Idiot behind the wheel

[Banshee16]

The technique I was taught if someone tailgates you is to leave a gap in front of you equal to your braking distance plus his. So, if you leave 2 seconds on a clear, dry day, then leave 4 seconds. This allows you to brake more gently and not have him tail-end you.

I try to focus on watching what the vehicle 2 cars ahead is doing....unfortunately, with the horde of SUV's on the road, it's become more difficult in recent years, as both my cars are small, so I just end up looking at either a bumper or tailgate.

Banshee

 

[nerfherder]

Of course, what makes it all really fun is when you're trying to leave 2 car lenths, and some moron pulls up, and jumps into that space.....like you were just leaving that space there for the fun of it.

The trick there is to remember that he has only gained two seconds on you, and drop back again to maintain your distance. Even if 30 cars do that to you during a journey, you've only been slowed by a single minute.

That's where you need to be careful. Generally, slowing down in front of a tailgater, and lightly touching the brakes can work.....but there are a few risks, like if the guy overreacts, and swerves, and hits someone else as a result....or if it pisses him off, and he retaliates.

I was just about to comment on the dangers of antagonising a tailgater, but you've demonstrated it perfectly!

I try to focus on watching what the vehicle 2 cars ahead is doing....unfortunately, with the horde of SUV's on the road, it's become more difficult in recent years, as both my cars are small, so I just end up looking at either a bumper or tailgate.

You should be scanning the whole environment constantly - distance, mid-ground, fore-ground, sides, rear, looking for hazards, rating the risks, and planning what you would do. You know what megamania was saying about 60 things to consider a second...

But yeah, basically if you are looking 2 cars ahead then you are probably being more observant than a lot of drivers, and you're probably naturally scanning further as well.

 

[megamania]

For those of us from Quebec, we find Ontario drivers pretty bad. Ottawa and Toronto drivers particularly. Toronto drivers...just crazy at times. I was about to proceed with the green light through an intersection, only to almost get T-boned by a moron in an SUV who barrelled down the onramp at about 120 km/hr., through the intersection, through the red light, and back up on ramp......

If I hadn't double checked my side, I would have been dead....getting hit in the driver side of a Cavalier, by an SUV that's double or triple the weight travelling at over 100 would have been very bad.

And I can't count the number of times I've watched people run reds in Ottawa. I've almost been smoked twice, while walking across an intersection with the walk signal, and some guy felt that the red light didn't apply to him.

Banshee

sounds like my experience in Long Island.

 

[FickleGM]

The best advice that I've heard, regarding tailgaters, is to pull over and let them pass (if you are able to pull over). If you feel that they are unsafe, you can take down their license plate and report them to the local municipality. This will help you avoid at least three incidents:

1. He can't rear end you if he's in front of you.

2. He shouldn't go roadrage on you if you let him pass.

3. You will not upset the non-tailgaters on the road if you pull over, as opposed to slowing down excessively.

Even if a bunch of cars end up passing, you have hopefully alloted enough time for you trip to lose a half-minute or so.

EDIT: I would also like to add - FranktheDM, please consider changing your attitude regarding driving, because the practice you put forth in your post could get someone killed. I would hate to have that on my conscience, and I hope that you feel the same. It's always easier to blame the slow traffic and get upset, but it is completely within your power to drive as safely as possible. Sit back, relax (but not too much) and just enjoy the trip.

 

[nerfherder]

The best advice that I've heard, regarding tailgaters, is to pull over and let them pass (if you are able to pull over).

Good advice.

Last week I had a taxi glued to my rear bumper as we were slowed by traffic, so I pulled into the inside lane to let him past, and pulled back out and left a decent gap between us. As traffic cleared and he pulled back into the inside lane (at least he had good lane discipline!), I overtook him, then a couple of miles further on was held up by traffic again, and he proceeded to sit on my bumper yet again. Didn't he realise that my cruising speed was going to be more than 20mph over his once the traffic was clear? :\

 

[Schmoe]

There would be a lot fewer tailgaters in the world if these were legal.

Drive responsibly people. Death and dismemberment are not funny in real life.

Edit: Grammar, ugh.

 

[WayneLigon]

Some think doing that is being an ass, but few things are as enraging as missing a green/yellow light by a few seconds because someone being a slave to the artificially low speed limits.

Few things are as enraging as having a tailgater wind up a bloody screaming piece of meat in my backseat because I had to stop quickly. You have any idea how hard it is to get blood out of cloth seats when it soaks in? It's impossible, is what it is, and you never really get rid of that coppery funk. Now you will be doing me the favor of putting me in a new SUV for a couple weeks while my car is fixed (if it's not totaled), but dammit, I love those seats. Plus, you'll ruin all the D&D stuff in the box on the floorboard. I'll get the money for them back on the insurance, though.

 

[Merkuri]

Good point, WayneLigon. In a collision where somebody is rear-ended 99.9% of the time it's marked down as being the fault of the guy in back. It doesn't matter how idiotic the person in front of you is driving, you're responsibile for making sure you don't hit him by maintaining a safe following distance.

I don't recall where I read this, so I may be repeating another poster here, but somebody once said this about keeping a safe driving distance: "Do you know anything at all about the guy in front of you? No? Then why do you trust him enough to drive that close to his bumper?"

 

[Desdichado]

It is not madness, you do that to subtly encourage the person in front of you to get out of the way or speed up and to make sure no one can squeeze in front of you. Some think doing that is being an ass, but few things are as enraging as missing a green/yellow light by a few seconds because someone being a slave to the artificially low speed limits.

No... it's not madness. It's not crazy, after all. It is, however, dangerous, foolish and incredibly rude.

So I'm going to go with idiocy rather than madness.

 

[frankthedm]

EDIT: I would also like to add - FranktheDM, please consider changing your attitude regarding driving, because the practice you put forth in your post could get someone killed. I would hate to have that on my conscience, and I hope that you feel the same. It's always easier to blame the slow traffic and get upset, but it is completely within your power to drive as safely as possible. Sit back, relax (but not too much) and just enjoy the trip.

I was just saying why i think tailgaiters do what they do. I simply understand their anger. I don't like being right behind anyone since it puts me at risk of violating my own Rules of the Road.

Don't hit anything.
Don't get hit.
Don't get caught.

Everything else is optional.