Reason #1000 not to tailgate...

[rivan]

'car length' has absolutely no meaning in tailgating because vehicles speed vary.

three seconds is the least acceptable safe distance in any given speed. this guy was following at one second or less (look at the road marker).

Actually, I was taught the 'car length' method, rather than the time method, but I expect they equate out to the same thing.

A minimum of 1 carlength for every 10 miles an hour you're traveling, if I recall.

 

[destrekor]

We do

As to all of you saying this is not tailgating...you have not been in an accident than where the car you are traveling in rear-ended someone. I personally have not been the driver, but I was the passenger when my sister hit someone going MUCH slower than this guy with similar distance. You put WAY too much trust in your breaks and ability to react to road obstacles if you think driving at highway speeds that close to someone is safe. I'm not saying that I haven't done it before...I certainly have/do, but I'm aware that I'm taking a chance when I'm doing it.

Exactly.
And it is incredibly good to know you are doing something wrong when you are doing it, because you consciously put a little extra effort in making sure to correct yourself in the event the other drivers do anything.

Sometimes it's hard to keep yourself at an appropriate distant behind other drivers every single moment you are on the road. So it's quite helpful to always be cognizant whenever you are technically too close.

 

[skyking]

We were heading down the freeway out by Bremerton. This pickup truck passes us with a load of furniture like that, not tied down. A state patrolman is out of his car at a closed scale station and flags that truck in. I was wondering how that transpired (no radar gun, just a patrolman waiting) and then it hit me: somebody called 911 on that asshole!
YEAH!

caps

 

[Cogman]

Try watching this again while counting "one one thousand two one thousand". Use the white lane stripes in the middle of the two lanes as a visual marker while you count. He was tailgating closer than the video makes it look I think. Probably the "vehicles are closer than they appear" effect.

Yep, definitely tailgating. There is less than a seconds distance between him. (there should always be 2.)

This is why I hate driving in Utah, btw. If you leave a safe distance in front of you, people will swerve right in front of you. They follow the "If my car can fit there, I should go there." rule.

 

[cronos]

Actually, I was taught the 'car length' method, rather than the time method, but I expect they equate out to the same thing.

A minimum of 1 carlength for every 10 miles an hour you're traveling, if I recall.

Now if you say it like that it makes much more sense

The reason I commented like that was because the post I replied seemed to imply that one car length is a safe distance to follow on any given speed.

 

[Cogman]

'car length' has absolutely no meaning in tailgating because vehicles speed vary.

three seconds is the least acceptable safe distance in any given speed. this guy was following at one second or less (look at the road marker).

I've always been taught 2 seconds.. YMMV Either way, less than a seconds distance is way too short.

 

[Krazy4Real]

fuuuuuuuuuuu.........

 

[airdata]

oh my god....

That was bad... could have easily killed passenger in the car.

 

[cerebusPu]

although i agree two seconds is a good distance, its not practical most of the time. i get passed and cut off if i leave a legal distance in front of my car.

 

[cronos]

I've always been taught 2 seconds.. YMMV Either way, less than a seconds distance is way too short.

I saw that everywhere too, but it's always been 3 seconds for me and I learned to drive in the mid 80s.

Now that I think about it, it's quite possible that my dad intentionally taught me 3 seconds (and he, like, burned the number into my head) as a safety factor because he knew back then that I'd just be following with less than whatever he told me anyway

 

[Avalon]

I read the title of the thread and thought tailgating like at a football game.

Still, intense video. The guy probably didn't say anything because he shit himself.

 

[Vette73]

although i agree two seconds is a good distance, its not practical most of the time. i get passed and cut off if i leave a legal distance in front of my car.

Live/Drive in DC/N.Va and even 1 second is enough for people just to pop in front of you.
Yea buddy I am sure you will get there a lot faster by cutting me off and riding the person in front of you azz.

 

[PricklyPete]

Yep, definitely tailgating. There is less than a seconds distance between him. (there should always be 2.)

This is why I hate driving in Utah, btw. If you leave a safe distance in front of you, people will swerve right in front of you. They follow the "If my car can fit there, I should go there." rule.

Believe me, in South Florida even if I don't leave a safe distance between me and the person in front of me, I get cut off...people drive like crazy people down here.

 

[Beev]

Believe me, in South Florida even if I don't leave a safe distance between me and the person in front of me, I get cut off...people drive like crazy people down here.

Good god THIS. I went to Boca for vacation in February and the drivers were horrible. No one used a signal when changing lanes either, and that is one of my biggest road peeves.

 

[oogabooga]

I read the title of the thread and thought tailgating like at a football game.

Still, intense video. The guy probably didn't say anything because he shit himself.

I thought this was football game type tailgating too and was confused that there were 1000 reasons not to. That video was intense.

 

[davmat787]

Holy crap, did anyone else see this other vid? It was on the recommended list to the right of the OP's vid. Quick, call an ambulance!!

Ambulance driver takes out a bunch of people on way to hospital.

EDIT: almost looks like he swerved into the crowd if you watch the tires for the first few seconds.

 

[Cogman]

Believe me, in South Florida even if I don't leave a safe distance between me and the person in front of me, I get cut off...people drive like crazy people down here.

Oh, utah is much the same way. Like I said, if they fit they'll swerve in. More than once I've seen people cross through 3 or 4 lanes relatively quickly or swerving in and out of traffic.

 

[davmat787]

Good god THIS. I went to Boca for vacation in February and the drivers were horrible. No one used a signal when changing lanes either, and that is one of my biggest road peeves.

The stretch of I95 between Ft. Lauderdale and Miami had the worst driving I have ever seen over a two week span. Ended up paying for the pike and time it is so bad. Talk about tunnelvision with your ass on fire type of drivers. Why is FL so bad? Rarely was it your stereotypical 80 year old in a Caddy. When I was getting ready to go there, people mentioned this but I did not buy in so much, thinking this is overblown. NOT OVERBLOWN.

 

[thescreensavers]

^ put some space infront of you and people cut in sucks w/e


What is with the stupid camera resolution, also why the fuck was he filming nothing.

omg look the truck is passing omg lol

 

[PricklyPete]

The stretch of I95 between Ft. Lauderdale and Miami had the worst driving I have ever seen over a two week span. Ended up paying for the pike and time it is so bad. Talk about tunnelvision with your ass on fire type of drivers. Why is FL so bad? Rarely was it your stereotypical 80 year old in a Caddy. When I was getting ready to go there, people mentioned this but I did not buy in so much, thinking this is overblown. NOT OVERBLOWN.

Agreed. While the traffic here does not compare with Washington DC, New York, LA, etc...I think we have some of the worst drivers who take the most chances. Everyone thinks they are an F1 driver with their BMW 328i. Hell Honda Fit drivers think their car ranks up there witha Lotus Elise the way they drive them around here.

I think it is a mix of things. You do have a lot of blue-hairs driving under the speed limit and taking forever to do things like take turns and start up from lights...this causes anxiety and impatience from the people behind them. Then you have a lot of northerners who think they are always in a rush. Then you have a lot of immigrants from all over the world where you only have a 50% chance of living everytime you get in a motor vehicle. Finally you have a lot of trophy wives driving enormous luxury barges and SUV's who are spending more time applying make up, adjusting their silicon, or looking at their newly applied nail polish on their toes to bother looking out side the vehicle. You blend all that together in an area where there is only 20 to 30 good miles between the beach and the swamp and you have a disaster.

 

[NoCreativity]

I remember a lawyer friend telling me about one of these cases they worked on about a ladder that was not properly secured to a truck and it managed to shoot into the windshield of the car behind them. The ladder managed to decapitate the person driving behind the truck. That's why I'm always wary drying behind trucks with ladders on them.

Had a ladder fly off the truck in front of me couple years ago. I noticed it wasn't tied down very well so I kept my distance and was planning on getting out from behind him (he of course cut me off being in a big hurry and all). Before I could move over the ladder went flying. Had I been as close as this guy who knows what would have happened.

Glad I pay attention, unlike most other drivers.

 

[Aikouka]

I have no qualms how much space people leave between them while driving, but what does bother me is when you leave 1+ car length between you and the next car at a stop light. God, that is annoying!

Actually, I was taught the 'car length' method, rather than the time method, but I expect they equate out to the same thing.

A minimum of 1 carlength for every 10 miles an hour you're traveling, if I recall.

That's actually a pretty small distance compared to what others in this thread are saying (~2s):

1 mile = 5280 feet
60 mph = 60 * 5280 = 316800 ft/h
316800 ft/h * 1/60 h/min * 1/60 min/sec = 88 ft/sec

My Altima is ~15.81 ft long. For 60 mph, you would want me to keep a distance of 94.9 feet. This is only 1.08 seconds.

Hopefully my math is right .

EDIT:

Then you have a lot of northerners who think they are always in a rush.

Hey, no hating because I like to get where I'm going and not spend forever doing it .

 

[AstroManLuca]

I have no qualms how much space people leave between them while driving, but what does bother me is when you leave 1+ car length between you and the next car at a stop light. God, that is annoying!

I don't see the problem with that unless it's really busy and there's some gridlock. Then you want to move forward as far as possible so you allow more cars to get through the intersection(s) behind you. It's definitely annoying when the traffic is so heavy that my car's ass is hanging out in an intersection and I see a bunch of people in front of me leaving lots of space.

Other than that it's not a bad idea. Makes you less likely to hit the car in front of you if someone rear ends you.

 

[BW86]

holy shit!

 

[busydude]

My Altima is ~15.81 ft long. For 60 mph, you would want me to keep a distance of 94.9 feet. This is only 1.08 seconds.

Add in the time taken for you to react and apply the brakes, if the vehicle in front of you suddenly starts slowing down.. the average reaction time is 1.5s IIRC.