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What do you do when someone is tailgating you?
Posted by donssite • 2/11/09 • Subscribe to this Discussion [RSS] • Report This Topic
Topics: Car, drive, driver, Driving, road, safe, safety, tailgate, truck, trucking
It's always been a pet peeve of mine I discuss at road-safety.blogspot.com/ and at ezee.ca.
User Comments
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slow down, or..push your brake ever so lightly so the lights come on and push the gas. -
you hit the breaks really hard, that will teach them...-
And, quite possibly, you.
Tapping the brakes, flashing the brake lights, and decelerating slightly, but abruptly: that actually can work.
I think some of those tailgaters aren't, strictly speaking, awake.
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I slow down to about 2 mph below the speed limit and force the driver in back to pass or to back off.-
Me too.
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me 3 -
That's my approach, in principle: but it's taken reductions of 10-15-20 mph to get the attention of many - in my esperience.
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That also worked for me while I was in Canada, but here in Louisiana 90% of drivers will just keep tailgating--even if there's 2 miles of visibly clear road ahead. Pisses me off. Cops are the worst offenders, too. That pisses me off even worse.
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Yup...slow down. -
Fire up the grill and pour a drink. Oops, sorry, I thought you said tailgating with you.
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Depends,
On the freeway, i try to make them pass me..
On surface streets, I do nothing, if it lasts for long, i try to make 4 right hand turns. -
Interesting suggestions, I kinda like @imaniceperson's idea about the BBQ.
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I usually ignore them and hope they go away, unless they're really being unsafe (like I think they're drunk or psychotic or it's very icy). I've been known to pull over to let someone like that pass on a city street where they can't legally pass me. -
Usually lay back and enjoy it, sometimes I will hold their head and whisper encouragement.-
And I'm banned?!
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You're banned for continuous and prolonged lascivious behaviour within a built up area, namely the BC forum.
I on the other hand am sensibly participating in the debate, I can't be held responsible for the way other people perceive any comments I may or may not make within the aforesaid forum. -
You are soooo bad. If you weren't so quick witted
and so funny we wouldn't tolerate your dribble ...
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Slow down...LOL That just probably makes them angrier though... -
I don't slow down--I go exactly the speed I want to go. Road rage happens when people start playing little games with each other on the road. The best thing to do is to ignore it. Slowing down might aggravate the person to a fit of rage. As a former taxi driver, I have a lot of experience with people trying to provoke road rage.
I learned my lesson on provoking people when I was about 15 years old--just moving to San Francisco. In the Noble Frankfurter, two people were arguing who was in line first. Well, the problem was solved when one man pulled out a gun and shot the other man. Then HE was in front--but of course, he didn't get his hotdog because he went to jail.
It's better to be alive than right. At least that it true in my case. -
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Have you ever seeing Lost Highway...that scene when the mob guy is being tail gated?
Exactly.... -
Seriously? Slow down (when I'm in a passable part of a 2-way road, and at some point - generally when I'm at around 75% of the local speed limit and/or going slow enough to do this safely - go onto the shoulder.
Generally, the tailgater wakes up and passes somewhere along the line. It's never happened, but if the on-the-shoulder routine didn't work, I'd get back in the traffic lane and proceed at normal speed - paying abnormally close attention to conditions, and stepping 'defensive driving' up to 'positively paranoid driving.' -
I have to admit, sometimes I wish I could just maybe leak a little bit of oil or something onto their windsheild but that's just wishful thinking.
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remember to breathe and focus on something else....like who cares if that person is too close? If they hit me they'd have to pay!-
I've tried the relaxed approach, works sometimes but other times you look in the mirror and they are even closer than before.
ezee.ca
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I have slowed, pulled over and ignored - depends on the traffic flow. -
I dunno. That's a pretty tough question. Then again, there's a very thin line between my desire to be a model citizen and my addiction to car wrecks and methadone.
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My feet smell funky.-
Because of someone tailgating you? Or just a general observation?
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Pull the emergency break strategically so that the break lights don't show... -
Depends. Single lane road stop and flip them off. Highway make sure they don't pass you in another lane. No.....seriously -
Pull over and let them pass, then keep my distance. If someone's driving like an idiot I'd rather be spectating from behind them, so I can get out of their way if they hit someone or whatever.-
I kinda like the idea of being behind and watching instead.
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What you are really supposed to do is slow down a little to allow more room between you and the car in front of you. That will give you proper time to stop if the car in front of you does. Now what do I do when somebody is tailgating me? Usually absolutely nothing. It is usually when I'm in the bus and I am bigger then them. I don't tailgate so I don't need to slow down and quite honestly if they hit the back of the bus, whose fault is it? That and I think the bus would win the battle. It will definitely hurt them before it will hurt me. And then maybe they will learn -
Ah yes, it is nice to have a large vehicle, It removes a little stress and concern as long as the tailgater is in a car.
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On the freeway, I'll let them pss. Otherwise I slow down to give more room between me and the car infront of me. It will give the idiot behind me more time to stop. If they are really close, I slow down. -
Just keep driving at the assigned speed limit and carry on my merry way. -
I must drive entirely too fast as I rarely have anyone tailgating me. -
I have to admit that I brake. I really hate people driving too close - especially if my kids are in the car. Not an emergency stop or anything, but enough to keep the brake lights on for a few secs. But if I am on the motorway and can safely move into the slower lane, I do. If it isn't safe, I keep hitting the brakes until it is. The person always backs off. And they can fume all they like. It's their blood pressure! -
I walk everywhere, so if anyone's tailgaiting me I assume they either want to mug me or have a romantic interest. -
Look at your back mirror. Be observant and go to other lane and check whether the person is still at your back. Switch on your rear lights to give signal to it but before that ask yourself if you have done something bad to others.
If you are just walking observe the person at your back if he/she still follows you once you have changed direction. It would be best to go in crowded places as possible. -
I pull over as soon as possible. I want nothing to do with crazy people.-
Yet here you are on BC
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Hmmm, I say tap brakes and have him back off. I remember once I was driving on an open freeway and I was being tailgated by a van with his highbeams on and absolutely no traffic at all (it was around midnight). So after about 4 minutes and me getting super crazy road rage, I got out of the lane let him pass (he was going like 100mph after that), sped up to 100mph, began tailgating him with my highbeams on just to see how he liked it. The douche bag must have punched his gas just enough to not trigger the California speed chip in his van because his ass took even though I was going 100. -
Let em pass it ain't worth dying over...that's the exact reason I hate going anywhere with my. Soon to be ex. -
Change my lane .. does tailgating mean they will follow? If so I've never been tailgated.. -
No they mean someone riding ur ass.you know following too close...
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No one tailgates me, I am the jerk you are all talking about. Although I've never driven in Louisiana, so I might not be that jerk. -
Who said anything bout Louisiana
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LGramlich did. LGramlich
That also worked for me while I was in Canada, but here in Louisiana 90% of drivers will just keep tailgating--even if there's 2 miles of visibly clear road ahead. Pisses me off. Cops are the worst offenders, too. That pisses me off even worse.
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An unlucky tailgater -
I slam on the brakes, and then yell assorted obscenities at them with the appropriate hand gestures as they pass. I don't know if it wakes them up, but it sure as hell gives me a good laugh.
If I'm not in a fun mood, I just pull into a different lane if available.-
LOL now that's the kind of response I was expecting
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I slow down and wave at them-
What do you wave at them? -
a nice friendly wave...to let them know I acknowledge them riding my ass and no one is going to ride my ass without pulling my hair.
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I thought maybe a nice friendly wave with a .357
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no...although that would be fun
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Ok I have seen the bumper sticker about flicking a booger on their windshield. I personally stop in the middle of the road and get their attention to back off.-
I'd like to have a button that squirts some sort of oily or colored liquid in the air behind me onto their windshield and see if that makes them back off.
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When I was young and stupid I used to slow down to encourge them to pass. Then when they did, and were out in the opposing lane, I'd speed up to try to keep them there.
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I drive even more slowly. -
I find that hitting the brakes, no matter how hard, only makes the tailgater mad. Sometimes, the tailgating gets worse. Maybe because they learn that your brake lights work, I dunno.
First thing that I do is to make it easy for them to pass me. I will slow down whenever there is a chance to pass.
If that fails, I vary my speed. I do this without using the brakes. I only use the gas. I will speed up (to a safe speed) and watch for them to catch up. Before they get too close, I let off the gas. After I slow down 10-15mph, I speed up again.
After a few times, it makes it difficult for the tailgater to judge my speed. They will either make an attempt to pass, or back off. Either way, they are no longer tailgating me.
If, they are complete morons, and this does not work, I slow down. I rarely have to do this. But, if I were to get rear-ended because of a moron, I would rather do it at a slower speed. -
PULL OVER TO THE RIGHT BUT DON'T STOP, KEEP GOING.
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