quote:

Originally posted by SpinZone:
I usually drive a few miles over the posted speed limit so its not like I'm crawling along.

When I get someone tailgating that close I usually ease of the gas and slow down a little so I have more distance ahead of me and I won't get surprised and have to slam on the brakes.

It may seem like I am being an ass but I'm just being safer to compensate for their ubsafe behavior.

This is my policy as well. I drive our shuttle, through a frequently snow-covered winding canyon road. I take the responsibility for the heartbeats behind me VERY seriously.

It's ironic that many of the cars tailgating behind me are other employees.

On the other hand, we do have a problem of people driving very slowly who suddenly floor it when they get to a passing lane. They invariably slow back to their crawl once past the merge. I tend to pass with authority (read "haul @ss") to get past them...unless conditions are too bad.

quote:

Originally posted by kz1000:
Fuck 'em. I'll get over if I can. Otherwise they get a brake tap, if that doesn't work they get the finger. I'm too old to for assholes to dictate how I drive.

But it's OK for you to dictate how they drive?

In fairness to the tailgaters, most of the ones I experience aren't being jerks. They're just being sheep. They catch up with something and then follow it, just like they joined a herd. That way, they're not required to do anything hard, like thinking or making decisions about their speed.

I'm pretty sure they'd follow me right into the ditch if I drove there first.

quote:

Originally posted by Gustofer:
Not necessarily taking either side here, but the way I see it, if he's that close to your ass he clearly wants to go faster than you are. Why not simply ease over and let him by?

Ease over to where, if already in the right lane and doing the speed limit? Memorable event: I was returning home from teaching a week-long course in Jacksonville. Southbound on I-95 from Jacksonville toward Daytona Beach, I was in the right-most lane, moving maybe two or three mph over the speed limit.

Yellow Mustang convertible climbing up my ass, blowing horn, flashing headlights. I maintained just over the speed limit -- again, this was in the right-most lane. Mustang full of yutes then pulls to the right, passes me on the shoulder at high rate of velocity, kicking up a cloud of dust.

Ten or fifteen minutes later, I see the Mustang upside down, surrounded by police cars, fire trucks, amber lamps. Up until then I had never heard of BCR (Black College Reunion), where the yutes were heading, in Daytona Beach.

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It's your job to keep yourself safe on the road, so move the fuck over and stay safe.

You might be shocked to learn that not every roadway has two lanes in each direction. Almost every single lane roadway has legal passing areas at some point.

Over the course of a ten mile trip, that additional 5 mph saves maybe …..two minutes???

quote:

Originally posted by Chowser:



One day while on a training day we had to move ranges so we all just got in my car with our gear on, drove the six miles to the other range on back roads and someone kept tailgating me. We’re driving in a strange area in the rain so I’m only doing ten over but asshat keeps tailgating. I have nowhere to go or pull over. Finally something comes up so we pull over into the gas station (might as well refuel) and asshat parks and walks over screaming. When the four of us got out in armor and gear, he ran off.

I hate the ones that pass me and screw up my safe following distance because they immediately get stuck behind the dozen cars in front of me who are riding each other's ass.

Every day I drive to work on a 2 lane road that has a posted 55 mph speed limit. Every day (and I mean EVERY) I am behind someone who assumes that since it's a 2 lane, the limit is 45. No good way to pass, heavy traffic all directions, so I just suck it up.

The ones that get me are the ones that see me coming at 55, pull out in front of me and make me brake hard to allow them to continue to breathe my good air, then proceed to drive 45 the whole way. If you weren't in enough of a hurry to at least drive the speed limit, why did you need to risk both our lives jumping out in front of me??

I get it, tailgaters suck. So do slow drivers who are inconsiderate of people who actually need to get there while we're still young (ish).

Through years of being a road warrior I've seen mistakes on both sides end up in the news or in the papers. Don't do that. Pay attention, use your turn signals, be smooth n predictable.

We all think we drive the right way, or we wouldn't drive the way we do. The hard part is understanding the other drivers reason.

Can't see? I'm patient to a point (a demonstrated lack of incompetence). Get glasses, new wiper blades, don't text, or stop drinking and driving. Whatever your reason it's not up to you to impose that on others. If you can't, don't be out at bicycle speeds.

Quite often I'll catch up to someone doing the 1-2 under the limit thingy. Yes, there is a certain displeasure in that but I'll offer this. Often the tailgating doesn't come from me speeding up, but from the front driver slowing down. For a curve, for lights in the opposite lane, brakes on a gentle downhill, or a turning car 1/4 mile down the road, the phone call, or for a freaking cow in the field to the left! Who knows why. Please don't do that. Slow down another 10 and yes I will be there to wake you from your peaceful slumber. Inattentive driving is rampant.

Lastly no matter how I drive there are some faster than me, as well as slower. I do not "mess" with any of you. I'll pass slower, I'll get to right lane if you're faster. Nothing bothers me more than when we can tell being a dick driver is intentional. Blocking left because you're the speed police, don't want cars in front in the rain, speeding up only when in a passing zone, ect. Don't do that, just &^%%#& don't.

my .02 and a 1,000,000 miles

If everybody drove like I do, there would be no problems.

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Originally posted by RHINOWSO:
As long as you aren't a left lane Sally, go as slow as you like. I'll pass when / if I can.

If you are a left lane Sally on a 4-lane highway, I'll pass you on the right without hesitation. Because you are fucking it up.

No left lane Sally here, I pass and get back into the right lane so others can fly by me.

However, when I'm in the left lane stuck behind a dozen other cars passing a semi (or RV or slowpoke), I CAN'T GO ANY FASTER. Go ahead and tailgate me, I'm still not going to ride the bumper of the guy in front of me.

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Originally posted by wolfe 21:
Why do people assume that closing the distance on my rear bumper will in some way motivate me to drive faster? I feel if I can read the county number on your plates, or can't see your plates at all, you are probably too fucking close for your or my safety. Asshat...

My car is underpowered and gets lousy mileage. I therefore do not try to leave from a stop like I'm at National Trails or drive in excess of the posted limit. I'm sorry if this offends you, but that does not give you free reign to camp 5 feet from my bumper.

Start pushing me to do something by say, tailgating me, and there is a 100% chance I'm going to start slowing down. Possibly way down. I don't like bullies, don't like people who throw their weight around, try to intimidate.

Want me to move over so they can have the road? Why didn't they move over? No, it's about them. Fine. Let's really make it about them. No problem.

 
Tailgaters actually motivate me to increase my distance from the vehicle in front of me. With them on my ass, I need enough space, in an emergency, to safely stop myself and the tailgater without getting rear-ended. If there is no one in front, I just maintain speed and give them every opportunity to pass, like hugging the white line when they have a passing lane. I travel mostly two lane roads.

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Originally posted by sns3guppy:
Start pushing me to do something by say, tailgating me, and there is a 100% chance I'm going to start slowing down. Possibly way down.

Fine and dandy. Just when you slow down, possibly way down, pull over to the right so they can get by you.

You do realize that that is all they want, correct? Or, are you that much of a dick that you desire to deliberately piss them off even further?

And, the question I posed to kz1000 also goes to you. You get irate when someone "pushes you to do something" and believe that that is wrong, but it seems that it's perfectly OK for you to push them to do something...correct?

Here's a novel concept for those on both sides: Just don't be a dick. 99% of the time, you know what the other driver wants to do. Let them. It's no skin off your ass.

I usually drive 5 over on surface streets, 10 over on freeways.

If somebody tailgates me I drop to the speed limit. No lower, no higher.

Unless they really get on my bumper--as in I cannot see their bumper. Then I'll drop below the speed limit.

quote:

Originally posted by Gustofer:

Fine and dandy. Just when you slow down, possibly way down, pull over to the right so they can get by you.

You do realize that that is all they want, correct? Or, are you that much of a dick that you desire to deliberately piss them off even further?

And, the question I posed to kz1000 also goes to you. You get irate when someone "pushes you to do something" and believe that that is wrong, but it seems that it's perfectly OK for you to push them to do something...correct?

Here's a novel concept for those on both sides: Just don't be a dick. 99% of the time, you know what the other driver wants to do. Let them. It's no skin off your ass.

I appreciate your condemnation and your judgement, and thanks for calling me a dick. You don't know me. You don't know the circumstances under which the event occurs. You didn't take the time to learn that I'm a responsible driver, or that I'm not skulking along in the fast lane.

When the asshole in the big truck or the corvette rocks up on my bumper at 90 mph and flashes his lights and begins moving left to right, backs up, then speeds up to me again, I could signal and move over...to one of the other four lanes that are wide open. I'm doing an adequate speed, but I don't feel inclined to be forced off to the side.

I may be a dick to you, but I'm not the dick that rocked up on my tailpipe and tried to threaten me out of the way.

Now, when I see someone coming, I will often adjust my path to make room, but when it's blatant and someone uses the size of their vehicle to try to push me out of their way, I'm not fond of bulls that dwell in china shops and yes, I'll slow down. how much depends on how much of an asshole they are and if you think that makes me a dick, then dont' rock up on my ass with the intent of forcing me to do anything, because you're going to have a long trip.

I'm not "pushing" anyone to do jack shit. If I'm driving responsibly and someone decides to scrape the paint off my bumper, I'm not pushing anyone. They're pushing me. Get that straight. I'm not driving slowly, playing moving billboard. I'm driving responsibly. Those who ride my tail will get a couple of brake flashes and then I'm slowing down and the longer they push, the slower I get.

quote:

Originally posted by whanson_wi:
In fairness to the tailgaters, most of the ones I experience aren't being jerks. They're just being sheep. They catch up with something and then follow it , just like they joined a herd. That way, they're not required to do anything hard, like thinking or making decisions about their speed.

I'm pretty sure they'd follow me right into the ditch if I drove there first.

I see this on I-10 every time. I have my cruise set at 80 in the passing lane; semi's and RV's are ahead in the right lane doing 70. I glance at my rear view and see a sedan approaching at 85-90. OK, I'll slide over and let you lead. But the sedan doesn't want to lead; it slows down and blocks me behind a RV from Wisconsin towing a Subaru. A line of sedans then rapidly close the space and tailgate the new leader at 73. I once had a sedan play this game for 50 miles.

My 4X4 truck came with the towing package, including a heavy duty rear step bumper and a Class 3 hitch, to which I have added a tongue and ball extending about 9" to the rear of the bumper, and about the height of the hood ornament on most automobiles. It is not unusual in city traffic to have cars following me so closely that I cannot see the entire front end of the cars in my rear view mirror.

I once started to brake for a yellow light and had the bozo behind me crunch into my trailer hitch, ending up with his hood buckled by my rear bumper and radiator destroyed by my hitch tongue & ball.

Another time I was stopped at a stop sign when a teenage girl slammed into my rear end with her little Hyundai sedan. Her car was totaled.

So far no visible damage to my rear bumper or trailer hitch. I like my full-size truck.

quote:

Originally posted by sns3guppy:
When the asshole in the big truck or the corvette rocks up on my bumper at 90 mph and flashes his lights and begins moving left to right, backs up, then speeds up to me again, I could signal and move over...to one of the other four lanes that are wide open.

I presume that at least one of those "other four lanes" is the left-most lane? Maybe two of them are the two left-most lanes? That you're not failing to yield to somebody who wants to pass you on the left? That you're not camping in the left or left-most lanes?

Because, you see, doing that, even if you're going over the speed limit, is just plain poor driving. And inconsiderate.

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Originally posted by cne32507:
I have my cruise set at 80 in the passing lane; semi's and RV's are ahead in the right lane doing 70. I glance at my rear view and see a sedan approaching at 85-90. OK, I'll slide over and let you lead.

So you drive in the passing lane all the time or just when passing? (getting over on occasion to let others by you)