Stop Tailgating!

Jellyfish Joel

Regarding the guy who was wondering how best to brace for rear-end impact after he brakes suddenly in city traffic... you knuckleheads! Why entertain this question? If this guy is slamming to a halt and cringing in his rear view on a daily basis, he is clearly an aggressive driver who is following too close. This jerk has got to find a way to lower his blood pressure before he ends up crunched like a pop can in the recycle bin. If he's slamming on the brakes with regularity, he needs to allow more breathing room before he becomes the next ten car pile up statistic. Don't be that guy!

littlemouse

If he's concerned about being hit from the rear, he's not the one who's tailgating.

f848

He's concerned about being hit from behind because of someone else following too closely. He can't do anything about that. What he can do is reduce the likelihood of needing to slow down quickly, which can be done by not following too closely. When I'm followed closely, I increase my own following distance. This gives me more time to slow down so that the close follower has more time to slow down, or more time to look up from his phone and see that he needs to slow down. You can't control what others do; you can only put yourself in the best situation you can find.

jt1979

He's concerned about being hit from behind because of someone else following too closely. He can't do anything about that.

If he's concerned about having to brake suddenly in traffic, it sounds like he's not leaving enough room between himself and the car in front of him either.

Barkydog

This conversation seems a bit clouded. Sure I might advance my mph a few when getting tailgated, grudgingly so, but remember when I was in a hurry and speed limit or 5 below of the guy in front of me was a tad aggravating. I only have one incident of road rage, I was going 10 over and a guy decides unwisely to pass me and I had to slam on my brakes to let him in to avoid a collision between him and the guy in the oncoming direction, He could not see the bird I flipped, probably did not care, basic goal arrive home and safe and know whatever you do there will be some idiot out there,

ken green

Stop tailgating ??
Dude, stop sandbagging !

50 % of the time I can clearly see the fault is with the vehicle IN FRONT.
It may not be a matter of tailgating but an issue of ...sandbagging.

Just this morning -- I thought of this post--. The light turns green and nine vehicles zoom off toward thier respective work and school. I'm number six behind someone who just doesn't seem to get it that those first four trucks are now fourteen car lengths ahead, he's being passed right and left and that would be his CLUE to keep up the pace at least to the speed limit.

-- I thought of this post ---
I give ''adequate following distance'' and at least one a-hole seems to think that that is his free space to cut me off....some of them then slow down !

-- I thought of this post --
If someone is ''braking in city traffic'' therefore wondering about getting hit from behind...the problem is THEM !
This is the driver who zips into my lane one foot ahead of my front bumper and bitches at me for tailgating them...only to slam on their brakes and attempt to turn off with a turn signal AFTER they've begun the turn !
The problem is the car in front.

It's
turn signal first.
then change lanes.
then slow down to turn.

Even then I cought myself not planning ahead enough.
Turn signal with brakes and lane change one foot ahead of the car behind.
''Man that was close'' the kids said.
Which got my attention big time, the 12 year old will be driving soon.
" yes and that was the wrong way to do it." I said. "there was no accident BUT that was just asking for trouble."
she asked "so what would have been right ?"
" 2 options" I said.
" #1 ..planning ahead I should have SLOWED to a space in the traffic and,
#2...I should have missed our turn off ,waited for a space to change lanes and turn, then just gone around the block, which would have cost a whopping two more minutes, big whoop,"

MikeInNH

50 % of the time I can clearly see the fault is with the vehicle IN FRONT.

I don't see how it could possibly be the vehicle IN FRONT's fault. Car in front of you going slow..then you need to slow down too. You are the only one who can maintain proper distance between you and the vehicle in front of you. Car in front slows down..then you slow down.

ken green

Yep the driver in front can clearly tell when they are the boulder in the river, push on the gas a bit and coordinate with the traffic.
California will write the citation to the sandbagger in front.

MikeInNH

push on the gas a bit and coordinate with the traffic.

And the person behind him..just pushes on the gas pedal a little to keep tailgating.

meanjoe75fan

"50 % of the time I can clearly see the fault is with the vehicle IN FRONT. "
**********************
"I don't see how it could possibly be the vehicle IN FRONT's fault."
**********************
It could be the car in front's fault if the car in front violated the tailing car's Right of Way to get in front.

Case in point: 4-lane road comes to an intersection and red light. The left lane accommodates both straight and left-turning traffic, but has no dedicated left-turn arrow. PSL is 35 MPH.

I am in the right lane, traveling the speed limit(-ish), going straight. In the left lane are one car, waiting to turn left, and another right behind it.

Just as I approach the intersection, the car waiting behind the left-turner gives up and pulls into my lane, just in front of me, with a 30+MPH speed differential.

Now, I anticipated this, and was able to stop (barely), but if I hadn't been so quick, it WOULD have been the fault of the car in front for violating my ROW...(although I admit proving this would have been tough without witnesses).

ken green

and further more ;
The vehicle in front is at fault ( did you read my example where I was the fault in front ? ) when they clearly know the traffic situation and CHOOSE to create the circumstance of mere feet between their rear bumper and your front.

The vehicle behind is at fault when the clearly see the traffic situation and CHOOSE to create the circumstance of mere feet between their front bumper and your rear.

It does in fact work both ways.

Drewkitty

When someone is flashing their lights at the car in front of them it is because the jerk, using the brothers' word, driving too slow in the fast lane who does not realize he is the jerk that is the problem by driving slow in the fast lane.

The proper thing to do when you get the flashed high beams, or you are passed on the right, is to move a lane to the right or speed up till the high beams stop getting flashed or you stop getting passed on the right. Yes, you need to do this safely, because no on whants a Darwin Award for their actions.

Barkydog

If I am 5 over, maybe 9 over speed limit. And some aggressive driver decides to pass me unsafely, I will do all in my control to prevent an accident, but I usually catch up at the next light, as we say in WI stop and go light, and say to myself hope you realize you got no where senior tard!

MikeInNH

If your in the left lane on a highway and NOT passing anyone and NOT keeping up with traffic in front of you then you need to move right...doesn't matter what speed you are driving. If at all possible you should ALWAYS drive as far right as possible.

BePeace

I like to think that an obstacle -- slow car in front of me, whatever -- is there for a purpose. The universe is protecting me from getting somewhere further along my route where I would end up in an accident. Go w/ the flow...

JohnCincy

I've been tailgate by a lot of cars and have come to the conclusion that there must be a theory out there that "If there is a gap between me and the car ahead, it's my responsibility to fill it!" What happened to the "leave a car length between you and the next person for every 10 MPH?"

While discussing this with my wife and talking about the windshield washer discussion, her suggestion was to direct the driver's spray on to the window and the passenger spray over the roof to get the tailgater.

How about those "blue" head lights. Those things are blinding! Is there a head lamp specification for a maximum amount of lumens that they can put out?

You guys are great!

littlemouse

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MikeInNH February 9 Report
50 % of the time I can clearly see the fault is with the vehicle IN FRONT.

I don't see how it could possibly be the vehicle IN FRONT's fault. Car in front of you going slow..then you need to slow down too. You are the only one who can maintain proper distance between you and the vehicle in front of you. Car in front slows down..then you slow down.

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MikeInNH February 21 Report

If your in the left lane on a highway and NOT passing anyone and NOT keeping up with traffic in front of you then you need to move right...doesn't matter what speed you are driving. If at all possible you should ALWAYS drive as far right as possible.

Old

"Asteroids" If each driver thought of the other vehicles as asteroids (inanimate objects), it would work out just fine. The object is to not be hit - or to hit - another asteroid (vehicle) . There is no need to consider other driver's emotions or physical state (distracted, inebriated, asleep etc.). Just drive your vehicle so that it doesn't interfere with the other ones. You can go as fast or slow as you please, even talk on the phone (if you are capable of doing several things at once)...just keep plenty of space between your car and all the others....seems simple enough. (Oh, you may also consider obeying all the various traffic laws because just avoiding other vehicles may not be enough for total happiness sometimes)

Statesboro

I ride a motorcycle. Even a 5 mph bump from behind can cause serious damage/injury. Cyclists are taught that when someone tailgates you, you should slow down because you need to make sure they have enough room to stop, and the closer they are, the slower you should go.

Others made valid points about keeping right and I'll go one further. If you're in the left lane and barely passing the cars to the right, you don't belong there. Imagine the other cars are parked - 0 mph - then estimate how fast you're going in relation to them...it's often not more than 1-2 mph faster. It's not enough to justify blocking passing lanes, please be considerate and move over. Likewise, if there's open road in front of you, and cars behind you, no matter how fast you're going, please move over, it's not your job to be a pace setter and you're encouraging tailgating and passing on the right.

littlemouse

So in order to make sure they have enough room to stop, you reduce the amount of room they have to stop?

It's not your job to be a pace setter.

MikeInNH

@littlemouse


MikeInNH February 9 Report
50 % of the time I can clearly see the fault is with the vehicle IN FRONT.

Go back and re-read the posts....I'm NOT the one who said the person in front was at at fault...I quoted what Ken said...and then argued AGAINST it.