finally slamming hard into the concrete barrier.

I'm not sure if he survived or not.

Stupid young punk.

 

[clamum]

Originally posted by: LordJezo
I play a game called "Lets see how slow you will go"

When someone tailgates that close I just let my foot off the gas peddle and see how slow I can get before they decide to pass me.

 

[Cyberian]

Originally posted by: Spencer278
Tailgaters suck. So many times I will be driving in the left lane and some dick comes up with his highbeam on and is about 5 feet off my damn bumper and for some reason he thinks I should get out of his way? Why would I want to your being a dick when I can have some fun by trying to get the guy to pass on the right and then blocking them with another car.

Asshole.

 

i slow down as slow as i can without the guy passing, and then as soon as he gets a chance to pass I downshift and leave his ass behind.

 

[flxnimprtmscl]

Originally posted by: Deeko
Uhh, slamming brakes is a bad idea. I don't tailgate, but I am an aggressive driver(I live in the city, you have to be), and I can assure you, you care a lot more about your car than I do about mine. If someone slammed on their brakes in front of me, for the sole purpose of being an asshole, I would have no qualms about plowing into them. I have insurance, and I hate my car.

For those of us in trucks it's we care a lot less about our rear bumper than we do your car. In the end, we win.

But thanks for being perfectly willing to drive all of our insurance costs up because you hate your car :beer: I'm sure we all appreciate that.

As far as someone doing it "for the sole purpose of being an asshole"... If do that it's because you're riding my ass. Therefore, you were the first to be an asshole and I feel compelled to respond in a like manner.

 

[Grizybaer]

Seriously, why not just let them pass? Stay to your right, open your window and wave them through. Here's the benefits.

1. Everyone wins, you have no more annoyance and he no longer has an obstacle

2. He's out of your way and you'll never have to see him again.

3. BEST REASON. Think of him as bait for the cops. They'll pull him over before they pull you over. Nothing is more satisfying than having some car pass you only to see him pulled over a few miles later.

Seriously, if you were in a rush to get to your daughter's recital or had to go to drive someone to the hospital, you wouldn't want to be stuck behind some @sshole that throws a brick at you, tries to cause an accident by slamming his brakes, or someone that doesn't let you pass.

Personally, a quick flash is usually enough to get ppl in front of me to let me though, I'll move to the side if i'm flashed as well. as for the tail gaters, they do bother me a little but not enough to cause an accident. Let them through and its over, no more drama, no stress.

DON'T HONK FOR MORE THAN A SECOND, ITS DAMM ANNOYING

 

[skyking]

Off topic <if there is one anymore>
Coming home over I-90 Snoqualmie pass I saw two prizewinners of note:
First was a Ford pickup who passed us, moved into the right lane, passed a car in the left lane and promply cut them off, it was very obvious they knew what they were doing. He signalled, then made a move left into their fender, moved back while the left lane guy backed off, then moved on in to the left lane, very deliberate. There was no room for them previously, and the left lane car was driving right along with traffic, not dogging it at all. I called 911 and reported him as an aggressive driver.
The second was wild! My wife is driving in the middle lane of a 3 lane 70 MPH freeway, down the pass. she says "Oh Sh!T, gotta get over!" and she slides to the right after a quick lane check. Here comes this pickup with a 4 or 6 sled snomobile trailer, doing 75+ down the middle lane with the trailer whipping all over. People in both lanes on either side are heading for their respective shoulders, and this guy also wedges in front of a car in the left and hammers it, but the trailer never really settled down as long as I could see him. I could just imagine that trailer rolling down the shoulder, and 500 LB sleds shooting off of it!!!
I figured he had plenty of people calling in about him

 

[SharkyTM]

only way to do it...

btw: im kidding... i have a vw with rear fogs, on a switch, they look like brake lights. Just pull the switch, instant brake lights!
or use the ebrake again... kidding

 

[Deeko]

Originally posted by: flxnimprtmscl

Originally posted by: Deeko
Uhh, slamming brakes is a bad idea. I don't tailgate, but I am an aggressive driver(I live in the city, you have to be), and I can assure you, you care a lot more about your car than I do about mine. If someone slammed on their brakes in front of me, for the sole purpose of being an asshole, I would have no qualms about plowing into them. I have insurance, and I hate my car.

For those of us in trucks it's we care a lot less about our rear bumper than we do your car. In the end, we win.

But thanks for being perfectly willing to drive all of our insurance costs up because you hate your car :beer: I'm sure we all appreciate that.

As far as someone doing it "for the sole purpose of being an asshole"... If do that it's because you're riding my ass. Therefore, you were the first to be an asshole and I feel compelled to respond in a like manner.

*shrug* it would piss you off a whole lot more than me. Slam on your brakes in front of me, pay the consequences. My car isn't exactly a paperweight civic though....early 90's Grand Am's weigh as much if not more than many of today's smaller SUV's. I'm sure if I rammed into you at 60mph you'd feel it more than just a scratch on your bumper.

 

[nyeark]

If it's anything that can seriously hurt me or my car, I speed up or let him pass. I don't fsck with anything bigger than my car. Anything that's the same size or smaller, I'll speed up, tap my brakes, slam the brakes, and weave an inch or two side to side to let them know to back off. If they hit me, that's fine, they can pay for a new car to replace my 11yr old piece of crap. And yeah, maybe that makes me an asshole, but if the dude just learned not to follow 2 feet behind me, this situation wouldn't arise.

 

[thomsbrain]

conditions allowing, i drive fast, and i don't like being stuck behind people, but if someone is doing the limit or a little over, i can't rationally get angry with them. you can't expect people to break the law for your benefit. i usually follow close enough that it's clear that i'm not dropping back or anything, but I always leave 2 or 3 seconds of space, which is plenty at any speed. if they're below the limit, i'll get pissed but it's still pretty pointless to tailgate them. just bide your time until you can pass, them hold the horn down the whole way around them and give them the finger.

edit: i will also flash the hibeams if it is a situation where they could be moving over. also, the brakes are a bad idea. after all, why are you pissed? because he's putting you in danger. so what do you do? ensure that they dangerous thing takes place. that's retarded. but i say this as someone who has done it myself. sometimes when you're that pissed you don't think about it too clearly and just do something stupid. luckily i've never gotten in an accident in those situations.

 

[digitalsm]

Simple ignore them. They cant do anything to you. Just obey the speed limit.

 

[flxnimprtmscl]

Originally posted by: Deeko

Originally posted by: flxnimprtmscl

Originally posted by: Deeko
Uhh, slamming brakes is a bad idea. I don't tailgate, but I am an aggressive driver(I live in the city, you have to be), and I can assure you, you care a lot more about your car than I do about mine. If someone slammed on their brakes in front of me, for the sole purpose of being an asshole, I would have no qualms about plowing into them. I have insurance, and I hate my car.

For those of us in trucks it's we care a lot less about our rear bumper than we do your car. In the end, we win.

But thanks for being perfectly willing to drive all of our insurance costs up because you hate your car :beer: I'm sure we all appreciate that.

As far as someone doing it "for the sole purpose of being an asshole"... If do that it's because you're riding my ass. Therefore, you were the first to be an asshole and I feel compelled to respond in a like manner.

*shrug* it would piss you off a whole lot more than me. Slam on your brakes in front of me, pay the consequences. My car isn't exactly a paperweight civic though....early 90's Grand Am's weigh as much if not more than many of today's smaller SUV's. I'm sure if I rammed into you at 60mph you'd feel it more than just a scratch on your bumper.

Pissed off? Not really. Your insurance company would take care of me so I could live with it.

Besides, if you're tailgating me, and I slam on my brakes how are you going to hit me with a speed differential of 60 mph? Let's try to remember what we're talking about here.

Anyway, I'll make sure to keep out of the way of drivers like you so I don't have to "pay the consequences"

Btw, you may want to reconsider your approach to things. I'm sure there are plenty of drivers out there who lack self control and would be more than happy to make sure you payed the consequences for ramming them on purpose. It's easy to be indifferent to possible repercussions on the internet but you may find it more difficult in real life. Just a tip.

 

[Deeko]

I bet you would be upset if I hit you. But its a moot point, I don't tailgate, if somoene thought I was tailgating and slammed on their brakes, with how far back I drive, if they have good breaks, I would hit them pretty hard. It'd be different with real tailgater, sure, but its still a stupid thing to do.

 

[McCarthy]

if they're below the limit, i'll get pissed but it's still pretty pointless to tailgate them. just bide your time until you can pass, them hold the horn down the whole way around them and give them the finger.

What for? It's the speed upper limit. Someone's driving along, minding their own business, following the law and you're going to blare your horn and flip them off because of it? This will come as a shock to most, but it's not illegal to go under the limit. Unless of course the roadway has a posted minimum. Otherwise it's a case of your opinion about how fast to go vs the other driver's opinion how fast to go - a temporary situation where your opinion is not of higher value simply because your speedometer normally displays a higher number.

Lot of you need to chill out in a big way. Quit picking fights from behind the wheel of a car. You may spend more time driving, but you'll live longer and more than recover that time. If not from avoiding a fatal car accident then from the lowered blood pressure of calming the heck down.

 

[XZeroII]

You see, I never really minded it too much before because I was driving an old beater. Now I have a brand new car and it makes me very nervous. I always leave at least 3-4 seconds between the car in front, so I think others could be nice and leave me room too.

 

[TofBnT]

Biggest problem with all of these scenarios is that there are really stupid people out there who would have no problem getting out of their car after that little crash you just caused and cutting your throat.

 

[MustangSVT]

stop your car.

approach the driver.

politely ask not to tailgate you.

prepare for some can of woop~as$

 

[alkemyst]

Originally posted by: TofBnT
Biggest problem with all of these scenarios is that there are really stupid people out there who would have no problem getting out of their car after that little crash you just caused and cutting your throat.

YEAH! the problem is the damn guys always speed off too fast!

&Aring;

 

[alkemyst]

I remember another story of tailgating solutions which sort of takes two people. I was just a passenger in the back for this.

My friend's older brother (college, we were freshmen in high school) and his friend were driving us somewhere and already ticked off they had to do that. We were on a pitch black road and this old cadillac or some type of huge land yacht comes up on his butt with high beams, it's only a 2 lane road so the driver slows down and flags the guy to pass....no go...now the cadillac is flashing his lights and honking, with no other lights on the road it's blinding.

So they tell us to get the big light from behind the seats and proceed to plug in this QBeam thing into the lighter....his friend opens the sunroof and proceeds to aim the sonofabish at the guy behind us. Now they weren't just letting him go....they would shine him speed up, let him catch up again and shine him again, the guy tried to pass a few times, but as soon as that light came on, man it was bright as hell. Idiot shined us with it and I couldn't see for like 20 mins.

Anyways, I always wanted one of those but I don't know how I could use it solo without taking a risk of blinding myself.

&Aring;

 

[XZeroII]

Originally posted by: alkemyst
I remember another story of tailgating solutions which sort of takes two people. I was just a passenger in the back for this.

My friend's older brother (college, we were freshmen in high school) and his friend were driving us somewhere and already ticked off they had to do that. We were on a pitch black road and this old cadillac or some type of huge land yacht comes up on his butt with high beams, it's only a 2 lane road so the driver slows down and flags the guy to pass....no go...now the cadillac is flashing his lights and honking, with no other lights on the road it's blinding.

So they tell us to get the big light from behind the seats and proceed to plug in this QBeam thing into the lighter....his friend opens the sunroof and proceeds to aim the sonofabish at the guy behind us. Now they weren't just letting him go....they would shine him speed up, let him catch up again and shine him again, the guy tried to pass a few times, but as soon as that light came on, man it was bright as hell. Idiot shined us with it and I couldn't see for like 20 mins.

Anyways, I always wanted one of those but I don't know how I could use it solo without taking a risk of blinding myself.

&Aring;

LOL, now THAT is the best idea yet

 

[EyeMWing]

I wanna know where you people live that you can safely do 55 in a 45 on a single lane road. In this area, more than 5 above the limit is suicide.

I personally suggest a high, chrome bumper and rear mounted full sized spare and a "Police Interceptor" badge. They = teh back offz. Some stupid people don't realize that the badges only appear on Crown Victorias.

 

[HomeBrewerDude]

heh, i thought this would be a thread about drinking beer and eating brats at 8 am.