How to deal with annoying tailgaters
Discussion
London to the Cotswolds yesterday saw a series of twerps in Mercs, Minis and Golfs zooming up to within a few feet of the back of the car. On the motorway I just move over and on normal roads, when there is an overtaking opportunity I slow down, move over and wave them passed.
Bafflingly, all some want to do is just sit behind the car and follow it. For them I will simply stop in the first layby.
Bafflingly, all some want to do is just sit behind the car and follow it. For them I will simply stop in the first layby.
Only ever happens to me through 30mph zones. Unless I am for some reason driving excessively slowly, in which case I will pull over and let them by, I ignore them. They can overtake if they want to.
I did recently leave my signal and braking very late on a left turn off our village high street. I'm not proud of it, it was a stupid thing to do, but the sight of tailgating Audi woman going apoplectic in the mirror was amusing.
I did recently leave my signal and braking very late on a left turn off our village high street. I'm not proud of it, it was a stupid thing to do, but the sight of tailgating Audi woman going apoplectic in the mirror was amusing.
Depends what I'm driving.
Range Rover I don't give a toss, it's for sale. You hit it you buy it.
650 drive them off the road or leave them.
TVR don't care! I'm in a TVR I don't give a toss about you, your car, your life or anything else happening in the world.
In the old racer. Little closer, go on little bit more :-) BOOM! Sorry about that chip turning into a crack, what's the whistling noise? That's your ears bleeding.
In the other half's 1.2 Corsa, except the inevitable, apologise and let them past.
Range Rover I don't give a toss, it's for sale. You hit it you buy it.
650 drive them off the road or leave them.
TVR don't care! I'm in a TVR I don't give a toss about you, your car, your life or anything else happening in the world.
In the old racer. Little closer, go on little bit more :-) BOOM! Sorry about that chip turning into a crack, what's the whistling noise? That's your ears bleeding.
In the other half's 1.2 Corsa, except the inevitable, apologise and let them past.
Cyder said:
5-Oh said:
Another, more childish/fun option is to stick to the limit rigidly and then when you reach the NSL signs, leave them for dead. Depending on what they're driving, obviously 
Me in Mx5 vs meathead in VW Amarok yesterday.
He didn't want to keep up on the twisty NSL roads for some reason. Spoilsport!
It's difficult to know what to do about aggressive tailgaters - you know the type who sit on your tail and flash their lights because you committed the unpardonable sin of overtaking them.
If you slow down to let them pass then they normally do one of two things - either they slow down behind you even to the point of stopping, or they pass you and proceed to brake-test you, or worse.
In such a situation I normally look for some escape route.
If you slow down to let them pass then they normally do one of two things - either they slow down behind you even to the point of stopping, or they pass you and proceed to brake-test you, or worse.
In such a situation I normally look for some escape route.
I squeeze the throttle a bit just to prove a point and then let them pass.
I do buy that they don't often want to get past though. In my SLK the other day, I was being tailgated by a 2.0TDI A6 and when I got the opportunity to open up and overtake, he didn't follow. People are strange.
I do buy that they don't often want to get past though. In my SLK the other day, I was being tailgated by a 2.0TDI A6 and when I got the opportunity to open up and overtake, he didn't follow. People are strange.
rallycross said:
just get out of the way and let them get on with it
they are faster than you
move over
it only takes 3 seconds to let someone past
let them harass the next person and get on with your life
Often, they are not: you let them past and then they slow down, so you end up catching them again.they are faster than you
move over
it only takes 3 seconds to let someone past
let them harass the next person and get on with your life
Zod said:
rallycross said:
just get out of the way and let them get on with it
they are faster than you
move over
it only takes 3 seconds to let someone past
let them harass the next person and get on with your life
Often, they are not: you let them past and then they slow down, so you end up catching them again.they are faster than you
move over
it only takes 3 seconds to let someone past
let them harass the next person and get on with your life
Either way I let them pass when it's safe to do so. I regret it with the thickos in the second group, but not as much as I'd regret annoying a mental.
If they keep up with me on B-roads they are much more likely to be aggressive, which is good because I hate getting stuck behind clueless dolts I've just let past on a nice twisty road.
I do enjoy the 40 into NSL see you later trick, especially when they try to undertake you.
For the Tdi crew and their DRL's I just let them go as I know their mum's doing fish fingers, beans and chips.
Interestingly on my commute I regularly come across a BMW compact TD, you know the weird looking small Beemer before the 1 Series. He flies up behind every single person in the third lane and gets them to move over and when there is no one in the lane he must average 120mph, always followed by a cloud of soot caused by the tuning box! How he hasn't lost his licence I don't know!!!
For the Tdi crew and their DRL's I just let them go as I know their mum's doing fish fingers, beans and chips.
Interestingly on my commute I regularly come across a BMW compact TD, you know the weird looking small Beemer before the 1 Series. He flies up behind every single person in the third lane and gets them to move over and when there is no one in the lane he must average 120mph, always followed by a cloud of soot caused by the tuning box! How he hasn't lost his licence I don't know!!!
Edited by Uncle John on Friday 4th September 14:44
In urban areas I just continue driving at the speed limit - they can wait. I won't reward them by speeding up.
In NSL areas I might slow down to force them to overtake, or else push on through a few bends and drop them.
On the motorway it's usually possible to pull into a slower lane and get rid of them, but if I'm overtaking they can f*cking wait.
In NSL areas I might slow down to force them to overtake, or else push on through a few bends and drop them.
On the motorway it's usually possible to pull into a slower lane and get rid of them, but if I'm overtaking they can f*cking wait.
With the vintage car, the ones that annoy the most are the annoying twerps that leave far too small a gap in 30 limits, where I am doing 30 anyway. My speedo is probably more accurate than theirs as well, since I recalibrated it - they are habitual speeders I guess. I don't like the gap being too small as if I have to do a downchange, I'll lose slightly more speed than one does in a modern as double declutching does take a little more time.
They seem to see a vintage car as a challenge, the same speed in a modern car does not usually attract the tailgaters in the same manner.
One 'lady' in a BMW who took the outer lane the 30 limit split into at a roundabout and derestriction got a lesson in how to move off and go round a roundabout when she expected to pass a car perhaps 80 years older than hers. She didn't see me for dust - I was gone.
They seem to see a vintage car as a challenge, the same speed in a modern car does not usually attract the tailgaters in the same manner.
One 'lady' in a BMW who took the outer lane the 30 limit split into at a roundabout and derestriction got a lesson in how to move off and go round a roundabout when she expected to pass a car perhaps 80 years older than hers. She didn't see me for dust - I was gone.
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