How should you react if someone is tailgating me?
Discussion
I had some muppet in a BMW X5 (although it could have been an X3, as being so close it would have looked that much bigger) on the A329(M) into Bracknell last night. So close I could not see the front bumper, yet despite the completely empty lane 2 being available, he didn't seem bothered about passing. As the road became the plain old A329, we approached the 50mph limit gateway so I simply lifted off the throttle to get my speed down before the limit began, and took the little left slip that means you don't have to worry about giving way at the roundabout.
Dozey pillock in the BMW then moves from left hand to right hand lane, and takes the (right turn) exit off to the new housing estate. Right up to that point he was so fixated on becoming purple and making angry faces at me, that I honestly believe he nearly ended up missing his turn following me.
My wife annoyed me, though...
Her: "If you know he's close behind, why don't you speed up?"
Me: "Er, because I'm already driving slightly above the speed limit according to my instruments."
Her: "Well why don't you move across (she meant into lane 2
) and let him past?"
Me: "ERR? Run that by me again. It's times like this I'm glad you don't hold a licence, dear."
Dozey pillock in the BMW then moves from left hand to right hand lane, and takes the (right turn) exit off to the new housing estate. Right up to that point he was so fixated on becoming purple and making angry faces at me, that I honestly believe he nearly ended up missing his turn following me.
My wife annoyed me, though...
Her: "If you know he's close behind, why don't you speed up?"
Me: "Er, because I'm already driving slightly above the speed limit according to my instruments."
Her: "Well why don't you move across (she meant into lane 2
) and let him past?"Me: "ERR? Run that by me again. It's times like this I'm glad you don't hold a licence, dear."
Hi folks!
This is my first post on PH. The thread caught my eye because I really hate tailgaters with a passion.
I would definitely advise (b) pull over as soon as possible. Tailgating is my biggest driving pet hate and I always pull over as soon as I can to let tailgaters past me. It's such an easy thing to do; look for somewhere you can pull in for a few seconds > pull in and stop > tailgater drives past > you pull back out > danger gone.
As mentioned already, I would also advise braking gently when/if you need to slow down before you get chance to let the tailgater passed, just to reduce the chances of them driving into you.
One final thing, try not to focus on the tailgater too much, make sure you stay aware of what's going on in front of you. The last thing you want to end up doing is causing a crash yourself because you were concentrating on the idiot behind instead of looking ahead.
Stay safe.
This is my first post on PH. The thread caught my eye because I really hate tailgaters with a passion.
I would definitely advise (b) pull over as soon as possible. Tailgating is my biggest driving pet hate and I always pull over as soon as I can to let tailgaters past me. It's such an easy thing to do; look for somewhere you can pull in for a few seconds > pull in and stop > tailgater drives past > you pull back out > danger gone.
As mentioned already, I would also advise braking gently when/if you need to slow down before you get chance to let the tailgater passed, just to reduce the chances of them driving into you.
One final thing, try not to focus on the tailgater too much, make sure you stay aware of what's going on in front of you. The last thing you want to end up doing is causing a crash yourself because you were concentrating on the idiot behind instead of looking ahead.
Stay safe.
I will drop off any vehicles in front to allow room for error.
May allow them to pass I dont normally but I did the other day on twisty a road when i had a xc90 inch of my bumper even when I running at 60mph. I pulled in to a layby and let him pass at the same time waving my hand out the window.(It was a rough 03 xc90 with the rear wiper stuck half way through its sweep looked unloved). This was almost like he was looking for an argument.
Normally just allow for them, if you feel they are particularly dangerous let them pass.
May allow them to pass I dont normally but I did the other day on twisty a road when i had a xc90 inch of my bumper even when I running at 60mph. I pulled in to a layby and let him pass at the same time waving my hand out the window.(It was a rough 03 xc90 with the rear wiper stuck half way through its sweep looked unloved). This was almost like he was looking for an argument.
Normally just allow for them, if you feel they are particularly dangerous let them pass.
bunyarra said:
On my works car I run rear red strobes for when I am surveying a highway which I use to supplement my amber light, when I don't have my amber beacon on I still have the reds in the rear window. Whilst my local for e have no issue with me using the reds with my amber I have used the reds on there own when people were not allowing offside traffic to merge in turn.Not legal I know but better than a blue bike light.
I guy I know once wired his brake lights up to a switch on his dashboard so when he was being tailgated he could flick the switch and show his brake lights to the tailgater without actually hitting the brakes. He tried it out with a lorry tailgating him on a busy motorway and the panicked lorry driver slammed his brakes on so hard his whole cab shook from side to side. That was when this guy decided the trick was maybe a bit too dangerous to use again.
This only happens to me if I'm in L3 and am myself stuck behind another car.
My technique is to move myself subtly over the white line toward the central reservation, this has the result of spraying the tailgater with gravel and crud and they usually back off sharpish. The additional benefit is that if done subtly it doesn't look deliberate.
My technique is to move myself subtly over the white line toward the central reservation, this has the result of spraying the tailgater with gravel and crud and they usually back off sharpish. The additional benefit is that if done subtly it doesn't look deliberate.
Part of my New Year's resolution is to totally ignore tailgaters.
I have my mirror "dipped" most of the time so I can be aware of vehicles behind without too much detail.
At night I sometimes turn the rear view mirror away altogether if the tailgater is really close or has exceptionally bright and/or badly adjusted lights.
Other than that, drive your own drive, be aware of the chance they'll overtake if they get chance - that's all.
Nothing you do will change the way t
ts like this drive so just ignore them.
I have my mirror "dipped" most of the time so I can be aware of vehicles behind without too much detail.
At night I sometimes turn the rear view mirror away altogether if the tailgater is really close or has exceptionally bright and/or badly adjusted lights.
Other than that, drive your own drive, be aware of the chance they'll overtake if they get chance - that's all.
Nothing you do will change the way t
ts like this drive so just ignore them.
bad company said:
As somebody posted before I have been known to wait for the end of the built up area, 30 limit. THEN BOOT IT.
Childish I know.
Can you imagine your shame if a Copper was sitting up the Road and pulled you in....only for the Tailgater to slowly creep past...Childish I know.
I'd die of embarrassment
rasher1940 said:
If it was happening to me, i would slow down and come to a stop. Then you will find out what it is all about. If they pass you follow them and take their registration number and report it to the police. Don't get upset it will not do you no good. Regards Rasher
Report it to the Police????You mean like a good Citizen...
They wouldn't want to know...Too much paperwork to make complaints and no proof...
One of the advantages of a correct following position listed in Roadcraft is something like "to extend your braking distance to make it safer for following vehicles."
In other words, if you're following a vehicle at a safe distance and the vehicle in front suddenly brakes without warning, you've got the stopping distance of the car in front plus the distance between your vehicle and the vehicle in front in which to stop, so theoretically you wouldn't have to brake as hard as the vehicle in front, which means there is less likelihood of the car behind running in to you.
So if you're being tailgated in traffic, the safest option is to extend your following position from the car in front of you to perhaps three or four seconds.
In other words, if you're following a vehicle at a safe distance and the vehicle in front suddenly brakes without warning, you've got the stopping distance of the car in front plus the distance between your vehicle and the vehicle in front in which to stop, so theoretically you wouldn't have to brake as hard as the vehicle in front, which means there is less likelihood of the car behind running in to you.
So if you're being tailgated in traffic, the safest option is to extend your following position from the car in front of you to perhaps three or four seconds.
Muffsy said:
bad company said:
As somebody posted before I have been known to wait for the end of the built up area, 30 limit. THEN BOOT IT.
Childish I know.
Can you imagine your shame if a Copper was sitting up the Road and pulled you in....only for the Tailgater to slowly creep past...Childish I know.
I'd die of embarrassment
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