One solution to tailgating?

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mercalia
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Re: One solution to tailgating?

Post by mercalia »

bigjim wrote:In daylight, flick your sidelights on. They think you are braking and stamp on their brakes while you drive calmy away.



done that on my motor bike but the brake lights as they come on before the brakes bite - cars love to tailgate motorbikes dont they? another thing they think is they have a right to over take youm what ever speed you are doing - in those cases just accelerate away as my 900cc can do that better than many cars :lol:
Stewart H
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Re: One solution to tailgating?

Post by Stewart H »

On my motorcycle (oversized BMW GS with boxy panniers) I find that standing on the footrests makes them do a double take and drop back, I also tried the slowing down tactic once to the point where we were down to about ten MPH, I would not let them pass and was approaching the "have a little chat" stage, usually a flash of the brakelights is enough, when I was a young teararse motor mechanic we practiced a risky technique where we would simultaneously downshift, jab the brakes hard then floor the accelerator, they invariably dropped way back after that one, probably to change pants :D these days I find the gradual slowdown is best, they are not doing it deliberately, they are probably just on the phone!
arnsider
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Re: One solution to tailgating?

Post by arnsider »

Surely, if you have someone tailgating you, they are eager to pass and it's just silly to slow down without waving them on.
Why does everything we do have to irritate or inflame other drivers (albeit in the wrong) ?
To further incite an already impatient driver makes no sense and just adds to the potential for disaster.
drossall
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Re: One solution to tailgating?

Post by drossall »

Because they would already have overtaken if they could. So, in the inside lane of a dual carriageway or motorway, with a constant stream of overtaking traffic, they can't get past and they are simply trying to intimidate you into going faster. Ditto a single-lane road with oncoming traffic.

If we're advocating slowing down anyway, how exactly do you think we are suggesting preventing the offender from overtaking? :?
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meic
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Re: One solution to tailgating?

Post by meic »

I have got down to 25mph on a motorway before I was eventually overtaken.
That was a motorway which was empty apart from our two vehicles.

It has happened quite a few times, they are not the trying to presurise you type but the "too incompetent to drive without someone leading the way AND too incompetent to keep a decent distance type".
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661-Pete
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Re: One solution to tailgating?

Post by 661-Pete »

If it happens in my car, I sometimes switch on the hazards for a few seconds. And sometimes they get the message. If they don't, not a lot you can do, apart from the suggestions above.

One of my worst experiences was in the USA. Driving after dark, I was ruthlessly tailgated for many miles: when the perp* finally chose to overtake he did so at a far-from-safe stretch of road. I briefly flashed my headlights at him. He then came to a standstill a short distance ahead of me, and that was scary! (this being America, was he perhaps carrying a gun?) I stopped and waited. But after about a minute he thought better of it and drove off.

As regards the link in the OP and the 'dangerous loads' theme: I go back to the time when I was living in Bradford many years ago. In those days there was still a thriving wool trade and you often saw flatbed trucks laden with wool bales plying their way around the city. You must understand, these were big bales, I think about 200Kg each, certainly too heavy for one person to lift.

One day, cycling, I came upon the scene of an accident. One of these lorries had shed its load of wool all over the road. Luckily there were no injuries. If I'd been a minute or two earlier I might have been under one of those bales. Doesn't bear thinking about. :shock:

At least, if that had happened, you'd have been spared pages of drivel from Yours Truly.... :wink: :D

*Just in case you're wondering, no it wasn't this guy....
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Cyril Haearn
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Re: One solution to tailgating?

Post by Cyril Haearn »

arnsider wrote:Surely, if you have someone tailgating you, they are eager to pass and it's just silly to slow down without waving them on.
Why does everything we do have to irritate or inflame other drivers (albeit in the wrong) ?
To further incite an already impatient driver makes no sense and just adds to the potential for disaster.


One should NEVER wave another driver to pass or pull out, only a police officer in uniform may direct traffic. As for annoying other drivers, anyone who obeys the law will annoy normal drivers.

A small objection to some of the comments on here.. I do not believe that the tailgaters "think"
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arnsider
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Re: One solution to tailgating?

Post by arnsider »

If someone is tailgating you, they are putting both you and themselves in danger by encroaching on the safe breaking distance.
At least by slowing down, you are lessening the potential impact damage.
I repeat, Why do we always want to meet aggression with aggression?
This has everything to do with confrontational behavior and nothing to do with safety and common sense.
If anyone is happy to have an idiot inches from their bumper, rather than waving them on and giving way, carry on!!!!!
Cyril Haearn
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Re: One solution to tailgating?

Post by Cyril Haearn »

arnsider wrote:If someone is tailgating you, they are putting both you and themselves in danger by encroaching on the safe breaking distance.
At least by slowing down, you are lessening the potential impact damage.
I repeat, Why do we always want to meet aggression with aggression?
This has everything to do with confrontational behavior and nothing to do with safety and common sense.
If anyone is happy to have an idiot inches from their bumper, rather than waving them on and giving way, carry on!!!!!


I will very gladly slow down and let them past but I will not wave them by, I do not have the authority to direct traffic and I do not know whether it is safe to pass. But often overtaking is not possible and /or not allowed. The non-thinking tailgater sticks close behind despite my hint with the brake lights. I continue at a moderate speed and a queue of irate drivers develops behind me. One could try accelerating away to create a gap behind but that does not work for long, the terrorists creep up again.

I am not at all aggressive but my correct driving, obedience to the law and moderate acceleration are surely perceived as aggressive by normal drivers. Why, I even look ahead to see whether the lights are red and act accordingly to save energy!

I am wondering whether switching on the rear fog light would be a good self-defence method.
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millimole
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Re: RE: Re: One solution to tailgating?

Post by millimole »

arnsider wrote:Surely, if you have someone tailgating you, they are eager to pass and it's just silly to slow down without waving them on.
Why does everything we do have to irritate or inflame other drivers (albeit in the wrong) ?
To further incite an already impatient driver makes no sense and just adds to the potential for disaster.

There are two types of tailgaters as I see it.
1) They want to pass, and will drive as close as possible in order to overtake at the earliest possible opportunity, and in the hope that by driving close behind you, that you will speed up.
2) They want to intimidate you into driving faster than you are comfortable with - by preference they want to pass you, but are determined to 'teach you a lesson'.
Type (1) are easily dealt with by slowing down as it will allow them to pass more easily.
Type (2) will be irritated and inflamed by your reduction in speed (or even keeping the same speed) but to do otherwise will result in you driving in a manner that is probably unsafe. With group (2) you can't win whatever you do.
The police advice I've heard - to slow down, even if it means stopping/pulling over - seems to be the most pragmatic in both situations. It's not about aggravating other drivers, just about remaining alive.

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Cyril Haearn
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Re: One solution to tailgating?

Post by Cyril Haearn »

robing wrote:With a car tailgating you, it's generally safer to let them pass. If it's a lorry, then slow right down. They'll have to downshift through the gears and then you can safely accelerate away.


Accelerate safely away, but not for long. He will soon be on your tail again, probably with raised blood pressure and murderous thoughts.
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Cyril Haearn
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Re: One solution to tailgating?

Post by Cyril Haearn »

We must be infuriating the normal drivers by going too slowly
Anyone heard about the cops "pursuing" drivers going too slowly?
Last edited by Cyril Haearn on 15 Aug 2019, 5:24am, edited 1 time in total.
Entertainer, juvenile, curmudgeon, PoB, 30120
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arnsider
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Re: One solution to tailgating?

Post by arnsider »

I appreciate your reticence in not waving anyone on. It is a controversial thing.
Postboxer
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Re: One solution to tailgating?

Post by Postboxer »

Tailgater type 3) You're on the motorway, it's fairly busy, lane one is full of buses, trucks and caravans, lane two is not quite as full as lane one and has a mixture of trucks and cars, with some big gaps in between groups of vehicles. Lane three is a queue of cars all lined up to overtake the next group in lane two. You then end up at the back of one of lines in lane 3, travelling at the same speed as the cars in front, leaving a safe gap, tailgater type 3 then catches up with you and decides that it's their right to get past you and tailgates you to try to force you to pull in, they sometimes then undertake you, only to low and behold, find another car a couple of seconds in front of you.

Or they might tailgate you, flashing their lights etc, you can pull in, let them pass, then pull up behind them and flash your lights, they don't pull in, that's not fair is it!
Mistik-ka
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Re: One solution to tailgating?

Post by Mistik-ka »

And for the last word in the prevention of tailgating:

maximtrike1-1024x719.jpg

I was hoping to get one for Christmas, but nobody took the hint. :(
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