# Tailgating while changing lanes and other unsafe lane changes **URL:** \ **Category:** Safety\ **Created:** [December 21, 2023, 7:23pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/tailgating-while-changing-lanes-and-other-unsafe-lane-changes/194054 "2023-12-21T19:23:16Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 14\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![TheWonderful90s](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/thewonderful90s/32/29584_2.png) [@TheWonderful90s](https://community.cartalk.com/u/TheWonderful90s)\ **Post date:** [December 21, 2023, 7:23pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/tailgating-while-changing-lanes-and-other-unsafe-lane-changes/194054/1 "2023-12-21T19:23:16Z")
According to me, to make safe lane changes drivers should: 1. Maintain a safe following distance from the vehicle in front until the lane change is complete. 2. And, drivers should maintain sufficiently low speed to ensure that they can safely stop in time to not hit the vehicle in front of them until the lane change is complete. It seems like a lot of drivers on the highway don’t do this. They especially like to follow too closely to begin with, and then begin accelerate at the same time as they initiate the lane change, which brings them very close to the back corner of the car in front. If the car in front decides to change lanes at the same time it can be a big problem. This video reminded me of what happens when these rules aren’t followed. Yes the person was making an illegal U turn, but if they had been changing lanes to avoid an object the accident would have still happened. The way I see it is both are at fault in this case. [https://youtu.be/LB\_nBzJGMhw?t=3891](https://youtu.be/LB_nBzJGMhw?t=3891) ---
**Author:** ![shanonia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9de053/32.png) [@shanonia](https://community.cartalk.com/u/shanonia)\ **Post date:** [December 21, 2023, 7:32pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/tailgating-while-changing-lanes-and-other-unsafe-lane-changes/194054/2 "2023-12-21T19:32:35Z")
Yes, it’s as if the laws of physics can be ignored and the examples from televised Nascar, etc. should be followed. Ignorant and careless behavior. ---
**Author:** ![cigroller](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/c68b51/32.png) [@cigroller](https://community.cartalk.com/u/cigroller)\ **Post date:** [December 21, 2023, 9:31pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/tailgating-while-changing-lanes-and-other-unsafe-lane-changes/194054/3 "2023-12-21T21:31:54Z")
Lane changes or no lane changes, following too closely is a no-no. ---
**Author:** ![ledhed75](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/f6c823/32.png) [@ledhed75](https://community.cartalk.com/u/ledhed75)\ **Post date:** [December 21, 2023, 9:38pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/tailgating-while-changing-lanes-and-other-unsafe-lane-changes/194054/4 "2023-12-21T21:38:04Z")
The other day, driving home from work… I saw a Jeep Wrangler, outfitted for “Suburban Warfare”…suddenly change lanes in between 2 18 wheelers. There was very little clearance between the 2 18 wheelers, and the one in the back had to hit his brakes to keep from crushing the Wrangler like a grape. Clearly this is one of many Jeep Things that I still don’t understand… ---
**Author:** ![Renegade](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/b4bc9f/32.png) [@Renegade](https://community.cartalk.com/u/Renegade)\ **Post date:** [December 21, 2023, 11:01pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/tailgating-while-changing-lanes-and-other-unsafe-lane-changes/194054/5 "2023-12-21T23:01:28Z")
> [@ledhed75](#): > > Suburban Warfare”…suddenly change lanes in between 2 18 wheelers. There was very little clearance between the 2 18 wheelers, and the one in the back had to hit his brakes to keep from crushing the Wrangler like a grape. A [[[DARWN AWARD WANABE]]] 🙃 ---
**Author:** ![George\_San\_Jose1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e5b9ba/32.png) [@George\_San\_Jose1](https://community.cartalk.com/u/George_San_Jose1)\ **Post date:** [December 21, 2023, 11:19pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/tailgating-while-changing-lanes-and-other-unsafe-lane-changes/194054/6 "2023-12-21T23:19:38Z")
My guess, drivers making illegal u-turns are probably the most frequent cause of fender benders. ---
**Author:** ![Rainflurry](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/cab0a1/32.png) [@Rainflurry](https://community.cartalk.com/u/Rainflurry)\ **Post date:** [December 21, 2023, 11:28pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/tailgating-while-changing-lanes-and-other-unsafe-lane-changes/194054/7 "2023-12-21T23:28:06Z")
> [@ledhed75](#): > > I saw a Jeep Wrangler, outfitted for “Suburban Warfare” That guy needs some adventure in his life (yes, I’m assuming it’s a he). Sign him up for an ultramarathon or an Ironman triathlon where he can burn off some angst. Suburban life can do that to some people. 😆 > [@ledhed75](#): > > Clearly this is one of many Jeep Things that I still don’t understand… 👍 ---
**Author:** ![MikeInNH](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/a587f6/32.png) [@MikeInNH](https://community.cartalk.com/u/MikeInNH)\ **Post date:** [December 22, 2023, 3:17pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/tailgating-while-changing-lanes-and-other-unsafe-lane-changes/194054/8 "2023-12-22T15:17:08Z")
You can control how you drive, but not others. In the Boston are…if you keep a reasonable distance between you and the car in front of you during morning commute then a couple things will happen. 1. That gap will be filled with 2-5 cars within minutes if not seconds. 2. Someone behind you will get so pissed that they’ll drive around you and cut right in front of you - missing the front of your car by less than a foot. So, either don’t drive during those hours (which I avoided like the plague when I commuted to work). OR - drive like everyone else before you get killed. ---
**Author:** ![TwinTurbo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/8baadc/32.png) [@TwinTurbo](https://community.cartalk.com/u/TwinTurbo)\ **Post date:** [December 22, 2023, 3:23pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/tailgating-while-changing-lanes-and-other-unsafe-lane-changes/194054/9 "2023-12-22T15:23:51Z")
> [@MikeInNH](#): > > drive like everyone else before you get killed. Option B for the win! ---
**Author:** ![TheWonderful90s](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/thewonderful90s/32/29584_2.png) [@TheWonderful90s](https://community.cartalk.com/u/TheWonderful90s)\ **Post date:** [December 22, 2023, 8:54pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/tailgating-while-changing-lanes-and-other-unsafe-lane-changes/194054/10 "2023-12-22T20:54:40Z")
It often seems like the establishment wants traffic to flow inefficiently. Regular driving rules are not enforced. Law enforcement pace cars were experimented with in the past to even out the flow of traffic. They were a great success but they won’t do it today. ---
**Author:** ![asemaster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/5f9b8f/32.png) [@asemaster](https://community.cartalk.com/u/asemaster)\ **Post date:** [December 22, 2023, 10:29pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/tailgating-while-changing-lanes-and-other-unsafe-lane-changes/194054/11 "2023-12-22T22:29:30Z")
> [@MikeInNH](#): > > if you keep a reasonable distance between you and the car in front of you during morning commute then a couple things will happen. > > 1. That gap will be filled with 2-5 cars within minutes if not seconds. > 2. Someone behind you will get so pissed that they’ll drive around you and cut right in front of you - missing the front of your car by less than a foot. Exactly the case in my commute in the greater Seattle area. If I always leave a car length between me and the car in front, I’d eventually be going backwards! 😆 ---
**Author:** ![George\_San\_Jose1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e5b9ba/32.png) [@George\_San\_Jose1](https://community.cartalk.com/u/George_San_Jose1)\ **Post date:** [December 22, 2023, 11:02pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/tailgating-while-changing-lanes-and-other-unsafe-lane-changes/194054/12 "2023-12-22T23:02:08Z")
While I live in San Jose, I had several months-long work assignments in the Boston area. I didn’t find the drivers there much different than here in the San Jose area on the freeway commutes, but they indeed seemed quite a bit more aggressive on the Boston surface streets. The biggest difference I noted however was the way they pronounce “Peabody” … lol! ---
**Author:** ![cigroller](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/c68b51/32.png) [@cigroller](https://community.cartalk.com/u/cigroller)\ **Post date:** [December 22, 2023, 11:35pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/tailgating-while-changing-lanes-and-other-unsafe-lane-changes/194054/13 "2023-12-22T23:35:03Z")
I live in a rural area in central VA near a small city - but I grew up about an hour’s drive from NYC and am still back and forth to see family. I have very _very noticeably_ different driving strategies for the two kinds of settings. ---
**Author:** ![George\_San\_Jose1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e5b9ba/32.png) [@George\_San\_Jose1](https://community.cartalk.com/u/George_San_Jose1)\ **Post date:** [December 22, 2023, 11:50pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/tailgating-while-changing-lanes-and-other-unsafe-lane-changes/194054/14 "2023-12-22T23:50:19Z")
> [@cigroller](#): > > different driving strategies for the two kinds of settings. A friend moved from San Jose to LA not too long ago and had all sorts of trouble accommodating the driving style differences. The LA freeway driving style I’ve found works best is to position your car as quickly as possible to a middle lane, avoiding the extreme left and right lanes like the plague. Then all you have to do is keep up w/traffic and enjoy the scenery. The advantage of being in the middle is you can quite easily take the next right or left going freeway if you want, without needing to quickly reposition across lanes.