through research and field testing

[Lurknomore]

The real asshats are the ones here criticizing you for a supposed stunt against losers on the road- tailgaters, drunks and tired mutherfukers, all of whom should get their asses of the road. For god's sake, there are 3 lanes, it's 1 am, and some idiot (hopefully not drunk or dead tired) can't pass him and go in the cruising or left? And those 2 girls who died cause the bitch braked- women suck at driving and deserve whatever fate awaits them.

 

[Canai]

Originally posted by: Lurknomore
The real asshats are the ones here criticizing you for a supposed stunt against losers on the road- tailgaters, drunks and tired mutherfukers, all of whom should get their asses of the road. For god's sake, there are 3 lanes, it's 1 am, and some idiot (hopefully not drunk or dead tired) can't pass him and go in the cruising or left? And those 2 girls who died cause the bitch braked- women suck at driving and deserve whatever fate awaits them.

OP is putting both himself and the person tailgating him at unnecessary risk. He is breaking the law when he slows down. He is being a douchebag when he speeds up next to them. His slowing and speeding up are negating his supposed gas savings from doing 5 under in the first place.

You're right, the tired and drunk people shouldn't be on the road. That's not going to stop them though.

And your last statement... wow.

 

[SludgeFactory]

Originally posted by: Lithium381
I have a long drive home at night(1am) and i take a three lane highway. To conserve gas, i sit in the right hand lane with cruise control at 60mph (which nets me an average mpg of 45 on the tank). For reasons i don't understand, people insist on tailgating me. Using the speed control, i slowly lower my speed; most drivers pass me about when i hit 45mph, i've gotten some people down to 35. When they go to pass me, i accelerate next to them so i can see their faces; they're mostly pissed off....


edit - speed limit is 65 for reference

You do need to be somewhat careful about making wide swings in speed late at night, unless you can verify that it is *not* a cop behind you.

Normally just adjusting the cruise control a bit downward is enough to get rid of these pests. But I do remember once on deserted rural interstate with a 70mph limit at 9PM, I took a tailgating POS asshat from my cruising speed of 75, down to 60, up to 95, and down to 55 for several miles before he finally passed me, and I never touched the brakes.

I think a lot of these people are pathetic lemmings looking for taillights to follow in the dark. Anybody that follows closely at night on empty road and gives you mirrors full of their headlights is a piss poor excuse for a driver.

 

[vshah]

in some countries it is an accepted signal, if you are in the right lane and someone is behind you, to turn on your right turn signal, telling them to go around. people here have no idea what that means though.

 

[Elstupido]

I sometime put on my hazard blinkers

 

[Lithium381]

Originally posted by: Canai

OP is putting both himself and the person tailgating him at unnecessary risk. He is breaking the law when he slows down. He is being a douchebag when he speeds up next to them. His slowing and speeding up are negating his supposed gas savings from doing 5 under in the first place.

Number 1: Slowing down is against the law? Only in extreme cases do i go 30mph under the speed limit; once the asshats tailing me figure it out, they pass quickly. I don't even start to slow down until they've tailed me for at least 1/2 mile.

Number 2: It doesn't negate my gas savings really 'cause i only get the opportunity to pull this stunt maybe once a week, i average roughly 45mpg a tank, so i do get good mileage, thanks though.

It really wouldn't matter to me. I am seldom in the right lane, but if I was trapped there by traffic and had to follow the OP until the traffic cleared only to see the OP speed up once the traffic opened up and I went to pass he would surely remove any doubts I had about his douche-baginess.

refer to my previous post, if there is traffic, i don't play games, that's stupid and dangerous.

 

[rudeguy]

Aren't you wasting gas by speeding up?

I hate tailgaters too. One of the advantages of being a smoker is that I always have a weapon handy. I have perfected the art of flicking my cigarette up at just the right angle so that it lands on a tailgater's windshield. At night the sparks look really pretty.

 

[Canai]

Originally posted by: Lithium381

Originally posted by: Canai

OP is putting both himself and the person tailgating him at unnecessary risk. He is breaking the law when he slows down. He is being a douchebag when he speeds up next to them. His slowing and speeding up are negating his supposed gas savings from doing 5 under in the first place.

Number 1: Slowing down is against the law? Only in extreme cases do i go 30mph under the speed limit; once the asshats tailing me figure it out, they pass quickly. I don't even start to slow down until they've tailed me for at least 1/2 mile.

Number 2: It doesn't negate my gas savings really 'cause i only get the opportunity to pull this stunt maybe once a week, i average roughly 45mpg a tank, so i do get good mileage, thanks though.

It really wouldn't matter to me. I am seldom in the right lane, but if I was trapped there by traffic and had to follow the OP until the traffic cleared only to see the OP speed up once the traffic opened up and I went to pass he would surely remove any doubts I had about his douche-baginess.

refer to my previous post, if there is traffic, i don't play games, that's stupid and dangerous.

Yes, going far under the speed limit (actual number varies by state but is generally 20MPH or less) is illegal.

But really, if the road is deserted and you're getting tailgated, I'd say odds are that whoever is tailgating your is not in a normal state of mind (drunk / tired or whatever). By doing your little slow down / speed up game, you are causing an unnecessary and illegal disturbance on the road.

If you say you wouldn't do something stupid and dangerous when there was traffic, why do you do it when there is traffic?

Originally posted by: rudeguy
Aren't you wasting gas by speeding up?

I hate tailgaters too. One of the advantages of being a smoker is that I always have a weapon handy. I have perfected the art of flicking my cigarette up at just the right angle so that it lands on a tailgater's windshield. At night the sparks look really pretty.

Or, you could be a big boy and put your garbage in a garbage can instead of flicking it out the window.

 

[rudeguy]

Originally posted by: Canai

Originally posted by: rudeguy
Aren't you wasting gas by speeding up?

I hate tailgaters too. One of the advantages of being a smoker is that I always have a weapon handy. I have perfected the art of flicking my cigarette up at just the right angle so that it lands on a tailgater's windshield. At night the sparks look really pretty.

Or, you could be a big boy and put your garbage in a garbage can instead of flicking it out the window.

Butts go out the window, period.

 

[Canai]

Originally posted by: rudeguy

Originally posted by: Canai

Originally posted by: rudeguy
Aren't you wasting gas by speeding up?

I hate tailgaters too. One of the advantages of being a smoker is that I always have a weapon handy. I have perfected the art of flicking my cigarette up at just the right angle so that it lands on a tailgater's windshield. At night the sparks look really pretty.

Or, you could be a big boy and put your garbage in a garbage can instead of flicking it out the window.

Butts go out the window, period.

Why? Never heard of an ashtray? Like making the world a dirtier place because you're too lazy to clean up after yourself? Just roll out the cherry and throw the butt in a bag.

 

[cheezy321]

Wow, OP is a fucking prick.

At least go the speed limit. Its all I ask. You can NEVER get pissed at someone for going the speed limit, but there are multitudes of reasons to get pissed at people going slower than the speed limit.

 

[acheron]

In any "who's the asshole?" question regarding traffic, the answer is always "the tailgater" if there is one. Yes, it's a bit asshatty to speed up afterwards, but really, they're tailgaters, they deserve it.

 

[HardcoreRobot]

Originally posted by: mugs

Originally posted by: HardcoreRobot
they are scum for tailgating you in the right lane, but you sink to their level when you change your speed

No, he definitely does not. If he hit his brakes he'd be sinking to their level. There is nothing wrong with gradually reducing his speed to get them to go around him. They're creating a dangerous situation, and he is ending that situation in the safest way possible. How could anyone possibly be criticizing him for that?

Accelerating next to them is unnecessary, but he needs to accelerate anyway to get back up to 60 mph.

soooo, the complaint is that they are following too closely and it is solved by forcing them to follow even MORE closely?! thats retarded, and chances are they are following closely bc they aren't paying attention which makes braking or coasting slower even more dangerous. if you really cant stand someone being behind you, pull off to the side before slowing down

anyways, the really douchey part is speeding up after the fact. if you are being 'tailgated' in teh right lane, it is likely those drivers that pay little attention, they just cruise until they find an obstacle and just follow it. contrast that to the more agressive kind of driver that wants to pass everyone and you are blocking their path in a passing lane.

 

[BlackTigers]

Why don't you just jump over a lane to the left then let the asshat by?

 

[imported_Imp]

Asshatery on all sides.

You going 5 under is probably not with flow. The tailgaiters in the right lane are idiots too. Back the hell off or change lanes to pass.

 

[acheron]

Originally posted by: Imp
Asshatery on all sides.

You going 5 under is probably not with flow. The tailgaiters in the right lane are idiots too. Back the hell off or change lanes to pass.

He said this is at 1am. There is no flow.

 

[Anubis]

i applaud you
good shit

 

[ViviTheMage]

what's the point if you are trying to save gas? why would you speed up to see them? Self satisfaction or something?

 

[rivan]

Classy.

I have no idea why people go out of their way to look for trouble like this. Do you think you're teaching the other driver a lesson in some way? Do you think you're leaving them with anything other than the impression that you're a douche?

I dislike being tailgated too, but this does absolutely nothing to help the situation.

 

[Lithium381]

Do you think you're teaching the other driver a lesson in some way?

possibly. like i said in the original post, it's the middle of the night, two, sometimes three open lanes, and they want to sit 10ft off the back of my bumper?

i'm curious, are all of those who think i'm the asshat tailgaters yourselves and feel insulted by the fact that i slow down when tailed? or is it the speeding up part afterwards that really irks you? if youre in a hurry, pass me, if not, don't. just don't sit on my ass. I don't care about drivers that somehow need a buddy system or whatever, just don't inspect my hemorrhoids while you do it.

actually, i don't understand how tailgaters are justifiably pissed that i slow down in the first place..... that's for one of you douchebags to explain to me in great detail.

and to suggest that *I* move over and let them pass.....hahaha that's laughable..... catch me on a one lane windy mountain road with someone on my ass? That's understandable and i pull over at the first opportunity.... aforementioned situation..... I. DON'T. THINK. SO.