The definitive road rage POLL........someone's tailgating you......what do you do??

[Insane3D]

Originally posted by: Lucky

Originally posted by: Insane3D

Seriously though, I just maintain my speed. There isn't anything you can do about a tailgater.

Couldn't you just pull to the right, let them pass, and be done with it? Why keep your speed constant and have them continue to tailgate you?

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Hello, this thread was originally about TWO-LANE highways. Obviously pulling off to the right is not always an option.

Sure it is. Even if there isn't a full size breakdown lane, it would only require moving over a little bit for someone to pass in most cases.

 

[BurnItDwn]

I dont recall ever being tailgated on a 2 lane road. Most of the roads around here are 4 lanes. When I do travel on 2 lane roads, Im usually going the same speed as the car in front of me and there is usually dense traffic. Only reason people tailgate in the dense traffic is so some a$$hat doesnt cut them off.

I suppose if i was going the speed limit and somebody was tailgating me It depends on the situation.

Light traffic Clear Weather, I would speed up to 10 over the speed limit as thats usually the speed of traffic on the local roads around here.

Heavy traffic, just maintain my pace keeping up with traffic.

Light traffic, Blizzard or bad weather conditions, Just maintain speed and course

If for some reason im out in the country than I would Open the throttle and say good bye.

 

[Insane3D]

Originally posted by: Balthazar

Originally posted by: Insane3D
Funny, I never have that happen...course I always drive 90-95mph on the highway, so I rarely "hold traffic up"...LOL!

However, I admit I will be the tailgater, and I never understand why people will not just pull over. If you want to avoid a road rage incident, it seems strange that you would slow down or slam on your brakes as that would just serve to increase the "rage" of the tailgating driver. It's just so much easier to pull over and let the person go by...

How about screw you I'm not pulling over just because you can't drive.
I dont mind doing WELL over the speed limit however I respect someones right to drive the speed limit, the ONLY time I will tailgate or bitch is when people are going WAY under the speed limit (hell even 5 under your ok to bitch I guess).

Why don't you try taking your drivers exam again and catching up on a few rules of the road, just because you want to do 85 and I want to do 55 (or whatever the speed limit may be) doesn't mean I automatically forfeit the right to drive without someone up my ass.

Why don't YOU pull over and wait for me to get far enough ahead of you that you dont have to worry about it?

Woah, little testy today are we? First of all, I live in New Hampshire, and there is very little traffic out here compared to the larger cities around the country. The highways are well maintained, the speed limit is 65MPH, and 80-85 is the normal speed that most people drive. I drive that speed mostly to and from work, but I work 3rd shift. I go to work at 11pm when there is little to no traffic, and come home @ 7am when all the traffic is going the opposite direction. I have a high horsepower car that I did a lot of suspension modifictions on to make it handle better and be a safer car (brakes). Sure I drive 10-15mph more than most people do, but my car is designed to handle it. Going higher speeds in a car that is meant for it is a lot different from doing 90 is say a Ford Festiva...

Anyway, my point is this. I do tailgate to a degree, but not any closer than a car length away. I do not flash my lights or gesture to the driver in front of me either. I just try to make it known that I would like to pass, without being an a**hole or being overly rude. There is a big difference in driving fast, and driving fast like a maniac.

 

[iamme]

Originally posted by: Cyberian

Originally posted by: iamme
Ok, someone's tailgating you on a two lane normal road. You're going the speed limit. Their headlights are up yer rear bumper. What do you do?

iamme

There seems to be a lot of confusion here about what you mean by a 'two lane normal road'.
I assumed that you meant one lane in each direction, but you may have meant two lanes in each direction.
Maybe you could edit your first post or, probably better yet, make a new one.
I think that you have a real good question for all of us!

I originally meant a 2 lane (1 going in each direction) road. Once people started putting in highway situations, I decided to put "two lane" in my original post. Sorry for the confusion....I'll leave it at that, since it'd be a waste to start a new thread.

Anyways, the point is to see how people react to tailgaters in general. I agree the situation is a bit different on the highway, where the very left lane is known as the "passing lane". Regardless, just a poll to see how "agressive" you are when faced w/ any sort of tailgater in traffic.

IMO, tailgaters SUCK. I hate when some jackass decides to tailgate me, especially since I normally drive the speed limit or 5 over. Now that I'm older, married, and have a 3 year old, I rarely speed. To me, when I'm in my car with my family, I turn into "Mr. Ultra-safe" driver. So, when some jerk starts tailing me, I just ignore them and maintain my speed. Or if I'm annoyed, I usually go about 5 under the speed limit.

 

[Ultima]

Originally posted by: MichaelD

Originally posted by: iamme
I always maintain my speed and ignore them. When I was 16-17 and just got my license I used to slam my brakes

You try that down here in South Texas and somebody with no insurance, driving a 1972 Ford Duallie pickup with a cracked winshield and bald tires will run right up your @ss. I kid you not.

If you are in the passing (leftmost) lane and someone wants to pass you, let them pass. You are not the "Keeper of the Speed!" Just b/c you are doing 75 in a 70 does not mean you aren't holding up traffic.

If you would watch your rearview mirror a little more closely, you would be apple to see people coming up fast behind you in plenty of time to move the heck out of the way.

In this situation I agree, but what about when you're on a two-lane rural road with double lines and you're doing the limit or even above and someone is riding your ass? What about if you're on a suburban boulevard doing the limit or a bit above in any lane and someone is riding your ass?

 

[Ultima]

Originally posted by: ffmcobalt
When it comes to driving, and you start acting like an ass, you'll get 2xAss back at you. Tailgate me, and I'll throw you a couple seatbelt checks. Keep diong it and I'll slow down and change lanes whenever you do to keep you from passing me.

nik

Why don't you want them to pass you? As long as they're behind you, they'll keep tailgating you? Oh wait, let me guess: You WANT them to tailgate you?

 

[apoppin]

If someone tailgates me, I guess they want me to go faster - so I do the opposite of what they want - I slow down to the speed limit.

Of course, we are talking about 2 lane roads. If they are so stupid and inconsiderate to me to do something truely dangerous as tailgate, I figure if we are going to have an accident, it might as well be at a slower (legal) speed. When there is a real opportunity to pass, I slow further so as to make it obvious.

If they still don't get the hint, I make it my goal to make following me "hell" for them. I continuously speed up and then slow down (preferably speed up on upgrades and slow on downgrades) until they pass - it's never failed yet.

 

[Ultima]

Originally posted by: dolph
straight up. changing lanes to let tailgaters pass you is a definite no-no AS LONG AS you are doing the speed limit. though this reminds me of a story...
my friend has an a4 with little headlight jets that come up and spray water at pretty high pressure to clean the mud/snow/whatever off the lights, and one time this really funny big fat guy in a huge truck cut us off on the freeway (on our way to fry's, of course ) and my idiot friend decided to get his automotive revenge by fvcking with him for a few miles (pulling in front, slowing down, just really dumb sh!t). man, did that piss him off, he would come really close to our car (like, what was he going to do, hit us intentionally? he had a pretty nice truck, i don't think he had any interest in seeing it hurt), but when my friend got in front of him and did the headlight cleaner, it sprayed all over his windshield... oh man, was it over then, he pulled up right beside us and was waving his hand over to have us pull over so we could fight... we couldn't believe it, we just laughed and sped off. he might have been pretty big and (somewhat)strong, but we were 4 6'+ early 20s old guys... the idea that a grown man more than twice our age would want to fight all 4 of us because he cut us off and my dumb friend responded was too much. anyway, just to relate to this story, there was a fair amount of tailgating involved and tailgating is dumb.

um, changing lanes to let them pass is a definate YES YES if you're in the left lane. On a one-lane in each direction though what can you do?

 

[RayH]

Two words: flamethrower & exhaust

 

[stevens]

Hahah i have a great story. One time in the mountains these like 15 year old girls were tailing me on this twisty one way mountain road and there was no way they could pass me so i litterally took my foot of the gas and went about 3 miles an hour for like 20 min. The best part was that they couldnt do anything about it. btw tailgating is by far the most aggravating things ever so if you tail then you diserve to be pissed off!

 

[Deeko]

Depends. If someone pulls up behind me, and I know there are no cops around, I floor it and show them they ain't nothin But if its a cop infested area, or they do something to really piss me off like flash their lights, I slow down even more, sometimes like 10mph under the speed limit. Be polite, get your way. Piss me off, go even slower. Your choice

 

[Freejack2]

Odd, I never seem to have a problem with someone tailgating me.
Could it have anything to do with the fact that I bury that little needle on the right that says mph?

 

[Imported]

Depends where and when, but I usually ignore them, or speed up. Though I've had times where I go 60 on a 45mph backroad and people still tailgate me, thats when I just want to use the brakes but I'm afraid of hurting my baby..

 

[KokomoGST]

Originally posted by: RayH
Two words: flamethrower & exhaust

Well, I try to shoot my rear wiper jet if I'm going fast enough and they're close enough. They get a nice splash of wiper fluid on their windshield

It seems I'm always tailgated by either SUVs or stupid teenage kids or ricers and the occassional bastard cop. I could dust them if I want but there's often a cop just around the corner in my area and my car is far to willing to get up way past legal speeds. Since I have such a clean driving record and the insurance on my car would pretty much buy me another car if I got rear ended, I do sometimes "check my brakes" or engine brake. Engine brake really scares the crap out of them since you slow without any brake light indication... though my brakes are more than adequate to really get me rear ended if I wanted. I generally scare them with a sudden slowdown and then a quick burst of acceleration to avoid the accident. But then some people don't learn their lesson.

I don't tailgate if I want to pass you on a two-lane or more road. I'll flash my brights at proper following distance to indicate a request for a pass. It's not rude... it's in the damn driver practices manual for many states. Heck, they do that on the autobahn.

 

[Isla]

I don't do anything when someone is tailgating me. Traffic is so bad where I live (and road rage is so high) that it is really safer just to let them go around you. I like to smile and wave and blow kisses to people who are jerks in traffic. A lot of times I'll give them the thumb's up sign, especially when they beat me to a red light.

The last thing I am going to do is let someone else's idocy ruin my day.

 

[LH]

Tailgating doesnt bother me. I just continue the same speed(speed limit). They just better hope a cop doesnt see them, or they get a nice little ticket..

 

[Cyberian]

Originally posted by: Freejack2
Odd, I never seem to have a problem with someone tailgating me.
Could it have anything to do with the fact that I bury that little needle on the right that says mph?

And you can do this on any small 2-lane road near where you live?
Man, would I love to live in an area in which I could do 100+ MPH all day!

 

[iamme]

I wonder if someone's tailgating you real bad, if you can call the cops on your cell phone

Any chance they'll come and give 'em a ticket? That'd be friggin hilarious....

 

[PreDatoR]

I've done about all of them... I had one dude flag me down one day. Was in a 95 Escort GT doing 85 already and he was in a newer dodge pickup about 5 ft off my bumper. I flashed the light and he krept closer so i hammered them.. Just to the point they wanted to lock up went from 85 to 40 in no time. He locked his up. Then got right on my ass again. He couldn't catch me so i sped up then got over we was on the freeway got next to me motioned me to pull over so i did. I got out of my car before he did and had my trusty old Lousiville slugger with me 6'5 240lbs was intimidating i guess... He got back in his truck and sped off... The big chicken ass

 

[apoppin]

Originally posted by: Cyberian

Man, would I love to live in an area in which I could do 100+ MPH all day![/quote]

You may . . . There may still be time . . . sign up to become a cop.

 

[iamme]

Originally posted by: PreDatoR
I've done about all of them... I had one dude flag me down one day. Was in a 95 Escort GT doing 85 already and he was in a newer dodge pickup about 5 ft off my bumper. I flashed the light and he krept closer so i hammered them.. Just to the point they wanted to lock up went from 85 to 40 in no time. He locked his up. Then got right on my ass again. He couldn't catch me so i sped up then got over we was on the freeway got next to me motioned me to pull over so i did. I got out of my car before he did and had my trusty old Lousiville slugger with me 6'5 240lbs was intimidating i guess... He got back in his truck and sped off... The big chicken ass

You're 6'5" 240lbs and you fit in a Ford Escort? Not much headroom, I take it?

 

[cavemanmoron]

I have noticed that if i slow down just a little,not quickly,and then go back up to my "normal" speed
Usually the person will not follow so close.
If they still stay right behind me "tailgating",i look for a safe place to pull over,and let them go.
Years ago i was in a old chevy van,i had someone on my butt,really bad.I hit the brakes a couple times,slowed a little and then slammed on the brakes and blocked the road at an angle
I got out and started screaming at the lady driving, she yelled at me,I am going to the Hospital,my child
got stung by bees and is allergic!!!
Boy did I feel "proud".............
Another time i let this person go by,and another half mile up the road was a Policman had them pulled over! LOL

 

[Siddhartha]

I will move over If I can do safely. Otherwise I tap my brakes to make the tailgater back off. Usually the jerk behind me catches on after I hit my brakes two or three times.

 

[bigshot]

if im driving on the highway and in the left lane and some person is going like 100km/h in the left (should be about 130-140km/h) i get behind them, put my left blinker on and wait. if they dont move over to the right lane either I, move over to the right lane and pass them or i pass them on the shoulder. People must get it in their heads that the left lane is the fast lane, not for cars going 100-110km/h. this is how accidents happen when people drive to slow in the wrong lane. As for tailgatters, i hardly ever tailgate and if someone is tailgating me on the highway I move over, i dont slam the brakes or push the brakes, this is how accidents happen and can get yourself killed. if your not going fast enough for the person behind you, move over, if he wants to go faster let him. thats my theory

 

[NikPreviousAcct]

Originally posted by: Ultima

Originally posted by: ffmcobalt
When it comes to driving, and you start acting like an ass, you'll get 2xAss back at you. Tailgate me, and I'll throw you a couple seatbelt checks. Keep diong it and I'll slow down and change lanes whenever you do to keep you from passing me.

nik

Why don't you want them to pass you? As long as they're behind you, they'll keep tailgating you? Oh wait, let me guess: You WANT them to tailgate you?

No, you fsck. To piss them off. They piss me off enough and I'll piss them off.

nik