Best way to stop tailgaters?
Discussion
During a conversation i had with my IAM observer, he stated that some people Tailgate because subconsciously they feel "safer" whilst driving when they are close to the car infront. And that the motivation to do this was linked with a lack of confidence on the roads. he then said that this may be the reasoning behind the behaviour of many female tailgaters when they are not driving in an aggessive (from their perspective) manner.
I have no idea if this theory was based on research or personal experience and he implied that it was not the motivation for all tailgaters, just a proportion.
I have kept this in mind when analysing other peoples driving and i can see how it could be feasible - again i have no scientific evidence to back this up, it's just an opinion. what are your thoughts?
I have no idea if this theory was based on research or personal experience and he implied that it was not the motivation for all tailgaters, just a proportion.
I have kept this in mind when analysing other peoples driving and i can see how it could be feasible - again i have no scientific evidence to back this up, it's just an opinion. what are your thoughts?
mattpullen64 said:
During a conversation i had with my IAM observer, he stated that some people Tailgate because subconsciously they feel "safer" whilst driving when they are close to the car infront. And that the motivation to do this was linked with a lack of confidence on the roads. he then said that this may be the reasoning behind the behaviour of many female tailgaters when they are not driving in an aggessive (from their perspective) manner.
I have no idea if this theory was based on research or personal experience and he implied that it was not the motivation for all tailgaters, just a proportion.
I have kept this in mind when analysing other peoples driving and i can see how it could be feasible - again i have no scientific evidence to back this up, it's just an opinion. what are your thoughts?
I suspect some people tailgate to save money. You use a LOT less fuel tailgating someone at motorway speeds. Obviously the saving doesn't look as good if they slam into the back of the car they're tailgatingI have no idea if this theory was based on research or personal experience and he implied that it was not the motivation for all tailgaters, just a proportion.
I have kept this in mind when analysing other peoples driving and i can see how it could be feasible - again i have no scientific evidence to back this up, it's just an opinion. what are your thoughts?
AlVal said:
keep a few bricks handy in the passenger footwell. just lob one over the top of your own roof in a backwards direction and tailgater should disappear fairly sharpish.
if you are a redneck you could spit your chewing "baccy" out the sunroof so it lands on the tailgating vehicle's windscreen - won'thave quite the same "ting!" as a spitoon - but probably more fun!I would second the previous post about Police tailgaters.
I've had it a few times where a fully marked Astra has just sat on my rear bumper, almost as if they are hoping I can't see the flourescent POLICE written across the wrong of their car and speed up or something.
I was even pulled by one once, accused of running "a clear amber light". When I suggested I didn't stop because I would have to have braked very sharply to stop in time, the driver butted in with "You drive a Subaru", to which I replied "What does that have to do with anything?.... I also felt that you were following me too close to be able stop without running in to the back of me". The driver responded with "I'm a professionally trained driver"!?!?
Having then replied with "I appreciate you're a professionally trained driver, but in my opinion you were too close and I was not comfortable braking that hard when you were so close", they then decided that I needed to take a breath test and once that was clear they appeared to be much more friendly towards me and then finished off by said they would let me off this time!?!?
Clearly that is not the attitude of all BiBs, but I have seen and heard of similar situations of Police tailgating for no real reason other than to perhaps push the driver in to speeding?
Have any others experienced something similar?
A little off topic, but I have to admit that the general advice on this topic of 'a gradual reduction in speed by about 10-20%' seemed to get them to back off.
I've had it a few times where a fully marked Astra has just sat on my rear bumper, almost as if they are hoping I can't see the flourescent POLICE written across the wrong of their car and speed up or something.
I was even pulled by one once, accused of running "a clear amber light". When I suggested I didn't stop because I would have to have braked very sharply to stop in time, the driver butted in with "You drive a Subaru", to which I replied "What does that have to do with anything?.... I also felt that you were following me too close to be able stop without running in to the back of me". The driver responded with "I'm a professionally trained driver"!?!?
Having then replied with "I appreciate you're a professionally trained driver, but in my opinion you were too close and I was not comfortable braking that hard when you were so close", they then decided that I needed to take a breath test and once that was clear they appeared to be much more friendly towards me and then finished off by said they would let me off this time!?!?
Clearly that is not the attitude of all BiBs, but I have seen and heard of similar situations of Police tailgating for no real reason other than to perhaps push the driver in to speeding?
Have any others experienced something similar?
A little off topic, but I have to admit that the general advice on this topic of 'a gradual reduction in speed by about 10-20%' seemed to get them to back off.
brisel said:
30 tonnes? 42 tonnes more like!
My local haulier pays bonuses for fuel economy so I can see why they might want to "slipstream" one another...
Any truckers on here? What is a typical stopping distance of a fully loaded artic at 50 mph?
Realistically, the closer you are to the vehicle in front, the less damage there will be if you hit it. You obviously don't have the distance to build up any sort of a speed differential.My local haulier pays bonuses for fuel economy so I can see why they might want to "slipstream" one another...
Any truckers on here? What is a typical stopping distance of a fully loaded artic at 50 mph?
Not that I'd like to test the theory, but '5mph bumpers' would work quite effectively if you were doing 70mph, three feet behind a another car, as the car in front is not going to scrub off more than 5mph in the distance of three feet purely through braking, are they?
grahamw48 said:
'Juggernauts' themselves appear to be amongst the worst offenders too.
- Evidently have a death wish, tailgating each other, especially when those cabs give zero protection when 30 odd tons doing 56mph is pressing your face into the back of a container.
Just to be anal the legal max in the UK is 44 tonnes on 6 axles in most of europe its 40 tonnes on 5 axles. - Evidently have a death wish, tailgating each other, especially when those cabs give zero protection when 30 odd tons doing 56mph is pressing your face into the back of a container.
The main reason truckers follow a bit too close at times is because of speed limiters meaning that if we go for the overtake we spend a week trying to pass, but the customer these days usually require "just in time deliveries" so hanging back and potentially missing your delivery slot isn't usually an option.
So we try to be nice by risking our lives to minimise our use of lane 2 and the horn blowing and one finger salutes we receive when we pull back in are ALWAYS appreciated they brighten our day no end.
Yes, I understand what you're saying ( I was really meaning the LOAD sliding forward ).
I have a CITB card for driving some pretty huge trucks, the smallest of which can carry a fully laden LGV on its back, but off highway.
When out and about I do try to sympathise with LGV drivers, as I know they're all under a lot of pressure, and the speed limiter must be a real pain at times.
Sometimes it just pees me off when they pull out and I'm the only vehicle wanting to come by...so, next mile at 56mph and then the bloke gives up anyway.
A bit of give and take is all that's needed.
Of course there are idiots driving all types of vehicle.
It's the employers/distribution system who are at fault for running things in this pressurised way, thus creating an almost intolerable situation for the truckers, parcel delivery drivers, even post office vans.
It may be 'competition' which demands this, but there are still humans behind the wheel.
One day someone will bother to ask consumers if they don't mind an extra quid on their grocery bill, rather than giving it to the dog's home or whatever.
Maybe then the mad death race will ease up and truckers won't be going to early graves.
No way would I want the job.
I have a CITB card for driving some pretty huge trucks, the smallest of which can carry a fully laden LGV on its back, but off highway.
When out and about I do try to sympathise with LGV drivers, as I know they're all under a lot of pressure, and the speed limiter must be a real pain at times.
Sometimes it just pees me off when they pull out and I'm the only vehicle wanting to come by...so, next mile at 56mph and then the bloke gives up anyway.
A bit of give and take is all that's needed.Of course there are idiots driving all types of vehicle.
It's the employers/distribution system who are at fault for running things in this pressurised way, thus creating an almost intolerable situation for the truckers, parcel delivery drivers, even post office vans.
It may be 'competition' which demands this, but there are still humans behind the wheel.
One day someone will bother to ask consumers if they don't mind an extra quid on their grocery bill, rather than giving it to the dog's home or whatever.
Maybe then the mad death race will ease up and truckers won't be going to early graves.
No way would I want the job.
I hate tailgaters/people driving too close. Had my last DC2 written off when I was rear-ended due to someone driving too close and being unable to stop in time, when I had to pull up sharpish for a kid that run into the road.
In my car, I've tried various techniques to shake someone from my tail but nothing works. Speed up and they have successfully bullied you into breaking the speed limit...slowdown and it seems to enrage them even further into travelling even closer, in some kind of 'how-close-can-I-get-to-you' type game.
In my truck however, I can use its size to my advantage and can generally shake people off.
With the current price of fuel an increasing number of cars on a motorway, are slipstreaming me.
I don't like this for two reasons.
1. The car is in my blind-spot. If you can't see my mirrors....I can't see you.
2. I carry a high-value load and have had a few hi-jacking attempts.
So on a motorway, I move slightly over onto the hard-shoulder. The stones and debris that I kick up almost always has the desired effect. If I'm on a DC I gradually slow down where it's safe to do so...the driver behind eventually wakes up when he finds he's travelling at 15mph.
In my car, I've tried various techniques to shake someone from my tail but nothing works. Speed up and they have successfully bullied you into breaking the speed limit...slowdown and it seems to enrage them even further into travelling even closer, in some kind of 'how-close-can-I-get-to-you' type game.
In my truck however, I can use its size to my advantage and can generally shake people off.
With the current price of fuel an increasing number of cars on a motorway, are slipstreaming me.
I don't like this for two reasons.
1. The car is in my blind-spot. If you can't see my mirrors....I can't see you.
2. I carry a high-value load and have had a few hi-jacking attempts.
So on a motorway, I move slightly over onto the hard-shoulder. The stones and debris that I kick up almost always has the desired effect. If I'm on a DC I gradually slow down where it's safe to do so...the driver behind eventually wakes up when he finds he's travelling at 15mph.
Personally I find that you can get a good wave of speed going which, if you time it right, causes a tailgater more disruption than you need to expend.
Example.
Lift off, lose 5mph, as he is slowing down behind, you then speed back up to 70/75. As you see him starting to close, you repeat the process. The idea is to get him accelerating while you're slowing and vice versa. Because he's reacting to your own changes, he's slowing and having to accelerate faster to "keep up". It frustrates the hell out of them.
And spraying the window washers as he's at closest point is good too. I've never quite managed to get a convertible driver wiping his face but it's a lifelong goal of mine...
Example.
Lift off, lose 5mph, as he is slowing down behind, you then speed back up to 70/75. As you see him starting to close, you repeat the process. The idea is to get him accelerating while you're slowing and vice versa. Because he's reacting to your own changes, he's slowing and having to accelerate faster to "keep up". It frustrates the hell out of them.
And spraying the window washers as he's at closest point is good too. I've never quite managed to get a convertible driver wiping his face but it's a lifelong goal of mine...
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