How should you react if someone is tailgating me?

[D Stanley]

Coming up to Testos Roundabout (Up North) I was in lane 3 turning right. I didn't have the opportunity to move into lane 2 on the roundabout due to heavy traffic. Exiting into lane 4 heading south with 2 to 3 hundred yards before lanes merge ahead. I lined up with a suitable gap in the traffic, indicated and moved over. The guy behind didn't take kindly to this and started to tailgate. He was so close that I could not see his headlights, speed was 70 with dense traffic, pitch black.

Suddenly our three year old daughter noticed the magic wand that she had been bought by her aunty at the panto. Grabbing the wand she flicked the switch and started waving it about. The magic wand has red and blue flashing lights.

The driver of the tailgating car must have cr499ed himself. He disappeared backwards rapidly and switched lanes into lane 1 to hide amongst the lorries.

NEXT TIME YOU ARE BEING TAILGATES DON"T BOTHER SLOWING DOWN. GRAB THE 2.99 MAGIC WAND AND SORT IT OUT!

[John145]

If i'm in traffic, some knob is tailgating and there's nothing to be gained from overtaking (quite frequent through Elveden on the A11) I leave double the normal distance from the car infront and just accelerate and slow down sporadically in this safe zone. They soon get bored adjusting their speed all the time.

[Red Devil]

Hungrymc said:

We've all seen some shocking things happen on the road and unfortunatly, there are a group of aggressive (drunk / high / just stupid) people who take everything as an afront to their masculinity or their right to drive as they see fit.

That is only a subset. Trust me, tailgating is not confined to that gender. A sizeable proportion of the 'passive' type mentioned earlier belong to the other. The reason may have something to do with their being less spatially aware.

[Roadru77er]

Suddenly our three year old daughter noticed the magic wand that she had been bought by her aunty at the panto. Grabbing the wand she flicked the switch and started waving it about. The magic wand has red and blue flashing lights.

NEXT TIME YOU ARE BEING TAILGATES DON"T BOTHER SLOWING DOWN. GRAB THE 2.99 MAGIC WAND AND SORT IT OUT!


[/quote]

Magic wand for the win

[Hungrymc]

Red Devil said:

That is only a subset. Trust me, tailgating is not confined to that gender. A sizeable proportion of the 'passive' type mentioned earlier belong to the other. The reason may have something to do with their being less spatially aware.

Wasn't really meaning to start a gender discussion, just an aggression discussion. So yes, I agree its not just blokes. All I was saying was don't do something that may antagonise an idiot, who may have a road rage inclination.

[Technomad]

In the past, I have been known to stop in the road, get out, open my tailgate and - by gesture - sarcastically ask if the offending party would care to step inside? Last week I found myself in exactly this situation, when I remembered that I was driving a car with a powered tailgate... ...Such is progress: sarcasm is now automated.

[Vladimir]

To be fair to some, it's often just loss of concentration. A quick dab of the brakes (don't actually activate them) usually sorts it.

For the aggressive tailgater, I repeatedly slow down (gradually) until they get the message.

For the lunatic hell bent on killing all others in his way, I pull over.

In occasional childish mode and when in the 335d, I wait for a long hill and accelerate hard. This is of course, silly.

[Vladimir]

To be fair to some, it's often just loss of concentration. A quick dab of the brakes (don't actually activate them) usually sorts it.

For the aggressive tailgater, I repeatedly slow down (gradually) until they get the message.

For the lunatic hell bent on killing all others in his way, I pull over.

In occasional childish mode and when in the 335d, I wait for a long hill and accelerate hard. This is of course, silly.

[hidetheelephants]

Changedmyname said:

slippery said:

What happens when you pull over to let the local nutter past and they just pull in behind you though?

You will have go local nutter on him if he starts.

Is there an english translation available for this?

[Jon999]

Vary your speed so they can't keep close.

Eg doing 40 in a 40 list off throttle to 35 then accelerate back to 40 lift off then accelerate and repeat. Down to 30mph may be required if they are persistent.

Their constant brake applications will drive them wild without winding them up. Dab of brakes flashing foglights etc nowadays is going to end in road rage.

[04mmurkett]

Captain Cadillac said:

Rear Fog Lights.

Slow down, let them pass, then get right up their ass with high beams on.

Throw stuff out the sunroof at them, like nails.

[yellowjack]

Technomad said:

In the past, I have been known to stop in the road, get out, open my tailgate and - by gesture - sarcastically ask if the offending party would care to step inside? Last week I found myself in exactly this situation, when I remembered that I was driving a car with a powered tailgate... ...Such is progress: sarcasm is now automated.

HaHa!

I was once 'tailgated' all the way from Sunningdale to Bagshot by some muppet who seemed allergic to actually pushing the little pedal to overtake me. I just continued driving normally, until the traffic lights in Bagshot. At the red light I put on my hazard lights and walked around to the rear of the car, then stood there scratching my head looking puzzled. Tailgater wound down his window and demanded to know what the problem was. I 'mimed' feeling for the rope, and told him I was looking for the tow rope. After inviting me to 'fk off' he wound his window back up, I got back in and drove off, and, surprisingly enough, he left a bigger gap for the rest of our journey together.

Cheered me up no end to watch him grasp for his non-existent witty retort, before resorting to insulting me through his closing window.

[bad company]

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.

[Skyrat]

yellowjack said:

I was once 'tailgated' all the way from Sunningdale to Bagshot by some muppet who seemed allergic to actually pushing the little pedal to overtake me. I just continued driving normally, until the traffic lights in Bagshot. At the red light I put on my hazard lights and walked around to the rear of the car, then stood there scratching my head looking puzzled. Tailgater wound down his window and demanded to know what the problem was. I 'mimed'feeling for the rope, and told him I was looking for the tow rope.

That's genius

[porschebuyer]

I find that when being tailgated it is usually a good time to clean one's windscreen and headlights. A good five second clean usually shakes the blighter loose, if not, repeat with your left foot just resting on the brake pedal but keeping your speed constant. DO NOT ATTEMPT WHEN HEADING INTO THE SUNSET.
Plan B: when safe to do so, indicate left, slow down and let the tt overtake so he can Valcro himself to the next poor sod's bumper.

[TobyLaRohne]

I dont usually get this, but if someone does get really up my chuff I wash my windscreen, which sprays their car and forces them to use theirs, which seems to really REALLY get on this type of persons tits, I think of it as training a cat its doing a bad thing by spraying it with a waterbottle.

I've never had it fail to get the person behind to back off, and if they dont they keep getting washed

[SMGB]

MrB1obby said:

Stop in the road doing a handbrake turn so your car is now perpendicular to it. Take out the shotgun, has to be a pump action, nothing else will do. Then shoot his car until you have ran out of ammo. If he dies, he's too close. Get in car, wheelspin off in a cool manner.



If you're too much of a big puff to do that,

BOF said:

Roadru77er said:

Increase your distance from car in front (to allow for their lack of safety gap) when the car in front brakes show your brake lights and slow gradually to allow for their ignorance.

When safe allow them to pass.

THIS...

BOF

Do this.

OK for artistic merit but a few technical flaws, I do not approve of wasting ammunition and emptying the magazine when the threat remains unquantified is sloppy. No mention of a back up weapon. an S+W .357 is perfectly adequate for this.
When driving in the UK rather than Texas I slow down and leave more space as noted above and also as above I do this in a controlled manner as you have no idea what you are dealing with and you dont want to inflame things. A phycopath wont learn from interaction with others by definition.
Sometimes they just drive closer and the only action you can take is to slow down further, again no sudden moves. I have on a couple of occasions been almost stationary before the fwit realises they can pass.
We do give politicians a hard time on here but sometimeswhen you see the stupid population thay are trying to perform an economic miracle with you can cut them some slack.

[lightthefuse]

porschebuyer said:

I find that when being tailgated it is usually a good time to clean one's windscreen and headlights. A good five second clean usually shakes the blighter loose, if not, repeat with your left foot just resting on the brake pedal but keeping your speed constant. DO NOT ATTEMPT WHEN HEADING INTO THE SUNSET.
Plan B: when safe to do so, indicate left, slow down and let the tt overtake so he can Valcro himself to the next poor sod's bumper.

I was surprised it took that long into the thread for someone to mention left-foot braking, my weapon of choice. Tiny depression to start with to bring the brake lights on, usually enough to get them to pull back. If they continue thereafter then I slow just a little then boot it from them, brake lights on all the time but with brake pedal lifted to the point in the first sentence where the lights are on but little to no braking effect is applied. This tends to confuse our would-be tailgater no end. My last resort is to then pull over into a layby, but on wider roads I'll always give them enough room to safely pass anyway before even resorting to the left-foot brake.

Tend to find a screen wash doesn't help in Sweden, the screens get so dirty at times that people clean no matter what, so the effect of that here would be rather limited.

[abbotsmike]

I own a seat, and the VAG engine management systems ban left foot braking

However, I tend to just back off until they do. On most roads, when you get below 20mph then they get the message, on a motorway below about 45 and they give up. If they don'nt or I feel childish (and only when safe) I just boot it and leave them behind (note: only works if you are quicker, which given is usually a snotty old 1.6 focus or 1.2 clio, is a safe bet) (other note: I only boot it up to the car's maximum speed or the speed limit at the time, whichever is lowest) (other other note: this may not be the most mature course of action)

[thehammer]

D Stanley said:

Coming up to Testos Roundabout (Up North) I was in lane 3 turning right. I didn't have the opportunity to move into lane 2 on the roundabout due to heavy traffic. Exiting into lane 4 heading south with 2 to 3 hundred yards before lanes merge ahead. I lined up with a suitable gap in the traffic, indicated and moved over. The guy behind didn't take kindly to this and started to tailgate. He was so close that I could not see his headlights, speed was 70 with dense traffic, pitch black.

Suddenly our three year old daughter noticed the magic wand that she had been bought by her aunty at the panto. Grabbing the wand she flicked the switch and started waving it about. The magic wand has red and blue flashing lights.

The driver of the tailgating car must have cr499ed himself. He disappeared backwards rapidly and switched lanes into lane 1 to hide amongst the lorries.

NEXT TIME YOU ARE BEING TAILGATES DON"T BOTHER SLOWING DOWN. GRAB THE 2.99 MAGIC WAND AND SORT IT OUT!

This reminds me of a time...

We had been to blackpool and the lad had won a ball that flashed red and blue. Anyway i was travelling back down the motorway at dusk at ermmm......some pace, que lad holding up ball in the back as it starts to flash.

Change of pants please....