Tailgaters. What do you do?

[Ingram]

First post, Hi all.

Anyways, so you're driving down the road, to work, school, Area 51, whatever it may be, and your minding your own business.

The speed limit is 40, and you are driving a consistent 43-45, as high over the limit as I would personally go (I haven't been pulled over yet so something is working). Some Honda Civic with tinted windows, a ridiculous spoiler, racing tires, and other various noise making, non performance enhancing, flashy accesories appears behind you.

The car pulls up behind you and keeps getting closer. Pretty soon, there is about 1 car length distance between your back bumper and the Civic. This continues, the Civic basically feet away from your car, so close that you can't even see the front end of the offending vehicle.

Now what do you do? Now if your like me, this riles you up a little, as he is putting himself and you in danger with his pointless little offense. The way I see it you have these choices.

1.) Change lanes if it is an option. (In my case, it rarely is)
2.) Speed up if it's an option. (If there are cars in front, how can you?)
3.) Ignore the tailgater. (Hard to do)
4.) Slow down untill he changes lanes/ gets freaked out when he has to slam his brakes.
5.) Slow down, then change lanes whenever he changes lanes, while slowing down some more.

Now this is becomming a very common occurance on my route to class, I would say it happens at least 3 or 4 times PER WEEK. Lately I have been doing option 4, and if I'm really ticked off, I have done 5 as well. I realize this is unsafe, but in a fender bender the liability would be on the tailgater, and quite frankly I would welcome the delays or hassles caused by it if I could teach these tailgaters some manners. I always memorize their license plate or write it down if I am going to do 4. or 5., because I bet a lot of these people have dirty records, are would take off in the event of an accident. (Happened to my Dad, hit by a riced up Accord which ran a stop sign, drove him into the side of a building. The guy ran but by freak occurance (fate?) his license plate was knocked off in the process, and the police tracked him down 5 minutes later.)

So, anyways.... It is a crime to only drive a couple mph over the limit? Now, I am irritated by people who go 30 mph on a 40 street just as much as anyone else, but when going 55 is becomming the norm, punishable by tailgating, that irritates me even more. Now I am starting to rant, so I'll just get to the point.

How do you deal with tailgaters?

[brimic]

If I'm in my big truck I ignore him.
If I'm in my compact truck I slow down in a passing zone to encourage him to pass.

[280plus]

The correct procedure is to slow down gradually until the tailgater passes you. If there is no place for passing I slow down gradually WITHOUT tapping the brakes. Just take your foot off the gas gradually. Hold that speed for a while and then gradually speed up again. I do this repeatedly in the off hand chance that the guy figures out I'll go slower if he's on my bumper but will speed up if he's backed off a bit. Never do anything abrupt. If this doesn't work I like to redirect the rearview mirror so that I can not see him anymore and just drive the way I want and forget he's even there. BTW Chances are someone in such a car has no insurance.

When I was driving the hotrod down Rt 5 in  Kali in the old days late one night I had someone get right on my bumper, apparently trying to entice me to race. Unfortunately for him I saw a bit of pushbar in my mirror and just took my foot off the gas. He immediately swung around me to pass and sure enough it was a CHP cruiser. Sorry, not this time officer!!



Oh, there IS one more procedure I've used if there is nowhere for passing. Sometimes I'll pick a good wide spot, signal my intentions, pull over and just let them pass.

As a matter of fact, if your getting up there in years and you always seem to have a long line of cars on your tail, do the courteous thing, pull over and let them pass.

[...has left the building.]

If you are in the passing lane move your ass over! But if you're not, just ignore them. So 1 or 3. The last time I sped up when tailgated I got a ticket. Who knew State Troopers were using the Ford Taurus?

If I was hauling something or driving equipment around, I would have no problem pulling over onto the shoulder to allow people to pass.

4 and 5 will only make people angry. What if they have a pregnant wife in the car who is in labor? Or if they are a surgeon who just got paged for something extremely urgent? Granted, that would be a very small percentage of people but God didn't create you to enforce all of the speed laws of the land.

[280plus]

Right, sometimes people are in a hurry for legitimate reasons.

I saw a pretty serious accident once caused by one tailgating and others just too stubborn to let the guy pass. It began with lane changing and brake tapping, escalated into obscene gestures and culminated in twisted wreckage and severe bodily injuries.

[cfabe]

The last time I played the slow-down game with a tailgater behind me he got all pissed off and stayed on my tail, and then one turn down the road there was a disabled vehicle in the traffic lane, which I saw before he did, and as I stopped for it he rear-ended me. Had no insurance of course, took me a year to get my deductable back from my insurance company after they sued him.

Now, I just ignore it, unless the driver is being really rediculous, then I change lanes or try to let him past. On a freeway if I'm in the passing lane and someone comes up behind me faster, I speed up a little bit to finish the pass sooner, if possible.

[TarpleyG]

4.) Slow down untill he changes lanes/ gets freaked out when he has to slam his brakes.

If I am already in the slow lane then this is what I do.  Usually they will go around and you'll get a dirty look 9 times out of 10 but who gives a *expletive deleted*it.  If I am in the passing lane, I will continue at my current speed until I can safely move over and not before.  I have had people pass me on the right on many occassions with such narrow margins that they have put themselves, me, and the car in front of them in danger.  Just realize that one day the asshat will get his due justice and smile and keep on driving.

Greg

[French G.]

About the only thing I found is to slow the car without putting on your brakelights. A little e-brake, drop it out of overdrive or just come off the gas going uphill. I want them to feel like they are about to run over me. Most people have no sense of speed or relative speed, so they get confused whether you slowed or they ran up on you. Not like when you brake check them, they see red, red MAD! Usually they will go around once you do that once.

  That applies if you are in the correct lane for your speed and there are passing options. Occasionally I have been able to blink the hazards and they understand. More often than not, that is just an invitation for them to be asinine. If you are not in the correct lane, get there! My favorite sign on a highway is "Slower traffic Keep Right" If I am on an interstate I will probably keep it in range of 70-90mph depending on traffic, cops, and such. Not really a constant speed type, I take what I can get. On an 8-12 hour trip my average speed is 65-70. Counting the rest stops, gas stops and such, that means I get moving when I am on the road. Point is, I don't dawdle along in the left lane. If someone runs up on me doing 100, I happily move over, I depend on them to get the tickets and it works well. I do not tailgate. I really try to be nice, let people in that use blinkers and such. I have two guilty pleasures. To date, no one has passed me in the right lane only to squeeze into the 6 car lengths between me and the person I am waiting on. I break my rule there, I have no issues closing up all the space. As soon as the right lane offender gets plugged up behind the 40mph Winnebago and passed by 20 cars before getting back in the left lane, I back off to my original following distance.   The other guilty pleasure is finally picking your way to the front to find the guy below the speed limit who refuses to get out of the left lane. Everyone passes them on the right. I make it a point to clear them with a 20 mph differential and clear them by 1/2 length or less as I move back to the left lane. They usually get the point. Oops, one more guilty pleasure. If I am towing or driving a big truck I will put the blinker on and wait, let the people beside me clear out and such. At a certain point I just start turning the wheel. I figure the people racing up to block off the hole were warned and if they can't be courteous, neither will I. Oops, 4. Left lane closed ahead for construction? I get in line when I see the signs.  I watch people whiz past. At a certain point; after many signs, everyone can see the arrows and the merge in cones, I just block. Why is their time more important than anyone elses? Another bad habit picked up from truck drivers. I can understand emergencies, saw one a while back. Flashers on, moving down the shoulder at a sane speed. Tinted windows, thump, thump music, and cut from shoulder, traffic, closed lane, shoulder again? Prolly not an emergency. Other patient drivers usually get the clue and help lay the block down. It helps to value your paint less than the other guy.

  All those are calculated risks. The safest course today is just ignore the other drivers. Anything else can end in jail time, morgue time etc. I have an issue though, growing up around race cars I know there is a right way to drive and an asinine way. Cars become conduits for people's emotion. Person in control, car will be in control. Person typical me generation will drive like it. 10 years ago I'd get road rage. Now, having raced cars, I know pretty much what I can do with the car. Carrying a gun I know how it can escalate.  Not worth it. I don't get mad on the road, just probably won't tolerate blatant disrespect.

Blatant disrespect defined:  Same car OP describes. (Boy, that guy gets around!) I'm cruising at 75 in the right lane of a 65, no hurry, following a few other cars. Rapidly get overtaken by a string of cars. Their funny colored headlights bouncing on poorly modif.. mangled suspension communicates their demographics to me long before they reach me. 4 or 5 bumblebee by me doing 90-95, more coming. Tail end Charlie sees the winning move and proceeds to try to pass the whole string and me....On the right shoulder. At 85mph his front quarter was even with my passenger door as my right wheels touched grass.  Oops for him. Suffice it to say I was a little pissed. Slowed down to about 60 and cruised, never saw him again. Maybe he launched into the pines, maybe he stopped to clean his pants. Don't really care either way. Why? One, I have been laying under a car on the shoulder fixing it numerous times. I know cops don't like shoulder drivers. I don't mind if said bad driver leave the gene pool without taking anyone else. Two, I cannot stand that level of disrespect. Not PC, not the safest course, I know.

But generally, just get on down the road and try to know what everyone is going to do before they decide to do it.

[Smith]

To reiterate what Dan Flory said, if you are in a passing lane, MOVE OVER!  Remember, it's not your job to judge who's breaking the law or not and you are not the "protecter of all."

If there isn't one, then I usually just ignore the tailgater.

[Dannyboy]

If I'm in the left lane I move over before the guy runs up my butt.  Provided there's nobody in front of me.  If I'm riding behind someone then I just ignore him.  Or if he's particularly rude, then I'll pull even with a car in the right lane and sit there.

French, your #4 is one of those things I hate with a passion.  I change lanes at the first opportunity and I will ride the bumper of the guy in front of me until I make it past that last point and not let anyone of those schmucks who had to get all the way to the front in.

[Paddy]

Don't play games.  Just pull over and let 'em pass.  Speeding is a sucker's game.  You'll catch up with them later down the road.

[Werewolf]

The nice version: If you're in the left lane then at the first opportunity move into the right lane. If there is no right lane then wave him past at the first opportunity.

What I DO! When in the left lane and there's no where to go and the prick keeps on tailgating
1. Turn on hazard lights. The blinking gets their attention 9 times out of 10 and they back off
2. If that fails lightly tap brakes picks up 5 out of 100
3. If that fails hit the brakes hard so he runs up on me then speed up - that gets 4 out of 100
4. If that fails and it has once in 36 years of driving then I stand on the brakes - I don't really give a crap if I get hit or not - in OK you get hit from the rear it's the hitters fault not the guy in front - even if he stood on the brakes.

Now number 4 is a pretty foolish action to take but I hate and despise tailgaters with a passion.

Still you gotta watch out because about 25% of the folks that get treatment 1 thru 3 will try to dash ahead of you and cut you off which is why they don't get the chance. As they pass I just slow down and change lanes.

One guy who got treatment #4 around midnight or so when I was about 17 years old ran off the road and rolled over into a water filled ditch. Didn't regret it and didn't call the cops. I figured I saved someone else an accident. At the time I hoped the ahole drowned but since there wasn't anything on the news or in the papers I figured he lived to tailgate someone else.

The only good thing I can say about tailgaters is that they are just one rung on the ladder less worse than drunk drivers. Drunk drivers when identified need to be just dragged out of their cars and shot in the head on the side of the road. Then their heads need to be removed, stuck on the end of a pole and a large sign attached telling the world another drunk drive has been eliminated. Drunk drivers have killed two people I knew and numerous accidents and injuries of others I've known both in and out of my family. I've got no sympathy for them at all. Kill someone while driving drunk and you ought to be charged with 1st degree murder. It's premeditated that you drank and you knew the possible consequences.

[charby]

Bond, James Bond.


Actually I keep slowing down until the SOB passes. I drive halfway across the state every other weekend and in the last six months 3 cops have done this to me. I have thought about writing down the plate number and calling their department.

Charby

[Harold Tuttle]

this morning my tailgater was a woman in a minivan, on the phone, doing her makeup, at 65 mph

what is the appropriate response when you get rear ended by her?

[charby]

this morning my tailgater was a woman in a minivan, on the phone, doing her makeup, at 65 mph

what is the appropriate response when you get rear ended by her?

You need a trunk monkey  

www.trunkmonkey.com

[Brad Johnson]

I change lanes at the first opportunity and I will ride the bumper of the guy in front of me until I make it past that last point and not let anyone of those schmucks who had to get all the way to the front in

ummm... you do realize that makes you part of the problem, right?

Brad

[Azrael256]

I usually just ignore, but I had one who made me a little nervous.  I was doing a bit under the limit (65 in a 70) on a two-lane state highway.  Wide shoulder, but I don't move over for passing cars (and I don't ask anyone to for me.  Passing is the faster driver's problem).  Dude in a yellow pickup comes up behind me flashing his lights.  They're symmetrical, so he's not an emergency vehicle, and from what I can see of his cab, there doesn't seem to be an emergency, so he's just being a jerk...  for two miles.  No horn, just lights, and he's practically in my back seat.  There's a stoplight at the end of these two miles, and I'm praying it's green.  If it's red, and he gets out of the truck, I'll have to confront him.  Too much traffic to just run the light, and no room to turn.  I'm going to be boxed in, and he's going to eat some JHPs if he comes at me.  A whole bunch of 'em.  This could be nothing, and it could be VERY bad.

The light was green.  Any guesses where he turned?  At the stop 'n rob right through the light.  Must've been in a real hurry to get beer.

[SteveS]

4. If that fails and it has once in 36 years of driving then I stand on the brakes - I don't really give a crap if I get hit or not - in OK you get hit from the rear it's the hitters fault not the guy in front - even if he stood on the brakes.

Now number 4 is a pretty foolish action to take but I hate and despise tailgaters with a passion.

Still you gotta watch out because about 25% of the folks that get treatment 1 thru 3 will try to dash ahead of you and cut you off which is why they don't get the chance. As they pass I just slow down and change lanes.

One guy who got treatment #4 around midnight or so when I was about 17 years old ran off the road and rolled over into a water filled ditch. Didn't regret it and didn't call the cops. I figured I saved someone else an accident. At the time I hoped the ahole drowned but since there wasn't anything on the news or in the papers I figured he lived to tailgate someone else.

The only good thing I can say about tailgaters is that they are just one rung on the ladder less worse than drunk drivers. Drunk drivers when identified need to be just dragged out of their cars and shot in the head on the side of the road. Then their heads need to be removed, stuck on the end of a pole and a large sign attached telling the world another drunk drive has been eliminated. Drunk drivers have killed two people I knew and numerous accidents and injuries of others I've known both in and out of my family. I've got no sympathy for them at all. Kill someone while driving drunk and you ought to be charged with 1st degree murder. It's premeditated that you drank and you knew the possible consequences.

I agree with your treatment of drunk drivers, but #4 isn't much better.  I guess if you are on a deserted road, then fine.  OTOH, if there is other traffic, you are risking the safety of other drivers even if the tailgater was being an ass.

[Larry Ashcraft]

I used to do all those tricks; step on the brakes, slow down, turn lights on as I let off the gas.

I guess I'm getting mellow in my old age.  All I do now is ignore them.  I figure they have two choices: pass or tailgate.

It helps though that I have a big 4X4 truck and my back bumper is at the level of their hoods.

[Declaration Day]

It helps though that I have a big 4X4 truck and my back bumper is at the level of their hoods.

I have this advantage, too.  Since I started driving big trucks, very few people play games with me on the road.  

When I have the snowplow on it, they avoid me like the plague.

Here are my road tactics:

1.)  I adhere to the rule that the left lane is the passing or "fast" lane.  Nobody has to flash their lights at me; if I see someone coming up on me at a high rate of speed, I get over long before it becomes a problem.  This is common courtesy.

2.)  In construction zones, I always merge into the one open lane early, and I never let the people in who speed ahead and try to cut in.  The percentage of motorists who think they are entitled to cut in line, rather than wait their turn, is disturbing.

3.)  I  hate it when people don't use their turn signals.  I'll close the gap ahead of me if I have reason to believe someone intends to cut in front of me without a signal.  I usually spot them weaving in and out of lanes behind me.  I will not use this tactic to the point where I would be tailgating the car in front of me.  Usually it doesn't have to go that far anyway.

4.)  I do not block driveways if I am stopped at a traffic light.  It's hard to turn out of a parking lot near an intersection, especially during rush hour.  However, if I see that someone is waiting to turn out but is not using a turn signal, I will block it, and pretend that I didn't see them

I always try to make it look like my actions are passive.  I don't pay any attention to hand signals, dirty looks, or comments from the offending driver.

[gunsmith]

if you have four cars or more behind you , then you should pull over.

slower traffic must move right.  

I travel in the fast lane as much as possible, I very rarley get tail gated. if I'm doing  75 in the 65 zone & some one wants to pass me guess what...I have no problem moving over.

I was a courier for a long time and had time sensitive legal documents, lots of times I did over 100mph ...I didn't do it for recreation I did it because I needed to keep my job.

If you get out of the way of people in a hurry then you never get tail gators.

A guy I used to work for had a terrible accident with his son, his two year old stuck his hand in a machine severing all 4 fingers , he was rushing to the hospital from his rural farmhouse.  the car in front wouldn't move out of his way even though he blinked his lights and made it clear he was in a hurry.

He ran the offending car off the road, & he never got in trouble for it (he never reported it)
He told me he had hoped the other driver reported it so he could find him and kill him.

the car you are blocking could have a severe medical emergency,  or just some guy late for work.

if you can move over you should.

[Guest]

Stand on your centerstand, or drag the sidestand through a left-hand sweep .

Seriously, on a bike with any kind of balls you just leave.

[280plus]

It's all about courtesy. Courtesy goes a long way. So what if the other guy is being discourteous, shuold you be joining him at his level? Another thought. Are you driving offensively or DEFENSIVELY. Defensive driving will keep you out of a lot of scrapes.

[Werewolf]

Stand on your centerstand, or drag the sidestand through a left-hand sweep .

Seriously, on a bike with any kind of balls you just leave.

Heh... Heh... With that I agree whole heartedly. When I'm on my MC everyone gets the right of way. I don't argue with any car. They're all bigger than me and could run over me and though they might get banged up a bit I'd be dead and dead is dead - a state from which there is no return (at least not that I've heard of anyway).

[Iapetus]

I normally tap my breaks ever so slightly.

Enough to make the break lights come on, but not to actually slow me down.  (Or alternatively: turn my rear fog lights on for a moment).

That invariably scares them into backing off.



I quite often see rear-window stickers saying "I slow down for horses" (for some reason, bumper-stickers are almost non-existant in the UK, but rear-window stickers are not uncommon).  "I slow down for tail-gaters" would be a good one, but I've never seen one, or anywhere advertising custom ones).