Getting rid of tailgaters?

Jez · 27 Jan 2007 at 14:17

This thread has hit a nerve, it really has. Around 1 year ago i moved right into the country, approx 25 miles cross country away from my local town where i grew up and all my friends and social life is. As a result i do a 25 mile "backroad" trip around 6 times per week.

I like to drive fast, not only because the journey is boring and i do it a lot, but because i cant stand driving slowly, it drives me insane. I get held up without fail about 2 times per journey by idiots who think that driving slowly, flashing their fogs at me, stopping then speeding up as i try and go past, putting their hazards on then blocking the road, etc etc is funny. I end up having to overtake in dangerous spots in order to keep my sanity. There is no need to do 30mph in the middle of the night in the middle of nowhere, if they want to do it fine, but dont hold me up and **** me off, get out the way and let me past. :mad:

Lunatic Dreyfus · 27 Jan 2007 at 14:17

I've been a passenger in a car where the guy did the ol' slow down and wind up 'em thing. I can't say I understood the point of it.

On a narrow lane, or similiar, the best bet is to find somewhere safe and let them go by. If I'm in a train of cars I'll drop back from the car in front so the madman behind can overtake and get on with his mission. If you're on a dual-carriageway/motorway and some loon comes steaming up behind you, get out of the 'BMW lane' as soon as it's safe. None of this is rocket science.

I hardly consider myself a skilled driver, but the above rules have kept me free of 'tail-end charlies' for two and half years.

My simple rule of thumb is 'If there's someone on the road driving even worse than I am, I let them go.'

mysticsniper · 27 Jan 2007 at 14:17

Bug One said:
Sorry, but drivers like you are the idiots. You actually take peasure about winding someone else up on the road.

You have no idea why that person is in a hurry. They could have no insurance, could have nicked the car, they could be an unmarked police car, or a bloke rushing his pregnant wife to hospital. You may find you do this one to many times and if you antagonise the wrong person, you may just find someone calls your bluff.

I don't go out to wind drivers up, they do that to themselves when things are not going their way, the selfish gits.

ppl need to realise that driving up other car drivers arse isn't big or clever. So why should I have to pull over or speed up when I have been driving like a normal person would and being responsible for my surroundings. :rolleyes:

Lopéz · 27 Jan 2007 at 14:21

mysticsniper said:
I don't go out to wind drivers up, they do that to themselves when things are not going their way, the selfish gits.

ppl need to realise that driving up other car drivers arse isn't big or clever. So why should I have to pull over or speed up when I have been driving like a normal person would and being responsible for my surroundings.

You utter hypocrite! You are as bad if not worse than the person tailgating you in the first place.

Jez · 27 Jan 2007 at 14:22

mysticsniper said:
Even if there was a great reason, you can't justify speeding in a built up area. I sympathize about your mum, but that's the job for the Ambulance crew who are allowed to speed on the roads in an emergency.

You yourself could have caused and even bigger accident on the road.

I will drive as fast as i want where i want thankyou, it is up to the police to tell me not to, not people like you. Just pull over or at least ignore them and let other people get on with what they want to do, rather than trying stupid and dangerous vigilante tactics in order to feel big about yourself. You have no idea of the circustances, and have no right to annoy people.

Freefaller · 27 Jan 2007 at 14:27

People who take the law into their own hands and play wannabe cops are more dangerous than the people that drive "dangerously" or people that just want to drive a bit faster than the rest.

mysticsniper · 27 Jan 2007 at 14:38

Lopéz said:
You utter hypocrite! You are as bad if not worse than the person tailgating you in the first place.

Lol, really in what way

Jez said:
I will drive as fast as i want where i want thankyou, it is up to the police to tell me not to, not people like you. Just pull over or at least ignore them and let other people get on with what they want to do, rather than trying stupid and dangerous vigilante tactics in order to feel big about yourself. You have no idea of the circustances, and have no right to annoy people.

You can do whatever you choose to do, just like anyone else. But why should I have to make way for ppl like you who want to speed and drive reckless. Maybe you need to understand that speed kills and I hope you can live with yourself if anything happens as a cause of your driving.

Jez · 27 Jan 2007 at 14:47

mysticsniper said:
You can do whatever you choose to do, just like anyone else. But why should I have to make way for ppl like you who want to speed and drive reckless. Maybe you need to understand that speed kills and I hope you can live with yourself if anything happens as a cause of your driving.

You can think whatever you like, thats your prerogative, but i would ask that you at the very least ignore ignore the other driver and continue driving as you would have done, thus allowing the other driver to overtake when it is safe to do so. Instead you are deliberately taking the law into your own hands and are causing even more danger by aggravating the driver who wishes to drive faster than yourself. They are going to overtake you no matter what you do, as you are driving annoyingly slowly for them, therefore why do you not minimise danger by letting them past. Could you live with YOURSELF if you caused an accident due to your stupid playing around? Had you not been messing around the other driver would have been long gone and probably at their destination, you are worse than the fast driver.

barnettgs · 27 Jan 2007 at 14:50

[TW]Fox said:
Pull over and let them past.

It willl only encourage them to tailgating more often.

I would rather sit back, flicked rear view mirror and drive as if nothing is behind me!

zetec452 · 27 Jan 2007 at 14:50

Jez said:
I will drive as fast as i want where i want thankyou, it is up to the police to tell me not to, not people like you. Just pull over or at least ignore them and let other people get on with what they want to do, rather than trying stupid and dangerous vigilante tactics in order to feel big about yourself. You have no idea of the circustances, and have no right to annoy people.

So if somebody is merely abiding by the rules and laws of the road (for instance 30mph in a 30mph road) and happens to "be in your way" what do you expect them to do if they can't safely let you by?

This is one of the big problems in the UK and I can see both sides of the coin. One person who's done a long day at work, Friday afternoon with 100 miles to get home is going to drive quicker than someone who isn't in that much of a rush and drives exactly to the rules of the road.

Who has the right to force somebody to pull over due to tail gating and dangerous driving? Who has the right to stop somebody who wants to get home / drive quickly to attend something urgent as in Gilly’s example?

Neither situation isn't right. It’s silly.

I've never stopped anyone over taking me and would never dream of swerving or blocking somebody off. If A car is going a lot faster than me on the motorway in the outside lane I'll pull over. It's not worth the aggro. I've also been in a rush on occasions whereby I really want a car (particularly on the A42) to just bugger off out of the way.

Ramble over

gambitt · 27 Jan 2007 at 14:51

Lopéz said:
That's a fantastic idea :/

I was taught to ease off (but don't brake) when you have a tailgater.

Jez · 27 Jan 2007 at 14:54

Jon,

I have no problem with people sticking to the rules of the road, that is their choice and for all i know they could be on 11 points and simply unable to risk anything. What hit my nerve is the utter idiots in this thread boasting about how they like to take the law into their own hands and deliberately mess around on the road, for the sole purpose of winding people up. This is far more dangerous than driving fast, and i believe the police would have an equally dim view about it.

zetec452 · 27 Jan 2007 at 14:55

Jez said:
Jon,

I have no problem with people sticking to the rules of the road, that is their choice and for all i know they could be on 11 points and simply unable to risk anything. What hit my nerve is the utter idiots in this thread boasting about how they like to take the law into their own hands and deliberately mess around on the road, for the sole purpose of winding people up. This is far more dangerous than driving fast, and i believe the police would have an equally dim view about it.

I agree.

.

mysticsniper · 27 Jan 2007 at 14:59

Jez said:
You can think whatever you like, thats your prerogative, but i would ask that you at the very least ignore ignore the other driver and continue driving as you would have done, thus allowing the other driver to overtake when it is safe to do so. Instead you are deliberately taking the law into your own hands and are causing even more danger by aggravating the driver who wishes to drive faster than yourself. They are going to overtake you no matter what you do, as you are driving annoyingly slowly for them, therefore why do you not minimise danger by letting them past. Could you live with YOURSELF if you caused an accident due to your stupid playing around? Had you not been messing around the other driver would have been long gone and probably at their destination, you are worse than the fast driver.

I don't block them in, or stop them from over taking me. I was meaning that when I slow down its hard for them to overtake me when in a built up area. (proberlby should have worded it better, my bad)

I don't go around looking for it either. Its hard to ignore a driver when they are right up your backside, and you can see the colour of their eyes. :rolleyes:

gambitt · 27 Jan 2007 at 15:00

Bug One said:
they could be an unmarked police car

they would have the blues flashing

Bug One said:
or a bloke rushing his pregnant wife to hospital

on that very rare occasion he would probably be flashing his lights, beeping his horn and waving his arms at you, not just sitting pretty on your rear bumper

I had a tailgater a few days ago. Busy dual carriageway at 5pm on Saturday heading out of town. Cars in both lanes going around 40mph. Pretty normal conditions for that kind of traffic. But Mr Vectra thinks he will get there quicker if he drives 2 inches from my rear bumper :rolleyes:

. Where does he expect to go? There are 50 cars in front of me each with a few meters gap.

Eventually he pulls into the inside lane and tries to bomb past me. He draws level and looks like he wants to pull into a gap that I've left for the car in front (since I've left a few car lengths) but the outside lane picks up speed slightly and I move on again and he has to drop even further back that he was

. Queue much manic laughter from yours truely along with some waving thrown in for good measure.

West · 27 Jan 2007 at 15:04

Brake hard, and if they hit your, they are gonna be at fault as they are too close to you...

Jez · 27 Jan 2007 at 15:05

mysticsniper said:
I don't block them in, or stop them from over taking me. I was meaning that when I slow down its hard for them to overtake me when in a built up area. (proberlby should have worded it better, my bad)

I don't go around looking for it either. Its hard to ignore a driver when they are right up your backside, and you can see the colour of their eyes

mysticsniper said:
I just slow down, but never let them pass me, it drivers some of them bonkers, and I can't help but laugh at them. Drivers like that are total idiots, especially when driving in a built up area, 30mph is plenty for anyone.

No, you were boasting about how you deliberately slow down, and then dont let them past you, for your ammusement.

barnettgs · 27 Jan 2007 at 15:05

mysticsniper said:
you can see the colour of their eyes.

lol

I loathe these tailgaters and tailgating has absolutely no benefits at all, especially with busy traffic.

I just don't know how they do it and they need to chill out rather than fixing their eyes on rear bumper for the entire of their journey if they don't want to run into them!

Mr Footlong · 27 Jan 2007 at 15:06

West said:
Brake hard, and if they hit your, they are gonna be at fault as they are too close to you...

Not everyone wants to intentionally damage their car by doing something braindead like that funnily enough.......................................

mysticsniper · 27 Jan 2007 at 15:10

Jez said:
No, you were boasting about how you deliberately slow down, and then dont let them past you, for your ammusement.

Sure I always slow down, sure their look on their faces is good and I get a chuckle out of it, but there is also a serious point about getting driver to slow down in built up areas, and not driving like a racer and up ppl's arses. If you read all my posts it has always been about driving in residential/ built up area's.