# tail gaters



## wdcutrsdaughter (Dec 9, 2012)

At least once a day, maybe twice, when commuting about 20 miles to the area where I work, I end up pulling over and letting tail gaters pass me. I usually go about 5 over the limit which translates to 40 in a 35 or 50 in a 45 but I REFUSE to do 50 in a 35 or 55 in a 45. It's just too fast for me (windy, hilly back roads) Especially with the frost heaves! I'm not trying to mess up the alignment on my car or busting something else by flying over the bumpy, cracked, icey road. I can't believe anyone would drive their car like that - I always wonder if it's a lease? Or they just killed someone? Who drives their car so recklessly? 
Maybe you're one of these people and you're happy I get out of your way.

Do you pull over or just let them ride your bumper?
I especially dislike when they are out of state. I have this little angry person in my head that wants them to go back where they came from.


----------



## IndyDave (Jul 17, 2017)

Evil and stupidity have in common that it seems like there should be a bottom limit but in reality there isn't. Since I put in most of my miles with the semi, I just smile in the knowledge that physics is on my side.


----------



## ticndig (Sep 7, 2014)

people here who want to speed simply pass you , they don't even wait for a passing zone. I prefer they pass so I no longer have to think about it . 

traffic is very lite in this area and most do 60mph everywhere they go.


----------



## alleyyooper (Apr 22, 2005)

My back country road is a ruff gravel road I tell people it is remenets of WWI trench training system it is so rough nd full of pot holes about 90% of the time.

Down the road is a man made lake surrounded by huge high dollar homes. It is about 2 miles from there to the main blacktop. they fly down this road summer and winder and dam the deer full speed ahead.

I am postive the cars and trucks are leased. I have to drive around the lake to get to some of my winter mow jobs and seems about ever two years there is a different car and/or truck parked in the drive or garage.


I might add a fellow I used to work with and was always bragging how short of time it took him to get from his home to work. He finely got his due when he passed som eone like they were going back wards. They called the law and reported him, didn't catch him that day but the next day when the law got the call they got him. Not just once but 4 times in one week before he decided the tickets were to high of a price.

 Al


----------



## wdcutrsdaughter (Dec 9, 2012)

IndyDave said:


> Evil and stupidity have in common that it seems like there should be a bottom limit but in reality there isn't. Since I put in most of my miles with the semi, I just smile in the knowledge that physics is on my side.


I've seen people do some pretty stupid moves with semi's on the highway. Dumb or suicidal, never can tell.



ticndig said:


> people here who want to speed simply pass you , they don't even wait for a passing zone. I prefer they pass so I no longer have to think about it .
> 
> traffic is very lite in this area and most do 60mph everywhere they go.


This happens too sometimes, if I don't pull over quick enough.


----------



## Evons hubby (Oct 3, 2005)

I thought all gaters have tails?


----------



## ladytoysdream (Dec 13, 2008)

It depends on the road, the weather conditions, and amount of traffic.
Sometimes I will pull over, sometimes not. 

Hubby used to drive a big highway plow truck. Going up a hill one day, on
a double line ( do not pass zone ), this vehicle goes by him. Blind hill coming
up, so it makes the situation even worse. The stupid driver made it, but not by much.


----------



## [email protected] (Sep 16, 2009)

that is one of my favorite peeves whether I am driving in front of them or riding behind someone with my daughters driving. 
I tell my daughters, you can keep up with that car ahead of you just the same from 100 yards behind them. I also ask them , do you really want to hit that car at this speed ?? 
for 5 years I chaufered a 40 ft long RV / bus type vehicle.. You wouldn't believe the things people do .
try to leave a safe braking distance behind the car ahead of you and car after car will dive into that space.


----------



## nehimama (Jun 18, 2005)

Same here. Winding roads with lots of hills, and no way to pass safely. I often pull over to let those in a hurry pass me. At the same time, I caution myself to not crowd a driver ahead of me, as *I* don't like it.


----------



## Grey Mare (Jun 28, 2013)

I had a guy in a huge truck tail gate me when I would drive my own F250 a lot. I flashed my brakes at him and he got even closer, so I hit my breaks. At the next stop light he got out, came to the window, starting to scream and shout at me, I held my phone up so he could see 911 was on speed dial, and told him to back away from my truck. 

That butthead followed me, would put his brights on, slow down then speed up, get really close, flash his lights and kept doing that for about 10 miles, to the point I thought he was going to follow me home so I called my husband to meet me out in our driveway. At the last moment he turned off, flipped me the bird. 

We have a lot of windy, twisting roads and it is amazing what people do on them. I have had my truck mirror ripped off twice last year when people would not move over or cut a corner as I was coming the opposite way. The last time that happened, the guy tried to say I was at fault, I pointed to the snow bank I was half in and asked him exactly how did he come to that assumption?! His company paid for my mirror.


----------



## IMFoghorn (Jan 28, 2012)

I pull over and let them go when it is convenient. Life is too short. Besides, I'd rather have them in front of be as behind. I either get to see them on the side of the road or I don't. Win/win for me.


----------



## AmericanStand (Jul 29, 2014)

“I especially dislike when they are out of state. I have this little angry person in my head that wants them to go back where they came from. “

It always seems especially rude to go to somebody else’s place and ignore their rules .
Didn’t their parents ever teach them to be nice guests?


----------



## AmericanStand (Jul 29, 2014)

Never do a brake check on an aggravating person , it’s actually a criminal offense. However it’s totally legal to be over enthusiastic about braking for a rabbit you see dodging for the road.



However if you’re driving a Taurus you may want to think long and hard before using the strategy with a semi truck behind you.


----------



## Grey Mare (Jun 28, 2013)

American Stand, did I forget to say there was a young doe that darted out in front of me? My bad!  

Semi's I am very patient and always give them the right of way.


----------



## itsb (Jan 13, 2013)

I have drove trucks of all sizes all my life even hauling oversize equipment, I hate tailgaters, and it seems that semi's are some of the worst any more, I just pull over and let them by now a days, every one is in a hurry anymore, which bring someone that pulls out of a side road and you have to slow down for them and go 1/4 mile and you have to slow down for them to exit to another road Grrrrrr!


----------



## AmericanStand (Jul 29, 2014)

What’s up with the Guy that will wait during several minutes of empty road and then pulls out when I have to lock up my brakes To keep from hitting him?
The other day was a moron does that and when I come to a stop I am literally inches from the side of his truck and he wants me to back up so he can finish his turn !


----------



## haypoint (Oct 4, 2006)

Safety requires a car length for each 10 MPH.
If I'm driving 60, I keep 6 car lengths in front of me. If someone is 3 car lengths behind me, for safety sake, I reduce my speed from 60, to the safety of 30 MPH. If they get two car lengths, I drop my speed to 20, just to be safe.


----------



## GTX63 (Dec 13, 2016)

Tailgaters are either poorly taught/learned drivers or they are trying to influence your driving with theirs. It is almost always one or the other. 
Distracted drivers fall into the first category.


----------



## ydderf (Dec 15, 2018)

Does anyone remember Red Greens cures for tailgaters the one I liked best was a travel mug permanently attached to the roof of his car. He also had an episode where a string in the drivers compartment would cause his rear bumper to fall. He then went on to explain it was a bad idea to release the bumper when in front of a police car.


----------



## Bearfootfarm (Jul 13, 2006)

Yvonne's hubby said:


> I thought all gaters have tails?


Gaters have gates
Gators have tails

There used to be a woman who would ride so close to my bumper nearly every morning that I couldn't see her headlights in the mirror.

She once went off the road to pass me going down an interstate on ramp.
When she did it, her tire threw up a rock that cracked my windshield.

I considered causing her to rear end me in my old truck, which would have probably put my trailer hitch through her radiator, but I moved before I got a chance.


----------



## CKelly78z (Jul 16, 2017)

It's amazing how quickly someone that is tailgating me with their brights, and fog lights on, back off when I adjust my left rear view mirror to reflect their lights back into their own eyes. These people are usually hugging the center line, looking for a chance to risk their lives (and mine) passing on a hilly road. I will just move over to the right, and aim my mirror at their eyes, and move it around a bit so it flashes them occasionally.


----------



## light rain (Jan 14, 2013)

I usually drive the speed limit or 5 to 7 over if it is good conditions and not at dusk or dawn. We will not have good driving conditions for at least another 6 weeks or more... And we always deal with 2 to 6 deer bounding breakneck speed from a field or woods. I will slow down and make it easier for someone to pass if they don't keep some breathing space. Unfortunately often they slow down initially, don't pass and resume riding my tail. 

I do wonder sometimes if I would have any sympathy if I saw them down the road wrapped around a big old oak. Probably only if there were children involved...


----------



## MoonRiver (Sep 2, 2007)

This happened many years ago, but I remember it like it was yesterday.

I was in the middle lane of a 3 lane interstate doing about 5 mph over speed limit. Traffic was fairly heavy with traffic in all 3 lanes.

A car started tailgating me so closely that if I needed to brake, there was no way he could avoid hitting me. I tapped my brakes, but he continued to stay right on my bumper. Tapped the brakes a couple more times and he still wouldn't back off.

I slowed down a little so there was a little more room in front of me, hit the brakes hard, and then immediately sped up so he wouldn't hit me. I thought that would be enough to get him to back off.

It wasn't. He starts darting in and out of traffic until he pulled ahead of me in the outside lane, then he swerves in front of me and hit the brakes. I had backed off a little when I saw him darting in and out of traffic, so I just barely had time to hit the brakes and avoid a high speed accident.

The idiot had his wife and 2 small kids in the car with him. He could have killed all of us, plus probably taken a few other cars with us.

Since then, I try to find a way to get out of the way of tailgaters even if it means pulling into a parking lot or exiting the highway. Anyone who would tailgate is not playing with a full deck.


----------



## [email protected] (Sep 16, 2009)

more than once I have braked almost to a stop because of deer on the road and have had people pass me..
our rule of thumb is, the first deer is usually not the one that gets hit. always assume there will be more
if someone insists on tailgating me, I slow down to about 10 mph below the speed limit if there is a place to pass. If they don't pass, I don't speed up.
I also love those people who try to make me pull into the left lane so they can enter from the ramp.
how come they can adjust their speed to come in right along side of me, but can't seem to come in behind or in front ???
same with the person who pulls up beside me when going past the ramp entrance.


----------



## MoonRiver (Sep 2, 2007)

Have you ever noticed that on 2 lane roads (1 lane in each direction) that people tend to slow down in no passing zones and then speed up in passing zones? Drives me crazy.


----------



## wdcutrsdaughter (Dec 9, 2012)

seems I am in good company with my frustrations
be safe you guys road rage can get real ugly


----------



## haypoint (Oct 4, 2006)

A couple years ago , a tail gating issue turned to road rage. When they got to a car wash, both cars pulled in and each driver got out, both open carry. Each had intended on frightening the other. Both aimed at the other and both pulled the trigger. Both died.
Another tailgate turned road rage, old guy and young guy. When the light turned red, all the traffic stopped, the young guy seized the opportunity to tell the old guy what he thought of his driving. He jumped out of his truck and ran up to the old guy's car. His window was down. When the young guy reached into the car, the old guy shot him dead through the car door. 

I once had a guy tailgating me on a cold wintery night. No traffic anywhere, but he stayed a couple feet behind me. not wanting any trouble, I pulled off to the side of the road and stopped. But he just sat there behind me. I knew if I drove off, he'd just continue. So, I jumped out of my Jeep and went back to see what the problem was. He was looking for a fight and got out and the fight was on. I didn't think I could get back to my vehicle without him attacking me. Bare fisted boxing in the darkness and near zero temps is awful. I realized how alone we were and that if he was able to get me down, he could kill me. Being left handed, I landed a few to right eye, knocked him down and got back in the jeep and headed home. Looking back, I should have just stayed in the Jeep.

Mostly, in the U.P. traffic is so light you pass and don't tail gate.


----------



## Alice In TX/MO (May 10, 2002)

The other type of tailgater is a friend of mine. He is retired Army, and he drove lead Humvee in too many convoys under fire. He still drives like that. I find it nerve wracking.


----------



## [email protected] (Sep 16, 2009)

my daughters boy friend races stock cars. I have not ridden with him, but from what my daughter says, I am not in a real big hurry to..


----------



## Shrek (May 1, 2002)

For 40 years I have either had an amber gumball state road specification mounted on the toolbox of my truck or interior roof mounted strobes for roadside warning in low visibility condition traffic jams or when doing road side service or wide load tow escort for a friend who ran our tow service and I still have the amber strobes inside roof mounted to augment my SUV hazard flashers in case of traffic jams, following behind tractors, bicyclists or such.

Since I drive the speed limit, if someone chooses to tailgate me, until they pass and I slow at the same time as they take the passing lane to keep myself at a car length per 10 mph more quickly, I figure if they hit me , they buy it.

If they tailgate to where I cant see the hood of their car over my spare tire or have a turn coming up, I turn on the strobes first as I coast slow and they either go around me or I turn on my signal to turn off. That way the tailgater just figures I am a road or utility contractor escort crew doing an inspection and usually backs off.


----------



## wannabfarmer (Jun 30, 2015)

I am a speeder but I don't tailgate and I don't brake check. I also won't pull over for a a person following too close. I will let my foot off the gas and gradually slow down and watch them hit their brakes until they change lanes and going flying by. after they get a little ahead and are doing WAY above the speed limit I go back to speeding lol. This method has gotten me out of a lot of tickets. I usually do 10 mph or more over on the highways. backroads I limit it to 5 to 7. If someone wants to tail me on a backroad I will slow down and do the exact speed limit. singing and slightly dancing with a howdy wave if they decide to pass usually sets them off more knowing they didn't make me mad. 

I cant stand people that just ride in the left lane for no reason. if there is traffic the left lane is a passing lane and if you aren't passing or going with the flow of traffic get over. people feel that because they are doing the speed limit they are fine to be in the left lane, ive seen a few cops hit the lights to get them to move over then turn them off to go by because they are slowing rush hour traffic.


----------



## Alice In TX/MO (May 10, 2002)

I am glad you mentioned the left lane issue.


----------



## Meinecke (Jun 30, 2017)

Coming out of a car centric country where car driving is a science and not a "mom and dad told me how" thing, i am not tail gating even if the person in front of me is def not knowing what he/she is doing, but i have a few people all the time tailgating me (normally doing more than enough above allowed)...and mostly with LED bars or high beam running without probably knowing that they do or even dont care that it could bother someone...
But the worst thing that i still cant stand due to its unbelievable insanity is left and right passing on highways here...
Or even zig zagging...its just an accident waiting to happen...i am MORE then surprised that uncle darwin is not taking more out of the gene pool to protect us others from them spreading there genes
Really miss my 140 on my way to work...


----------



## hiddensprings (Aug 6, 2009)

I never pull over. I'm inclined to slow down but usually talk myself out of it.


----------



## haypoint (Oct 4, 2006)

When riding in the passenger seat, the driver always seems to tailgate a bit and approach a stop light a bit more abruptly than they should. But swap seats and the complaints are the same. I think the driver focusing on the whole driving experience, while the passenger is only noticing the obstacles in front of them.

The left lane issue is simple when there are dual lanes. You stay right until passing. But with three, four or five lanes it gets more complex.
Numbered right to left, lane 1 is where the semis and old people can drive. Lane 2 is traffic going the posted speed, plus 3-4 mph. lane 3 and 4 is for those running 5 to 10 over the limit. Some times, I travel in lane 1, in heavier traffic, lane 2. But unusually common for the vehicle running 10 over, with open lanes 3 and 4, pass on the right. Sometimes, I'm heading to lane 1 and have to wait for them to get out of the way. Sometimes, they pass me on the right and before they can get past me, they come up to a lane 1 vehicle going slower than me and get boxed in. Then they either cut in front of me nearly clipping the vehicle in lane 1. Sometimes they slow down, cut behind me and pass in the lane on the left that they should have been in the first place.

A few years ago, I had a commute that put me on a 5 lane expressway on the far left lane. Two miles down the road was my exit on the far right lane. If there wasn't space to merge right, I'd try to slow a bit, so that car could get by, leaving me with an opening. But if I slow down, the cars behind me start flowing into that lane to the right, closing any gap that I might have been able to get into. But once I do find a space that I can dive into, I still had to repeat that effort three more times and do it before I get to my exit. I had to learn to drive far more aggressively than I'd ever had to before.


----------



## anniew (Dec 12, 2002)

Sounds like some posters are influenced by other drivers to road rage stage themselves.
If someone is tailgating, why risk being part of an accident when you can just pull over and let them pass. 
Getting upset or the other driver getting upset just sets up for a nasty confrontation.
It isn't worth it. The object is to get where you are going safely....NOT to proving to the other driver that you are right and he is wrong.


----------



## haypoint (Oct 4, 2006)

My senior citizen mother accepted an offer to accompany a senior citizen friend to Florida. In southern Ohio, on I-75, they were cruising along at 70 MPH, in the middle of three lanes.

An empty flat bed trailer semi came up behind them, passed on the right. Then as he was mostly past them, changed into the center lane. The last tire on the trailer ran down the passenger side of their van, snapping off the rear view mirror and shattering the passenger window. The glass pieces covered my mother's lap and the sudden road noise as the semi kept going was quite startling. At a truck stop, they used some clear plastic and duct tape to cover the opening.

She was ticked that the semi never stopped. However, being the bad son, explained that they had no business in the center lane at the posted 70 MPH. They should have been over in the right lane. I also guessed the semi driver had no idea he'd side swiped them. I speculated that the far left lane was cars going 85 MPH, the far right lane was trucks going 70 MPH. The trucker couldn't cut into the left lane, cut into the right lane to get around them, but was gaining on a vehicle in the right lane, so entered the center lane when he thought he was past their van.

She thought since they were going at the maximum posted speed, the center lane gave them the best view of the road and all the blame falls on the trucker. I see mitigating circumstances.


----------



## georger (Sep 15, 2003)




----------



## ydderf (Dec 15, 2018)

I tend to drive 10KMH over the posted limit. If I get a tailgater I do everything I can to facilitate their passing me. They make wonderful radar detectors.


----------



## wannabfarmer (Jun 30, 2015)

I believe the driving test should be harder. most of the questions on the permit and license test are a joke. they should have questions on which lane you should be traveling in on an expressway, or at a 4 way stop sign who goes first. I know they cover it in the manual but most people don't know these things and it causes accidents. I feel anyone on their phone while driving should get ticketed and 5 points on their license. there is absolutely no reason to be on your phone while driving. cars offer hands free Bluetooth and if your car doesn't have it you can buy one on amazon for cheap or just wait until you can pull over.


----------



## wannabfarmer (Jun 30, 2015)

georger I love how he said I tried to keep a safe distance between me and the other vehicles but the officer called that speeding. I cracked up laughing.

I got out of a ticket doing 55 in a 35. I got pulled over and the cop asked if I knew and I said no and he said speeding. I said I wasn't and he said I was doing 55 in a 35 and I said well I was coming up to the 55 speed limit sign and he said that I wasn't at the sign yet. I said I knew that but in all fairness it was 55 before this small 35 zone but you expect me to slow down before the 35 zone so I felt it was only fair to speed up before the 55. he laughed and gave me a warning because he's never heard that one before.


----------



## MoonRiver (Sep 2, 2007)

anniew said:


> Sounds like some posters are influenced by other drivers to road rage stage themselves.
> If someone is tailgating, why risk being part of an accident when you can just pull over and let them pass.
> Getting upset or the other driver getting upset just sets up for a nasty confrontation.
> It isn't worth it. The object is to get where you are going safely....NOT to proving to the other driver that you are right and he is wrong.


I bet traffic bothers you more than you think.

One day I wore a finger pulse monitor while driving. Having a truck pull in front of me raised my pulse by 7 points. Getting stuck behind someone driving 5 mph under the speed limit raised it about 5 points. 

It was an interesting exercise to see just how much we are affected by things around us without even realizing it. Simply getting on to the interstate raised my pulse.


----------



## MoonRiver (Sep 2, 2007)

Duplicate


----------



## MoonRiver (Sep 2, 2007)

haypoint said:


> My senior citizen mother accepted an offer to accompany a senior citizen friend to Florida. In southern Ohio, on I-75, they were cruising along at 70 MPH, in the middle of three lanes.
> 
> An empty flat bed trailer semi came up behind them, passed on the right. Then as he was mostly past them, changed into the center lane. The last tire on the trailer ran down the passenger side of their van, snapping off the rear view mirror and shattering the passenger window. The glass pieces covered my mother's lap and the sudden road noise as the semi kept going was quite startling. At a truck stop, they used some clear plastic and duct tape to cover the opening.
> 
> ...


I'm with your mom. 1) They were driving the speed limit, 2) the outside lane on interstates often turns into an exit lane and interstate becomes a 2 lane, 3) truck was speeding, 4) truck driver was reckless. 

When towing my travel trailer, I usually stay in the right hand lane, but especially in heavy traffic I often move in 1 lane. The reason is the right hand lane often changes to an exit lane and most drivers don't give RVers the courtesy of letting them merge back into traffic. Recently I noticed that on some newer interstates, the entrance lane continues, often for miles, and then becomes an exit lane. So the interstate is constantly going from 4 lanes down to 3 lanes and back to 4 lanes. For through traffic, you don't want to be in the far right hand lane or else you are having to merge back into traffic every few miles.


----------



## IndyDave (Jul 17, 2017)

wannabfarmer said:


> I believe the driving test should be harder. most of the questions on the permit and license test are a joke. they should have questions on which lane you should be traveling in on an expressway, or at a 4 way stop sign who goes first. I know they cover it in the manual but most people don't know these things and it causes accidents. I feel anyone on their phone while driving should get ticketed and 5 points on their license. there is absolutely no reason to be on your phone while driving. cars offer hands free Bluetooth and if your car doesn't have it you can buy one on amazon for cheap or just wait until you can pull over.


No, that won't help. Forcing people to jump through more hoops in order to prove they know how to do right does not cause them to choose to do right thereafter.


----------



## wannabfarmer (Jun 30, 2015)

then increase the penalties Indy. I know neither will stop it all together but one or both should reduce occurrences.


----------



## [email protected] (Sep 16, 2009)

sometimes it is impossible to just pull over and let them pass. sometimes it is inadvisable .. (as on a desolate stretch late at night) or if you are driving a large vehicle and pulling back into traffic is difficult, not to mention dangerous.
My wife does this that drives me nuts.
she waits until the very last second to get into the turn lane that she has to take. this happens in town where she drives every day. she can go for many blocks with every opertunety to get into the correct lane, but doesn't do it..


----------



## anniew (Dec 12, 2002)

Moon River, glad you can tell how I feel about it...are you a psychic? 
Maybe you don't have the same grip on how you feel...
Just do the right thing and worry about the others less...


----------



## Ryan. (Aug 3, 2018)

I slowly drop my speed 10mph and force them to pass me.


----------



## MoonRiver (Sep 2, 2007)

anniew said:


> Moon River, glad you can tell how I feel about it...are you a psychic?
> Maybe you don't have the same grip on how you feel...
> Just do the right thing and worry about the others less...


You seem quick to take offense, when none was intended or shown. I didn't say how you feel, but I suggested how you think you feel and how your body reacts are not necessarily the same. 

I'm not psychic, I was wearing a pulse monitor, so I saw in real time how my heart rate changed due to circumstances outside of my control. I never would have guessed my heart rate would change so quickly. Just goes to show we all have stresses we are not aware of.


----------



## anniew (Dec 12, 2002)

No your pulse rate doesn't "show WE all have stresses we are not aware of"...it only shows YOU have stresses you weren't aware of. You can't generalize based on one person...YOU.


----------



## Redlands Okie (Nov 28, 2017)

anniew said:


> No your pulse rate doesn't "show WE all have stresses we are not aware of"...it only shows YOU have stresses you weren't aware of. You can't generalize based on one person...YOU.


Hmm, a couple of posts appears to be raising a few pulses......

Generally speaking that is.


----------



## MichaelZ (May 21, 2013)

Like the OP, I will often turn off on a county highway and the get back on. I especially do this if it less safe to pass, like at night or if it snowing. It is a win-win. I am happy and the person behind me is too.

You can’t get in a collision with another if there is no one near enough to collide with!


----------



## Nimrod (Jun 8, 2010)

Perhaps the OP was referring to a University of Florida coed? Oh wait, that would be a shave tail gater.


----------



## AmericanStand (Jul 29, 2014)

ydderf said:


> He then went on to explain it was a bad idea to release the bumper when in front of a police car.


Lol Reminds me of my kids.
One year I got a magnificent deal on a 14 1/2 foot slide in camper, just the right thing for a trip to Alaska right?
One problem the holding tank had frozen one year and so the bottom had fell out of it, I didn’t think that would be a problem since we would be setting the camper in one place for most of the summer and I can easily hook up a soil pipe. 
I explained the situation to the kids and told them that they could use the toilet but only when we were in the country and away from everyone else .
Apparently what they heard was eat and drink everything you can so that you could save up a big load for tailgaters. 
Imagine my horror when I looked behind me to see a shiny new state trooper car almost underneath me !
Luckily he passed my load before they could pass their load !


----------



## Grafton County Couple (Sep 20, 2018)

I tend to slow down and, dependent on traffic, will move over/let them pass. It affords me the pleasure of slowing to the minimally allowed speed limit so that I can wave at them when pulled over.  
My wife's favorite line. . ."please feel free to have my ticket".


----------



## farmrbrown (Jun 25, 2012)

My driving habits would not be considered overly polite, but I try not to tailgate on 2 lane roads, just pass when I get the chance so we can both drive in our own comfort zones. Occasionally I encounter this though.....


> Have you ever noticed that on 2 lane roads (1 lane in each direction) that people tend to slow down in no passing zones and then speed up in passing zones? Drives me crazy.


..........and then slow back down after they speed up to keep you from passing them.

But it's hard to overcome the annoyance of the left lane "blockers" who have a line of cars behind them in the passing lane of the interstate and won't take the hint that it's time to move over to the right.

Since I've never had the opportunity to ask anyone that likes to do the "brake check" to tailgaters, I gotta ask.

If you didn't like them that close to your bumper, does it really seem like a good idea to try and get them to actually rear end you? Isn't that risking the very thing you were trying to avoid?


----------



## Alice In TX/MO (May 10, 2002)

Uh. No. We are avoiding being continually irritated. 

They learn to avoid a three way hitch in their grill.


----------



## IndyDave (Jul 17, 2017)

farmrbrown said:


> *My driving habits would not be considered overly polite*, but I try not to tailgate on 2 lane roads, just pass when I get the chance so we can both drive in our own comfort zones. Occasionally I encounter this though.....
> 
> ..........and then slow back down after they speed up to keep you from passing them.
> 
> ...


Good post overall, but that first phrase if I understand correctly is much like my philosophy on driving: I am not there to be a jerk, but at the same time, I am not there to be a doormat.


----------



## farmrbrown (Jun 25, 2012)

Alice In TX/MO said:


> Uh. No. We are avoiding being continually irritated.
> 
> They learn to avoid a three way hitch in their grill.


Yeah, I realize that's the _*plan*_, but after reading some of the posts where it ended badly, I wondered if the outcome is usually better or worse?
From casual observation, it usually escalates after that, YMMV.


----------



## farmrbrown (Jun 25, 2012)

IndyDave said:


> Good post overall, but that first phrase if I understand correctly is much like my philosophy on driving: I am not there to be a jerk, but at the same time, I am not there to be a doormat.


LOL, yeah.
I guess because I'm usually driving faster, I have a totally different view on being tailgated.
I figure on the rare occasion the other guy is in a bigger hurry than ME, I'm just gonna get outta his way, cuz it must be REALLY important!


----------



## Danaus29 (Sep 12, 2005)

MoonRiver said:


> When towing my travel trailer, I usually stay in the right hand lane, but especially in heavy traffic I often move in 1 lane. The reason is the right hand lane often changes to an exit lane and most drivers don't give RVers the courtesy of letting them merge back into traffic. Recently I noticed that on some newer interstates, the entrance lane continues, often for miles, and then becomes an exit lane. So the interstate is constantly going from 4 lanes down to 3 lanes and back to 4 lanes. For through traffic, you don't want to be in the far right hand lane or else you are having to merge back into traffic every few miles.


This ^^^^ in EVERY large city!!!! And no one knows how to merge. They expect you to move over to let them on the highway. Then 50 feet onto the highway they are doing 80 past you.

Semi's rarely travel in the outermost lanes through Columbus for this reason and the road construction. All the signs in the construction zones say "trucks use left lane". Of course they are usually going 75 to 80 in the 65 (or 55 in the construction zones) areas anyway. 

A couple days ago I had one of those idiot tail-gaiters on my back door. Despite me going 10 mph under the limit and them having several opportunities to pass they decided to stay 10 feet from my bumper. I won't be pulling over for idiots because there are really no areas to pull over unless you use someones driveway. Then you have to back out onto a road with a 55 mph speed limit. 

I read once where a better idea than a brake check is to run your windshield washer. I've had several people behind me who have had to run their wipers because they were too close when bugs hit my windshield.


----------



## Farmerjack41 (Jun 6, 2017)

The last fifteen years or so, that I was in law enforcement, I drove a totally unmarked vehicle. Would get tail gaiters come up be hind me, activate the lights in my back window. 99% of the time you could see their front bump hit the ground as they had hit their brakes so hard. The ones that didn't back off were DUI suspects. There were always a few that a citation had to issued to wake them up. Had no time for professional drivers that tail gated, have seen what happens when a truck weighing 105,000 lbs runs over the back end of a car. Not a fun job picking up body parts from that mess.


----------



## gilberte (Sep 25, 2004)

What are you people doing on MY roads? The roads are there for me to drive as I please. Stay off them!


----------



## [email protected] (Sep 16, 2009)

back in the day when the headlights did not come on automatically when the car was started,
I used to pull the headlight switch. that made the tail lights come on, but it looked like I hit the brakes.
some people got the message, others, well , they never will..


----------



## farmrbrown (Jun 25, 2012)

Danaus29 said:


> I read once where a better idea than a brake check is to run your windshield washer. I've had several people behind me who have had to run their wipers because they were too close when bugs hit my windshield.


It was only after a motorcycle rider told me about this one that I realized this was a new "thing" to do nowadays.
The guy thought it was funny to spray him, not for tailgating, just for fun. 

I was oblivious to it because sometimes I'll spray my own windshield to get the dust and dirt off of it and didn't think anyone would do it intentionally to spray the car behind them, probably because it's completely useless to do to an enclosed car.
I found it far better than intentionally trying to cause a collision, though.

I'm constantly amazed at the way people act on the roads. It just never occurs to me to interfere with someone else's forward progress or to hinder their path. If they want to go faster, I just let them. If they're too slow for my taste, I simply go around.
I leave the traffic control to the guys who are paid to do that job. As far as endangering other people's lives by wrecking them, I wouldn't advise that. A vehicle can be just as deadly as a firearm.


This thread reminded me about a strange but true incident that happened years ago in NC. The DJ's talking about it (John Boy and Billy) thought Petty might have had a flashback moment like Mohamed Ali.
In NASCAR, it's called using the "chrome horn".


https://www.greensboro.com/richard-...cle_9b367971-70ea-5a5a-97a6-af97a4975884.html


----------



## CKelly78z (Jul 16, 2017)

So, now I am thinking about re-aiming my passenger side windshield sprayer to spray completely over (MY) windshield.


----------



## farmrbrown (Jun 25, 2012)

Or you could do what a guy on the interstate did when he finally moved over to the right, he threw his milkshake on my hood as I passed him.

I think he regretted it a few moments later when my claw hammer came into view thru thru my driver's window.


It's hard enough to fix a car, but you can't fix stupid.


----------



## AmericanStand (Jul 29, 2014)

haypoint said:


> When riding in the passenger seat, the driver always seems to tailgate a bit and approach a stop light a bit more abruptly than they should. But swap seats and the complaints are the same. I think the driver focusing on the whole driving experience, while the passenger is only noticing the obstacles in front of them.
> 
> The left lane issue is simple when there are dual lanes. You stay right until passing. But with three, four or five lanes it gets more complex.
> Numbered right to left, lane 1 is where the semis and old people can drive. Lane 2 is traffic going the posted speed, plus 3-4 mph. lane 3 and 4 is for those running 5 to 10 over the limit. Some times, I travel in lane 1, in heavier traffic, lane 2. But unusually common for the vehicle running 10 over, with open lanes 3 and 4, pass on the right. Sometimes, I'm heading to lane 1 and have to wait for them to get out of the way. Sometimes, they pass me on the right and before they can get past me, they come up to a lane 1 vehicle going slower than me and get boxed in. Then they either cut in front of me nearly clipping the vehicle in lane 1. Sometimes they slow down, cut behind me and pass in the lane on the left that they should have been in the first place.
> ...


Arrrrrreughhhh!
The number two lane is the passing lane almost always gets the passing lane. 
The first lane is for entering and exiting and most of the time semis 
If you see a sign that says trucks right two lanes only the second lane is the only lane that A semi can pass in. 
Read that again and think about it 567 810 lanes of traffic and the only lane a truck can pass anybody in Is the second. 
If there’s anyway you can stay out of it please.
The left lane is always the Hammer lane nobody ever gets out of it because they think they’re not going fast enough nobody ever gets out of it to let somebody else pass it is the go fast and unfortunately everyone has a different idea of go fast. 
Please once again I am a whore you stay out of the second lane .


----------



## AmericanStand (Jul 29, 2014)

haypoint said:


> My senior citizen mother accepted an offer to accompany a senior citizen friend to Florida. In southern Ohio, on I-75, they were cruising along at 70 MPH, in the middle of three lanes.
> 
> An empty flat bed trailer semi came up behind them, passed on the right. Then as he was mostly past them, changed into the center lane. The last tire on the trailer ran down the passenger side of their van, snapping off the rear view mirror and shattering the passenger window. The glass pieces covered my mother's lap and the sudden road noise as the semi kept going was quite startling. At a truck stop, they used some clear plastic and duct tape to cover the opening.
> 
> ...


I feel for the truck drivers frustration with them over there blocking that passing lane but at the same time I had hanging for hitting thim no excuse Four port driving truckers I’ve got to learn to deal with idiots of every type and size frustrations every moment


----------



## Alice In TX/MO (May 10, 2002)

Mine hasn’t yet.


----------



## AmericanStand (Jul 29, 2014)

MoonRiver said:


> I bet traffic bothers you more than you think.
> 
> One day I wore a finger pulse monitor while driving. Having a truck pull in front of me raised my pulse by 7 points. Getting stuck behind someone driving 5 mph under the speed limit raised it about 5 points.
> 
> It was an interesting exercise to see just how much we are affected by things around us without even realizing it. Simply getting on to the interstate raised my pulse.


 Since I make a living on the highways and interstates of America that fully explains my heartbeat sometimes exceeding 10 million beats per second 
I knew there was a reason I felt like a hummingbird


----------



## HDRider (Jul 21, 2011)

ydderf said:


> I tend to drive 10KMH over the posted limit. If I get a tailgater I do everything I can to facilitate their passing me. They make wonderful radar detectors.


That is my strategy too, but we call it MPH


----------



## TripleD (Feb 12, 2011)

After reading thru this thread I'm just glad I put so few miles on the road. I go about 8 months between my 3000 mile oil changes.


----------



## haypoint (Oct 4, 2006)

TripleD said:


> After reading thru this thread I'm just glad I put so few miles on the road. I go about 8 months between my 3000 mile oil changes.


I was just figuring that in my head yesterday. I've owned 10 vehicles that I've logged 200,000 miles in. Hit one deer and hit by another vehicle three times. Never in a ditch. Never struck another vehicle. Most of my driving has been in low traffic areas. Much driving has been in snow covered roads.


----------



## itsb (Jan 13, 2013)

the worst tail gaters, I have run into are the cops, I hate it when they get right on my bumper, one time they even ram'ed the back of my car! and as I sit here in jail, I sill say started it!!!!!!!!!


----------



## IndyDave (Jul 17, 2017)




----------



## light rain (Jan 14, 2013)

I was in the big city a few days ago. Sitting in the left lane at a stop light. A little car behind me had been following too close. I'm in the left lane 'cause I know the right lane ends in about 30 ft. Also visible is a sign that says the rt. lane ends. As soon as the light chgs. to green the little car floors it to pass in the intersection to get in front of me. I said a choice word but kept my hands on the wheel, no gestures, either Italian or otherwise 'cause nowadays you really don't know the mental state of other drivers. I believe it was a woman and since we were going in the same direction for a few miles I saw her tailgating the whole way.

While I would like to blame this ignorance on the state south of us I don't think that is an accurate assumption. Had a black plate with 4 white/cream numbers on it...


----------



## AmericanStand (Jul 29, 2014)

TripleD said:


> After reading thru this thread I'm just glad I put so few miles on the road. I go about 8 months between my 3000 mile oil changes.


Lol
I drove 5280 miles the week before Christmas I thought it was interesting the way it came out the same as feet in a mile


----------



## AmericanStand (Jul 29, 2014)

Ever notice how the tailgating distance varies depending on where you’re at? On interstate 80 in Wyoming tailgating is pretty much anybody you can see in your rearview mirror in New York City if they haven’t rubbed the chrome off your bumper they’re not really trying.


----------



## AmericanStand (Jul 29, 2014)

This thread convinces me that my paintball idea is a good one.
You get one paint ball
with every 20 gallons of gasoline you may shoot it and anyone who aggravate you
You get one clean wipe with every hundred gallons of gasoline you may use it to remove a paintball
Whenever one side of your vehicle becomes covered with paint you must turn in your car your drivers license and spend a week in jail


----------



## [email protected] (Sep 16, 2009)

I just thought of the standing still tail gaters.
when I was building houses, I had a tool truck that the doors swung out to the rear.
I would park at the lumber yard and come out with a load of boards to put into my truck. the lot could be half empty, but some jerk would always pull up behind my truck so that I couldn't open the doors..
I soon learned to park using half of each parking space.
last year I got to Fleet Farm store just as they were opening at 7AM. only 2 cars in the lot. I like to drive out of a space rather than back out. but with the lack of cars, I just pulled into a space normally..
before I got into the store a young woman came driving in and parked nose to nose to my truck.. 200 empty parking spaces and she does that..


----------



## AmericanStand (Jul 29, 2014)

I have found that a red or blue baseball cap as appropriate placed on the dash or hat shelf of your vehicle will seriously detour tailgating


----------



## AmericanStand (Jul 29, 2014)

Yes it aggravates me when somebody can pull through and they don’t...

Backing up is more dangerous than pulling out


----------



## haypoint (Oct 4, 2006)

I guess I'm lucky. Riding my bumper is so uncommon, when I read the title of this thread, I think about the feast in the parking lot before a football game. In 40 years the menu has evolved from burned hotdogs, chips and beer to a variety of cheeses, crackers, mixed fruit, wine, beer from a micro brewery, sliced beef, turkey, ham and apple fritters.


----------



## mzgarden (Mar 16, 2012)

When my boys were older teens they had a similar aged friend that drove a surplus Army Ambulance - it was a big old thing. He mounted a single airport runway light on the top rear of the bus pointing pretty much down at his bumper. Tailgaters got lit up. 

On the highway we live on, a young man passed against the double yellow lane, re-entering his lane, he clipped the guy he was passing, put him in the ditch on one side, spun his own car around and killed a guy that was dragging his trashcans out to the road on the other side.

When I was learning to drive, Dad took me into the mountains for some 'winding road' driving. I was on the mountain side lane heading 'up', came around the mountain to find a car heading down the mountain in my lane, passing someone - not cool. He jerked his car back into his lane, clipped the rear end of the guy he was passing, spun around and hit the mountain in front of me, spun around again and ended up dangling over the side of the mountain. Taught me a forever lesson about being an impatient driver. Nearly 50 years have gone by and I can still see his face of terror.


----------



## Windswept Hill (Nov 23, 2010)

There is nothing like Route 3 in North Jersey during rush hour .

Three solid lanes of cars going 60 with maybe two car lengths between.

If you leave too much room someone will cut in.......


----------



## IndyDave (Jul 17, 2017)

Windswept Hill said:


> .
> 
> If you leave too much room someone will cut in.......


Excellent observation. I prefer to leave enough distance to have a reasonable chance to stop if something goes sideways, but the road is full of idiots that can't stand there being an empty space they can fill even when dangerous and not likely to make so much as a second or two in their arrival time.


----------



## GTX63 (Dec 13, 2016)

Folks who do not pull a trailer, a motorhome/RV, a boat, etc have no clue why you are keeping such distance between you and the car in front of you. I can understand diving in front of me while we are at road speed; approaching a stop light not so much.


----------



## GTX63 (Dec 13, 2016)

[email protected] said:


> I just thought of the standing still tail gaters.
> when I was building houses, I had a tool truck that the doors swung out to the rear.
> I would park at the lumber yard and come out with a load of boards to put into my truck. the lot could be half empty, but some jerk would always pull up behind my truck so that I couldn't open the doors..
> I soon learned to park using half of each parking space.
> ...


On another camping forum, there seems to be a common problem among people who "dry camp"; taking their RV into remote national parks and forests where there is no electricity, water or sewer and camping. They may be the only humans for tens of miles and yet another camper will arrive and proceed to park right next to them, oblivious of why the original family was there in the first place. Seems to be a herd mentality.


----------



## GTX63 (Dec 13, 2016)

I won't admit to how I react and drive when someone is obnoxiously tailgating me, but I did use it as teaching moments when our kids were first learning how to drive.
#1. Never let someone else behind you dictate how you drive. 
#2. If they are anywhere else than behind you and a distraction, make distance between you and them.


----------



## wannabfarmer (Jun 30, 2015)

windswept hill my ex wifes family is from north jersey so I unfortunately have had the "pleasure" of driving on rt 3. I've never cursed or flipped off so many people in my life on one road in a half hour. I avoid jersey at all cost. I don't even like seeing yellow plates here in pa and I completely avoid them. they remind me of the "party plates" I think ohio gives when someone has too repeated DUI lol.


----------



## AmericanStand (Jul 29, 2014)

Try snaking four semi trucks at the same time (A rig 96 feet long) into beautiful downtown Elizabeth New Jersey. 
If you do it with three trucks instead of four the back two don’t have Brakes 
You get so inventive that my wife thought I was speaking a new language!


----------



## light rain (Jan 14, 2013)

AmericanStand said:


> Yes it aggravates me when somebody can pull through and they don’t...
> 
> Backing up is more dangerous than pulling out


I always pull through because with a van because I have limited right-side vision. Also for almost 30 yrs. I pass up that parking space at the front of the parking spaces to avoid backing out as a driver is frantically turning the corner. 25 years ago this use to cause a lot of weeping, wailing and gnashing of teeth with my DH and teenagers, especially in nasty weather. My reply was "you need the exercise...". 

Today I drop DH off at the door and still park at least 5 or so spaces down. I still need the exercise...


----------



## wannabfarmer (Jun 30, 2015)

Anyone notice lately in the last year or so people using the wrong turn signal? it happens so often i'm wondering if its the actual car. like changing into the left lane from the right but the right turn signal comes on. I notice it more with luxury vehicles so i'm wondering if a relay or a computer isn't malfunctioning.


----------



## light rain (Jan 14, 2013)

I try to leave some space while stopped at a light whether in the very front or behind another vehicle.

In DC over 50 years ago my Dad was stopped about 3 ft. behind another car on 14th st. (right near the old Patent Office). Someone behind us didn't slow down and then it was a domino effect. He got pushed into the car in front and was at fault. Of course the guy behind us that hit us was at fault too. I got a bloody lip from hitting the front seat. You know I don't know if the Polara had seat belts or whether I just ignored them...

The reason I leave a little space at the stop sign if I'm in front is that so many folks in our area cut diagonally across my lane to make their turn. I think they don't want to slow down enough to make a 90 degree turn. Scary at all times but especially on icy, slushy roads...


----------



## haypoint (Oct 4, 2006)

GTX63 said:


> On another camping forum, there seems to be a common problem among people who "dry camp"; taking their RV into remote national parks and forests where there is no electricity, water or sewer and camping. They may be the only humans for tens of miles and yet another camper will arrive and proceed to park right next to them, oblivious of why the original family was there in the first place. Seems to be a herd mentality.


I have a friend that was in northern AZ, in the middle of nowhere. No hookups, no camping spaces, just thousands of acres of sand and rocks. No one around her for miles.
Up comes a motor home, parked 12 feet away and ran their generator all night. She couldn't figure it out either.


----------



## Danaus29 (Sep 12, 2005)

farmrbrown said:


> Since I've never had the opportunity to ask anyone that likes to do the "brake check" to tailgaters, I gotta ask.
> 
> If you didn't like them that close to your bumper, does it really seem like a good idea to try and get them to actually rear end you? Isn't that risking the very thing you were trying to avoid?


The idea is to get them to realize you could be required to stop suddenly at any time. It never works. Although there was once when I legitimately had to slam on the brakes and the bumper humper (I love that term!!!!) behind me had to go a bit off road to avoid my trailer hitch. The reaction time is why the closer they get, the slower I go. I will ride my brakes and slow waaaayyyy down if there are kids, bicycles, pedestrians or wild animals on or near the road. 

Had one knocking on my back door today. Wanting to do 100 in a 35 zone. If I had opened the van door I would have hit their hood. They almost ate trailer hitch when I slowed down for a school zone, they were that close. They would have seen the lights flashing if they had been the proper distance from my rear.

I need several of those dump truck stickers that say "caution keep back 100 feet".


----------



## AmericanStand (Jul 29, 2014)

I had a tailgater probably at least 100 miles within a few feet of my back bumper often I could see his shadow behind me and I estimated him to be less than 5 feet from me most of the time.
As I came into a construction zone he must have got a quick flash of the warning signs because he pulled out to look around me just as I hit the funnel.
I had Jersey wall on both sides of me and probably a 9 foot distance between them. he pulled out to look it slammed him back and forth all the way through the bridge and when he dribbled out the other end I got to watch him
pull over to examine the damages


----------



## AmericanStand (Jul 29, 2014)

Another time passing through South Dakota eastbound I met a westbound swarm of bees. 
I was truly understanding about the bikers who wanted to tailgate me but apparently it didn’t work because most would tailgate me for a little bit and then pull out to pass.


----------



## Danaus29 (Sep 12, 2005)

I just don't understand people who want to tailgate a big vehicle. From that perspective all they can see is your back doors. I keep my distance from semis and large vehicles. I like being able to see what is on the road ahead of me.


----------



## farmrbrown (Jun 25, 2012)

Danaus29 said:


> The idea is to get them to realize you could be required to stop suddenly at any time. It never works. Although there was once when I legitimately had to slam on the brakes and the bumper humper (I love that term!!!!) behind me had to go a bit off road to avoid my trailer hitch.


Yeah, I hear ya.
The "brake check" is different from the tap that just makes the brake lights come on, that's the ones that make me wonder if they are suicidal.
I've seen a few that braked so hard the front of the car dropped 6 inches as they locked 'em down without any warning, on an interstate to boot!
I never like to be so close that I can't see what's going on at least a few cars in front of me, but the ones doing the "hard" brake check are usually in the left lane, blocking traffic with no one in front of them. 
As usual, YMMV.




> The reaction time is why the closer they get, the slower I go. I will ride my brakes and slow waaaayyyy down if there are kids, bicycles, pedestrians or wild animals on or near the road.
> 
> Had one knocking on my back door today. Wanting to do 100 in a 35 zone. If I had opened the van door I would have hit their hood. They almost ate trailer hitch when I slowed down for a school zone, they were that close. They would have seen the lights flashing if they had been the proper distance from my rear.
> 
> I need several of those dump truck stickers that say "caution keep back 100 feet".



That's how I handle it on those rare occasions where I just have to drive slow. I just let off the gas instead of braking abruptly, remembering the whole point is to NOT get hit.

School zones, parking lots, residential streets with lots of kids, old people, pets, etc. are places that get my attention and patience even though I was born with a defect of my right foot weighing way more than my left.


----------



## farmrbrown (Jun 25, 2012)

Danaus29 said:


> I just don't understand people who want to tailgate a big vehicle. From that perspective all they can see is your back doors. I keep my distance from semis and large vehicles. I like being able to see what is on the road ahead of me.


It is dumb and I can only think of about 2 reasons involving severe weather where it might actually be safer to be close behind a semi. 
And in both cases (hail and white out blizzard) your speed is usually close to 20 mph or less, so that short space isn't the same stopping distance as if you were doing 70.


----------



## Danaus29 (Sep 12, 2005)

I let off the gas and hit the brake just enough to light the brake light so they know I am slowing down. But slamming on the brakes to try to get them to hit me? NEVER!!! Been in a few accidents where I was hit from behind and it is NOT pleasant! 

I was hit once while at a dead stop waiting for traffic to clear so I could turn left at an intersection. The girl who hit me was doing at least 55 mph and never tried to stop. I was lucky to survive that one. Twice at traffic lights that had just turned green and traffic ahead of me had yet to move forward. Once at a stop sign with traffic backed up in front of me. I am just a little paranoid about being hit from behind.


----------



## farmrbrown (Jun 25, 2012)

Danaus29 said:


> I let off the gas and hit the brake just enough to light the brake light so they know I am slowing down. But slamming on the brakes to try to get them to hit me? NEVER!!! Been in a few accidents where I was hit from behind and it is NOT pleasant!
> 
> I was hit once while at a dead stop waiting for traffic to clear so I could turn left at an intersection. The girl who hit me was doing at least 55 mph and never tried to stop. I was lucky to survive that one. Twice at traffic lights that had just turned green and traffic ahead of me had yet to move forward. Once at a stop sign with traffic backed up in front of me. I am just a little paranoid about being hit from behind.



Had that happen once too, when I was 16.
We had a station wagon full and went to see "Rocky Horror Picture Show".
I was at a red light and some friends behind me were in a little Datsun.
A drunk came down the street and never hit the brakes. I saw him coming in the rear view and pulled forward as it happened so the guy behind me wouldn't get sandwiched, his was totaled anyway. I only had a tiny dent in the old Plymouth though so after the cops finished, everyone piled in the wagon for the ride home.

*The rest of the story*
The drunk was a hit and run, and we gave the best description we could to the cops, but he was gone.
When we left to go home, I noticed a trail of fluids on the road and it had to be him because of all the front end damage, so I followed it figuring eventually the car would quit on him and at least track him that far.
He was only a few miles down the road, pulled in a driveway so we called the cops again.

3rd or 4th DWI ..............and it was his _girlfriend's car_ ........the only ride she had for work.
He lucked out going to jail that night cuz she was gonna KILL him! lol

Ever since I try to keep an eye on my rear, especially when in a stopped jam on the interstates. If I see a semi coming too fast, I'm ready to head for the grass and not the ER.


----------



## wannabfarmer (Jun 30, 2015)

The road I have to use to get my kids and to work has a lot of Semi usage so I've learned to leave 10 feet from the vehicle in front. Once I was behind a semi at a red light and one was coming up behind and not paying attention. scary to see a cab jolt and the rear brakes lock up and smoke. I pulled off the road quickly and the truck stopped about 2 feet from the back of the other semi. My honda accord would have been turned into a smart car. I had both of my kids in the car also. 

Someone posted about the chain reaction. If you know you are going to be hit and can't move out of the way let off of the brake right before you are hit, it will absorb more of the impact and send less to the car in front of you.


----------



## AmericanStand (Jul 29, 2014)

wannabfarmer said:


> The road I have to use to get my kids and to work has a lot of Semi usage so I've learned to leave 10 feet from the vehicle in front. Once I was behind a semi at a red light and one was coming up behind and not paying attention. scary to see a cab jolt and the rear brakes lock up and smoke. I pulled off the road quickly and the truck stopped about 2 feet from the back of the other semi. My honda accord would have been turned into a smart car. I had both of my kids in the car also.
> 
> Someone posted about the chain reaction. If you know you are going to be hit and can't move out of the way let off of the brake right before you are hit, it will absorb more of the impact and send less to the car in front of you.


I have been on the other side of that story. Coming to a stop at a traffic light and four lanes of traffic , needing every inch to get stopped. 
And the car from the left lane pulls into the right lane cutting the distance in half 
Usually they look at me like the moron when I have to take the shoulder to get stopped without hitting anybody.


----------



## wannabfarmer (Jun 30, 2015)

yeah that's just stupidity on the car drivers part. My grandfather drove truck for 45 years and taught me to not mess with the big trucks. biggest things were don't cut them off and when in traffic don't ride next to them. I extend the gap from the car in front of me until they are by the truck then I accelerate and pass the truck fast. I never knew why until I was going through the mountains in west virginia and I passed a truck and about 20 feet after I passed it the front driver tire blew out and the truck jerked left halfway into my lane. it sounded like a cannon went off. The road I travel is only a 2 lane road and the shoulders are too tight for the big trucks so it was either I move or get squished lol.


----------



## farmrbrown (Jun 25, 2012)

wannabfarmer said:


> yeah that's just stupidity on the car drivers part. My grandfather drove truck for 45 years and taught me to not mess with the big trucks. biggest things were don't cut them off and when in traffic don't ride next to them. I extend the gap from the car in front of me until they are by the truck then I accelerate and pass the truck fast. I never knew why until I was going through the mountains in west virginia and I passed a truck and about 20 feet after I passed it the front driver tire blew out and the truck jerked left halfway into my lane. it sounded like a cannon went off. The road I travel is only a 2 lane road and the shoulders are too tight for the big trucks so it was either I move or get squished lol.


Thanks for that post. It let me know that the world hasn't been taken over by morons.........yet.
My mom's dad was a trucker, my wife was and several of my friends. It would surprise most people to learn the IQ of the average driver is not so average, lol.
It doesn't take a whole lot of common sense to navigate the highways amongst the behemoths, but common sense is rare these days.


----------



## whiterock (Mar 26, 2003)

Once had a semi's tire and wheel cross the interstate in front of me. That was impressive.


----------



## haypoint (Oct 4, 2006)

When I was in my 20s, I'd tailgate semis with my motorcycle. There is a lot less turbulence. One time, we had a few real cold days, like into the 20s and when I was sailing down the expressway, it was about 45 degrees. That's cold on a motorcycle without a windshield. I caught up with a semi that I could get out of the wind. I was tailing him close. Then I heard a rumble. A sheet of ice slid off the top of the trailer and crashed onto the blacktop, behind me. If I had been traveling at a safe distance, the ice would have killed me.
One time, at a truck stop, a trucker offered to let us tailgate. It was cold and windy. He said he'd tap the brakes before he was going to slow down. It really helped.
But, today, I would insist that no one do such stupid stuff.


----------



## wannabfarmer (Jun 30, 2015)

Haypoint I also ride. I have a windscreen but sport bikes block very little wind. i'd face the cold or not ride before i'd tail a semi. granted you were lucky in your example but I think that is the 1 out of 10 times it would be in your favor. be safe and stay up.


----------



## Danaus29 (Sep 12, 2005)

I've been behind semis with that ice coming off them. Scary stuff! I always increase my distance between me and any truck where stuff is flying off it or stuff could be flying off it. I just shake my head when I see cars tail-gating dump trucks full of gravel with mud flying off the tires.

I don't like being beside the big trucks either. Once a semi was passing us in the van and didn't wait until he was ahead of us before trying to get in our lane! If the driver had turned his head he could have seen us beside him! Yes, the van is that big. 

Another thing that really bugs me on the highway is impatient passers. You are supposed to leave assured clear distance before getting over in front of another vehicle but some people just can't wait that long. And other idiots try to pass you on the right while you have your signal on and are actually moving into the right lane!

I have a lot of respect for semi drivers, despite the few idiots I've had recent experiences with. The majority of the drivers are extremely cautious and courteous. Those big trucks are hard to maneuver and so many idiots don't give them enough room for safe operation.


----------



## Shrek (May 1, 2002)

My father taught me the mirror rule when following a semi, stuck in the lane beside them or passing them in addition to the 10 mph per 20 foot length following distance. If you cant see the driver 's face in his west coast outside mirror , he or she cant see you and you better pass or fall back until you do.

He also said if a semi passes you during daytime and your in the outside lane and the truck is signaling to re-enter the outside lane , when you see the driver in his mirror and there is a safe distance between you and the back of the trailer to give the driver a headlight flash to make the perspective down the side of the truck easier for them to see in perspective as they return to the outside lane after passing you.

Some truckers I know now say they still appreciate the drivers who remember the mirror rule and stay out of their blind spots.


----------



## farmrbrown (Jun 25, 2012)

And at night time, I signal by turning headlights down to parking lights for a few seconds, especially if the traffic is running tight, so they know that YOU know what's going on and they can get back over.
They hate the "brights", it doesn't do them any favors when you blind them, lol.


----------



## Danaus29 (Sep 12, 2005)

farmrbrown said:


> And at night time, I signal by turning headlights down to parking lights for a few seconds, especially if the traffic is running tight, so they know that YOU know what's going on and they can get back over.
> They hate the "brights", it doesn't do them any favors when you blind them, lol.


Isn't that the way it's supposed to be? You don't flash the brights you turn down the lights to signal it's safe to change lanes. Used to be that way back when I learned to drive. Flashing brights means either you think the oncoming driver has theirs on or you want someone to get out of your lane if they are ahead of you. Or a cop is in the direction you are traveling, but that one will get you a ticket if they catch you doing it, at least in Ohio.


----------



## [email protected] (Sep 16, 2009)

I thought of this on my ride through town today.
in town there is a four lane road. 2 lanes each way .
sometimes if I am in the center lane , someone ahead decides to turn left. so I stop behind him and soon there are five cars behind me. I watch for the outside lane to clear so I can move right and pass the stopped car. but it never fails. just as the last car passes me and I am about to pull over, the last stopped car pulls out and passes everybody. thus using up the chance for all of us to pull over and pass the stopped car.


----------



## farmrbrown (Jun 25, 2012)

Danaus29 said:


> Isn't that the way it's supposed to be? You don't flash the brights you turn down the lights to signal it's safe to change lanes. Used to be that way back when I learned to drive. Flashing brights means either you think the oncoming driver has theirs on or you want someone to get out of your lane if they are ahead of you. Or a cop is in the direction you are traveling, but that one will get you a ticket if they catch you doing it, at least in Ohio.


LOL, yep.
My granddad said they (truckers) used to have signals according to the number of flashes, in the days before they used CB radios.
And I've heard the warnings about alerting other drivers to a nearby cop, but doubt a ticket would stand up in court. The best they might do is issue a warning ticket, unless someone was dumb enough to say it was intentional.


----------



## Danaus29 (Sep 12, 2005)

Do it out of the cop's line of sight and they have no case anyway.

Just an FYI, if you are speeding through my neighborhood I won't be alerting you to a cap with radar ahead. Few people slow down from 55 to 35 mph here. I've almost been rear ended several times by speeders who won't slow down. Our road comes out on a curve on the main road and visibility is less than 500 feet. If you are doing 55 mph you can't slow down enough without slamming on your brakes.


----------



## AmericanStand (Jul 29, 2014)

I drive a truck or two three or four at the same time and. I HATE to get stuck beside one !

Don’t hang out with trucks !


----------



## Shrek (May 1, 2002)

The evening new last year showed a wreck where a SUV rear ended a semi that was one of those with the trailer marked with warning signage on the sides stating "if your are here you're in my blind spot" and the rear doors marked with a "if you can read this, you are following too close and in my blind spot. Please pass me or back off at least 100 feet".

Amazingly the news footage showed as the wrecker was trying to pull the mangled car out, although mashed , dented , tilted and jack knifed from the rear, the trailer was still mostly upright and the next day newspaper reported both the semi and SUV driver survived the wreck but they both went to the hospital with non critical injuries and the wreck was attributed to distracted driving by the SUV driver.

One of the guys reading the article asked how a car could cause the trucker injury since the truck jack knifed in the middle of the road and I told him to consider a loaded box pushing you at 70 mph on an air ride seat and even buckled in , there is whip lash and harness and steering wheel shoulder and gut crush injuries as air brakes start to lock up.


----------



## IndyDave (Jul 17, 2017)

farmrbrown said:


> LOL, yep.
> My granddad said they (truckers) used to have signals according to the number of flashes, in the days before they used CB radios.
> And I've heard the warnings about alerting other drivers to a nearby cop, but doubt a ticket would stand up in court. The best they might do is issue a warning ticket, unless someone was dumb enough to say it was intentional.


I recall one "dumb" enough to admit it was intentional winning in court on freedom of speech.


----------



## GTX63 (Dec 13, 2016)

If an oncoming motorist flashes their brights at me during daylight hours, I usually understand that to mean there is a po po awaiting ahead.


----------



## whiterock (Mar 26, 2003)

I flash lights in day time when there is any obstacle in the road behind me. Kids, livestock, or debris


----------



## wannabfarmer (Jun 30, 2015)

when I had my sports car or when I would ride my bike at an "advanced" speed lol I would flash my lights when coming up to traffic to let them know I was "enjoying" my toys and I saw them and hoped they saw me.


----------



## 101pigs (Sep 18, 2018)

wannabfarmer said:


> when I had my sports car or when I would ride my bike at an "advanced" speed lol I would flash my lights when coming up to traffic to let them know I was "enjoying" my toys and I saw them and hoped they saw me.


I didn't think of using the flash lights. I will have to try that on some of the lady tailgaters.


----------



## wannabfarmer (Jun 30, 2015)

101 I was flashing the headlights not the tail lights. Mainly when I was doing 120+ mph and coming up on traffic. any flashing makes them . look and see that i'm being cautiously dumb. on the autobahn whenever you pass you are required to flash. that's why older cars the high beams are a click and the newer cars you have a 1/4 inch play that flashes the lights but doesn't turn them on. that's realistically what that 1/4 inch is for. not just germany but most European countries from what I've been told.


----------

