Rant: I hate shitty cars tailgating in heavy rain

[KDKPSJ]

No, I am not against driving a crappy car as daily driver. But what the heck is wrong with those people with shitty car tailgating in heavy rain?

I mean.. even in very dry and nice shiny weather, their cars will take forever to stop. For instance, two of early 2000's Altima that tailgated me this morning in heavy rain needs 130+ feet to stop from 60-0 in dry weather.. My 4000+ lbs EX35 AWD can do the same job far less than that, and yet, I always keep an extra safe distance when it rains.

Of course, there are idiots with great brake system tailgating in heavy rain as well. But at least, I know that they can stop as good as or better than mine, so I really don't care much about them.

If I didn't realize there was an idiot with crappy brakes behind me and didn't slow down less aggresively than I used to with emergency blinkers on, I should have been rear ended several times today. lol

I mean, does 2 extra minutes from reaching your destination early worth the risk of few thousand $ increase in premium from accident, medical bill, or even death? Or are they really that confident about their driving skill, so they can avoid any accident even with their crappy cars? Jeez..

 

[LTC8K6]

2010 EX35 stopped from 60 in 123 feet for Edmunds.

I wouldn't expect an early 2000's Altima to be much different.

 

[KDKPSJ]

2010 EX35 stopped from 60 in 123 feet for Edmunds.

I wouldn't expect an early 2000's Altima to be much different.

Actually, Altima's are 130+ feet, more close to 140 feet according to various reviews. Not much difference, but in rain, the difference might be bigger.

And you know that's not my point, right?

 

[pauldun170]

I hate it when anybody tailgates.
Usually its some asshole in a late model SUV.

 

[SpatiallyAware]

In my experience, if you're getting tailgated then you are *probably* doing something wrong... In the left lane, or going WAY too slow for conditions..

Yeah it happens here and there by the random idiot, but I have to wonder if there's more to this.

 

[Ferzerp]

I tend to agree with Spatially. If someone is that close to you, it's because they want to be past you for whatever reason. Just let them by and don't stress about it.

 

[KDKPSJ]

In my experience, if you're getting tailgated then you are *probably* doing something wrong... In the left lane, or going WAY too slow for conditions..

Yeah it happens here and there by the random idiot, but I have to wonder if there's more to this.

I thought I was, so I changed lane as soon as I realized these idiots since I always, always change lane asap when some is tailgating me. And bam, they do the same to the car that was in front of me. lol. It's just their overconfident driving habit, I guess.

Also, again, it rained fairly heavy. You can't really see more than two-three cars in front of you. Would you tailgate the car in front of you even though you can't see what's going on in front of that car? I wouldn't.

 

[mvbighead]

In my experience, if you're getting tailgated then you are *probably* doing something wrong... In the left lane, or going WAY too slow for conditions..

Yeah it happens here and there by the random idiot, but I have to wonder if there's more to this.

In my experience, it's the driver tailgating. Seriously.

On a highway, with one lane going in each direction, I have been tailgated numerous times while going 5 over the posted speed limit. I've also been tailgated when behind a group of 5-10 cars, with no opportunity to pass.

People get this idea that if they tailgate, they're sending a message to the driver ahead of them to speed up. But when the driver ahead of them is impeded by other drivers, there is no message to be sent.

Further, the people that tailgate in multi-lane interstates and freeways tend to drive well above the posted speed limit, and try to zip around at any opening.

To me, if someone tailgates, they're likely an aggressive driver. And if they tailgate in the rain, in any car, they're an aggressive idiot.

 

[Ferzerp]

Visibility is highly dependent on many factors and you can't assume that just because you can only see 2 car lengths that they can't. There is a lot that goes in to it (wiper quality/speed, windshield coating, etc).

I always get a little bit of a laugh when you see someone hanging out in the spray from a tractor trailer where they can't see anything, and if they would just speed up past it, they would have great visibility.

 

[SpatiallyAware]

I thought I was, so I changed lane as soon as I realized these idiots. And bam, they do the same to the car that was in front of me. lol. It's just their overconfident driving habit, I guess.

Also, again, it rained fairly heavy. You can't really see more than two-three cars in front of you. Would you tailgate the car in front of you even though you can't see what's going on in front of that car? I wouldn't.

It's just frustration. I don't tailgate, but I definitely understand being annoyed at people who have a different definition of 'heavy rain' and safe driving speeds compared to the rest of the public. If you are uncomfortable with conditions then stay in the right lane - period, no excuses.

Hell, we had it this morning.. A decent downpour, on a very well drained and maintained highway... and a gentleman in a new lexus is in the passing lane with hazards blinking going ~40mph in a 55mph zone holding up 15-20 cars that are all crammed in trying to get to work. Him doing that is actually endangering traffic, I wish there was a way for LEOs to ticket people with that type of behaviour.

 

[Ferzerp]

In my experience, it's the driver tailgating. Seriously.

On a highway, with one lane going in each direction, I have been tailgated numerous times while going 5 over the posted speed limit. I've also been tailgated when behind a group of 5-10 cars, with no opportunity to pass.

People get this idea that if they tailgate, they're sending a message to the driver ahead of them to speed up. But when the driver ahead of them is impeded by other drivers, there is no message to be sent.

Further, the people that tailgate in multi-lane interstates and freeways tend to drive well above the posted speed limit, and try to zip around at any opening.

To me, if someone tailgates, they're likely an aggressive driver. And if they tailgate in the rain, in any car, they're an aggressive idiot.

And the answer in all cases is just to let them by you if you can. It doesn't matter the cause, the solution is the same.

Either you're going too slow, and you should let them by, or they are being dangerous, and you are risking yourself by being in their way.

 

[SpatiallyAware]

In my experience, it's the driver tailgating. Seriously.

On a highway, with one lane going in each direction, I have been tailgated numerous times while going 5 over the posted speed limit. I've also been tailgated when behind a group of 5-10 cars, with no opportunity to pass.

People get this idea that if they tailgate, they're sending a message to the driver ahead of them to speed up. But when the driver ahead of them is impeded by other drivers, there is no message to be sent.

Further, the people that tailgate in multi-lane interstates and freeways tend to drive well above the posted speed limit, and try to zip around at any opening.

To me, if someone tailgates, they're likely an aggressive driver. And if they tailgate in the rain, in any car, they're an aggressive idiot.

They don't want you to speed up, they want you to move over. Just because you have someone 10 cars in front of you doesn't automatically mean you can just sit there and impede traffic.

Tailgating is dangerous and not an appropriate thing to do. A quick headlight flash works well for me. All I'm saying is that if you have a reoccurring issue with tailgating then you are doing something wrong.

 

[KDKPSJ]

Visibility is highly dependent on many factors and you can't assume that just because you can only see 2 car lengths that they can't. There is a lot that goes in to it (wiper quality/speed, windshield coating, etc).

I always get a little bit of a laugh when you see someone hanging out in the spray from a tractor trailer where they can't see anything, and if they would just speed up past it, they would have great visibility.

Actually, my car being SUV and Altima being sedan, I am sure I could see further than the other driver. Anyway, again, I always let them go, and they do the same to the other car over and over, almost 100% times.

I also agree with mvbighead. As a part of solution to the driver behind me tailgating, I pull my car to little right, so the driver behind me can see what's going on in front of me. I consider myself as fairly aggressive driver, so if I drive slow, there is always a reason to drive slow, and therefore, that I-will-pull-to-right-You-see-it-by-yourself-Idiot trick has been always worked very well.

 

[Ferzerp]

No, being an SUV doesn't give you magical visibility.... In fact it has almost nothing to do with rain visibility.

Actually, the best car for rain visibility that I ever had was a 93 taurus. I don't know what the windshield was coated in, but even 9 years old, other cars would have their wipers on high, and you could see out of it perfectly fine using no wipers or intermittent wipers.

 

[LTC8K6]

For all we know, the Altima had good rain tires, and you had dry weather tires, and the Altima could outbrake you easily in the rain. Heavier vehicles have a big disadvantage.

If your comment were confined to tailgating, I would agree. I hate tailgaters.

I don't let them upset me, though. I try to let them go. They are ignorant, so forget trying to teach them anything.

If they are really bad, and conditions permit, I will pull over. I will even come to a gradual stop and force them to go around me if the situation allows it.

 

[Ferzerp]

For all we know, the Altima had good rain tires, and you had dry weather tires, and the Altima could outbrake you easily in the rain. Heavier vehicles have a big disadvantage.

If your comment were confined to tailgating, I would agree. I hate tailgaters.

I don't let them upset me, though. I try to let them go. They are ignorant, so forget trying to teach them anything.

If they are really bad, and conditions permit, I will pull over. I will even come to a gradual stop and force them to go around me if the situation allows it.

But his is AWD, that makes it stop faster! :whiste:

 

[KDKPSJ]

Don't worry, again, it's just my rant. I couldn't even see the driver's face because of rain. lol. I always let the idiots go anyway. I just don't want them to be around me.

But his is AWD, that makes it stop faster! :whiste:

Thanks for the sarcasm, lol. Guess you totally missed the part that he/she was almost rear ended if I didn't take care of the other driver. I slowed down more gradually than usual, but the other driver had to smash his brake (the car shaked left and right a bit, so I assume ABS kicked in, yo!) to avoid crash. That's why I am 100% sure that the other driver could see far less than what I could see. If the other driver knew the traffic in front of me slowing down, he/she should not have slowed down that aggresively.

Anyway, thanks again for sarcasm.

 

[LTC8K6]

Don't worry, again, it's just my rant. I couldn't even see the driver's face because of rain. lol. I always let the idiots go anyway. I just don't want them to be around me.



Thanks for the sarcasm, lol. Guess you totally missed the part that he/she was almost rear ended if I didn't take care of the other driver. I slowed down more gradually than usual, but the other driver had to smash his brake (the car shaked left and right a bit, so I assume ABS kicked in, yo!) to avoid crash.

Anyway, thanks again for sarcasm.

If you don't want to drive with idiots around you, you'll have to stay in your parking spot.

And even then...

 

[halik]

I reaaally hate idiot in piece of shit cars tailgating me in any situation. Here's a rule of thumb: if my rotors are bigger than your wheels or a single tire is wider than two of yours combined, stay the hell away from rear end. Around here cab drivers are the worst offenders; your piece of shit xB will end up in my bumper even with zero reaction time.

 

[Ferzerp]

I reaaally hate idiot in piece of shit cars tailgating me in any situation. Here's a rule of thumb: if my rotors are bigger than your wheels or a single tire is wider than two of yours combined, stay the hell away from rear end. Around here cab drivers are the worst offenders; your piece of shit xB will end up in my bumper even with zero reaction time.

May I?

 

[DominionSeraph]

Here's a rule of thumb: if my rotors are bigger than your wheels or a single tire is wider than two of yours combined, stay the hell away from rear end.

Size of rotor? Meaningless. And your wider tire is at a disadvantage in the wet.

 

[mvbighead]

And the answer in all cases is just to let them by you if you can. It doesn't matter the cause, the solution is the same.

Either you're going too slow, and you should let them by, or they are being dangerous, and you are risking yourself by being in their way.

It is impossible, in some situations, to let the idiot past you. I drive a stretch of heavily commuted highway. One lane going each direction, hills, turns, etc. The opportunities to pass are few and far between, and the highway is generally heavily patrolled. When I have 10 cars in front of me, all piled up behind one car, some ass hat is riding my ass is giving me the indication that he is in a hurry.

Problem is, there is absolutely no opportunity on that stretch for ANYONE to pass TEN cars safely. I have done two or three when they are traveling 10 under the speed limit, but I never once felt like that was a good move. It was simply necessary to pass all of them. And in the process, I didn't ride the ass of the guy in front of me, as he wasn't to blame for the speed problem.

And, to me, the comment of me risking myself by being in their way... I don't buy that. They, ultimately, are risking everyone else's safety because they want to go faster. We all want to go faster (with exception to the person holding everyone up), but we simply can't because the road won't allow for it. Riding someone close in any condition is uncalled for, especially when they cannot control the speed of the drivers in front of them. If the lead driver suddenly brakes hard, there is potential for a multitude of rear endings.

And while I am not siding with those driving slower than the conditions allow, I also will not side with an asshat who feels the need to force his way upon others when they have no control over the situation. Ultimately, in those situations where someone is riding my ass when there are 5-10 cars ahead of me, I let off the gas and coast. This does two things:
1) opens a space ahead of me to allow that asshat to pass if he/she so chooses.
2) forces the driver behind me to let off his gas, and possibly use his/her brake to slow down
2a) And it also sends a clear message that they need to slow down/back off.

 

[mvbighead]

They don't want you to speed up, they want you to move over. Just because you have someone 10 cars in front of you doesn't automatically mean you can just sit there and impede traffic.

Tailgating is dangerous and not an appropriate thing to do. A quick headlight flash works well for me. All I'm saying is that if you have a reoccurring issue with tailgating then you are doing something wrong.

How am I impeding traffic? With 10 cars ahead of me traveling 55mph in a 60mph zone, I am going with the flow of traffic. That is not impeding. The person in the lead is technically impeding the flow, but not below the minimum that is legally allowed (generally 15mph under the speed limit seems to be the posted minimum).

My recurrences with being tailgated stem from the fact that there is one lane traveling in each direction, and there is generally always someone who wants to drive precisely the speed limit, which means that they brake while going down hill, and then struggle to reach the speed limit traveling up hill. The road is heavily traveled, and passing opportunities are slim. When I am behind 10 cars, there is absolutely no chance that I can pass them all safely due to the hills and curves. So when the 11th guy in the line rides my ass, that's my fault? How does one figure that?

Also, flashing doesn't do anything for the guy behind you. And I am not about to flash the 9th guy, as it is not his/her problem either. The problem lies with the person leading the pack. And if the 2nd person won't pass them, generally no one gets the opportunity, as the passing zones aren't near long enough for passing multiple cars.

 

[halik]

Size of rotor? Meaningless. And your wider tire is at a disadvantage in the wet.

Size of rotor correlated to the piston count and size as well brake pad surface area. Your point about wider tire is true in snow, not wet. Other than standing water (ie hydroplaning where tire width is irrelevant), wider tires will stop faster.

 

[LTC8K6]

In NC, you are supposed to leave enough room so that a vehicle can occupy the space in front of you.

You are also supposed to help a driver make a pass of your vehicle.

So, the one lane situation would not develop in NC if people followed the rules. The tailgater would always have the opportunity to pass the car in front of him.

But...no one follows the rules.