Drivers up your back end

[DT Ralge]

It was a successful thread since, even without a threat of an overtake, "space" is recognised by many drivers as what they need and feel uncomfortable without it. But, just as some people standing in a queue invade your personal space, some drivers feel comfortable with far less space than I do, it seems (until, maybe, it goes wrong and they call it an "accident").

You can do loads with space (you have time, vision, visibility, escape routes) and far less without it and parking in someone's boot doesn't get you there any earlier.

It's a shame most/many drivers don't take for themselves or give others as much space as is sensible (but common sense isn't that common ...)

It's a good job the driving environment is actually quite forgiving.

We could do with far more threads on "space" than on (the normal diet of) "speed".

[hedgehog56]

I'm there driving to the speed limit and to the law and some idiots come up behind you about 10-15mph above the speed limit. They then drive right up your ass to try and make you go faster. I'm not going to go any faster so why do they bother with their little intimidating tactics, these drivers shouldn't have a license.

 

Do you know anyone who does this? Do you do it yourself? Do people do it to you too?

 

It just spoils the enjoyment of driving when idiots like these are driving on the road.

 

I always think that anyone driving slower than me is a moron and anyone driving faster is an idiot. ha ha:)

[PARROT91]

You should always let people drive how they are comfortable to drive. Pressurising people causes accidents.

[WeX]

I had a one the other week. While we were driving up the parkway, I was telling the wife about how I see more aggressive female drivers these days than male. Low and behold a chavvy looking woman driving a POS corsa drives right up behind me. I'm going at 50mph and over taking someone in the inside lane. So, I wait for her to get close and then as a car slows ahead I slam on the breaks and immediately speed back up. Her face was a picture. She went ballistic too. I hope my little lesson taught her the value of keeping a safe distance.

[Cyclone]

I hope you get spotted by a copper and charged with driving without due care and attention. Idiot.

[L00b]

I'm there driving to the speed limit and to the law and some idiots come up behind you about 10-15mph above the speed limit. They then drive right up your ass to try and make you go faster. I'm not going to go any faster so why do they bother with their little intimidating tactics, these drivers shouldn't have a license.

If you are driving fast enough, and if they are close enough, they will actually make you go faster even without you pressing the go pedal at all.

 

It's a natural (aerodynamic) phenomenon called drafting.

 

The bonus to the tailgater, is that he'll be saving quite a bit of fuel (depending how close he is and how fast both cars are going) . Or, if you're racing, both cars will go quite a bit faster than they normally ever would (...I once took a 1.4L Citroën AX past 125 mph like that, but I was very young and very very daft )

 

This practice is of course highly dangerous, and completely illegal anywhere else than on a racing track. So don't do it

 

EDIT - on topic, a 'new best way' to get rid of tailgaters is to hold your mobile-phone-with-camera over your shoulder, rear-facing, and take a photo of the perp. Preferably with flash, if you have one. Obvious as hell, but shoot the photo "free-hand", don't look at/through your phone () Seems to work wonders for me, anyway.

[truman]

no:

 

EDIT - on topic, a 'new best way' to get rid of tailgaters is to hold your mobile-phone-with-camera over your shoulder, rear-facing, and take a photo of the perp. Preferably with flash, if you have one. Obvious as hell, but shoot the photo "free-hand", don't look at/through your phone () Seems to work wonders for me, anyway.

 

..to dissuade someone from doing something that you see as potentially dangerous by doing some potentially dangerous (and also illegal) yourself? Doing that makes you no better than the tailgater...sorry..

[HTM_1983]

I am a learner driver and on my last lesson had this twice - first time the driver was pretty much sat on my knee - untill my instructor turned round and waved at him - he backed off enough that i completly lost site of him for a while!

 

The second incident was a taxi driver (black cab). I was on St Mary's Gate about to vear left on the road that leads to the train station. The lights were on red and there was a car in front of me. I was slowly edging up towards the car-with said taxi on my rear - gesturing for me to move quicker....not quite sure if he wanted me to not only go through a red light but also go through the car in front of me. Due to the traffic as we moved round we were still going slow and the lights ahead again were on red. Taxi driver wasnt happen and as i turned right, and he went straight on to try get his next fair at the station he honked his horn at me and made some hand gesture (just wish I had got his number as its intimidating for anyone but especially for me as a learner)

[L00b]

..to dissuade someone from doing something that you see as potentially dangerous by doing some potentially dangerous (and also illegal) yourself? Doing that makes you no better than the tailgater...sorry..

Two wrongs don't make a right, I agree.

 

But, at least, I'm not dropping anchors instead

 

How do you deal with a tailgater, truman? Ignore it until he/she overtakes or backs off?

 

That's all well and good until and unless you need to drop anchors before the tailgater has moved on or backed off. In which case, well... I'll let you imagine the unpleasant consequences that irremediably follow. You should always try and get rid of tailgaters ASAP, and circumstances don't always let you just pull over and let them be on their merry dangerous way.

 

Happened to me on M1 last summer, guy in Audi tailgating me from J34S. Then I had to drop anchors for a sudden/instant tailback of a few cars in front, as some numbnut had decided, a bit late in the day, that he needed to exit at J33 R'ham after all. The Audi guy missed me by inches at most - I could see the white of his eyes, literally. The lass in the pink KA tailgating him, however, didn't get so lucky, and sandwiched herself between his Audi's rear right end and the central concrete barrier. Always amazes me, that sound. You know, like a net of a few thousand empty cokes cans, dropped onto a concrete floor from a great height.

[truman]

Two wrongs don't make a right, I agree.

 

But, at least, I'm not dropping anchors instead

 

How do you deal with a tailgater, truman? Ignore it until he/she overtakes or backs off?

 

.

 

You can't ignore them,you need to be aware of what they are doing..What you do when you have a tailgater is increase the distance between yourself and the car in front..gives you more chance of avoiding any sudden braking which may avoid the tailgater running into you...unfirtunately you sometimes have to do others' thinking for them...