STOP Tailgating me!

  • Thread starter Thread starter Gen.
  • 110 comments
  • 3,228 views
Actually a lot of people get out of the way of tailgaters. I usally swap lanes to let em by, or I tap my brakes. If that doesn't work I just ignore.

But everyonce in a while I get the bastard who won't respond to anything I do, thats when I stomp on the brakes and the tailgater ends up sliding off the road in panic.
 
A great excuse in Michigan is "I thought I saw a deer".
 
My Dad doesn't tailgate unless someone pulls in front of him when he's obviously going 5-10mph faster. He stays right behind him untill he moves back into the other lane. Then my Dad whizzes by. It's just stupid if someone pulls out in front of you. It's normaly, I found, middle aged people that do it...
 
What ever happened to the good old one fingered salute?

I know it promotes road rage, but in a situation like tailgating, I feel that it is justified to flip the person off. But that's only if someone is going way too fast.

One time I was on the freeway doing about 75 when this jackhole in a S2000 sticks to my ass and, shortly thereafter, zips past at what seemed like 90-95 mph. I flipped him off, but he probably didn't notice (probably too busy talking on his damn cell phone instead of paying attention)
 
Concept
I am a mean driver.

If you're going slower than I want to go and you're in front of me, I'll be on your ass. I'll ride the back of a car to the point of which I could probably spit on it. Get out of my way, please.

If someone is on my ass, I tap on my brakes a few times. If that doesn't work, I quickly slam on them, then speed up. The funnest thing to do is just go 20mph slower than you originally were. That'll get them everytime.

If I sound ignorant I'm sorry. I'm at school and bored.
Click to expand...

You are a ****. You tailgate and yet you hate tailgaters? The world does not revolve around your sorry ass. Grow the **** up.
 
Tailgating is stupid. It's dangerous. Pissing them off is also dangerous.

When I'm in the left lane and I see a car coming up quickly I get out of the left lane. When I see someone tailgating me I get out of their way (I'd rather do that than get in an accident).

If someone is block my progress I go around.

If someone is blocking my progress and I can't go around. I usually come up on them quickly. Then I back off, then I come up quickly again. Then I back off again, and come up quickly again. I guess I figure if they think I'm crazy they'll get out of the way.

I've never resorted to flashing my lights but that would be next.


I almost never get tailgated anymore because I'm typically driving much faster than anyone else. :)

What ticks me off more than tailgating is if someone lane changes into my lane with no regard to the fact that I'm doing 25 mph more than they are.
 
I treat them all tha same, I just let them go by. Sometimes I have to slow down more to make them get the hint that they should just go around me, but I do it gradually. I figure they have an emergency and need to get somewhere really important in a real hurry, so why play games with them?
 
danoff
Tailgating is stupid. It's dangerous. Pissing them off is also dangerous.

When I'm in the left lane and I see a car coming up quickly I get out of the left lane. When I see someone tailgating me I get out of their way (I'd rather do that than get in an accident).

If someone is block my progress I go around.

If someone is blocking my progress and I can't go around. I usually come up on them quickly. Then I back off, then I come up quickly again. Then I back off again, and come up quickly again. I guess I figure if they think I'm crazy they'll get out of the way.

I've never resorted to flashing my lights but that would be next.


I almost never get tailgated anymore because I'm typically driving much faster than anyone else. :)

What ticks me off more than tailgating is if someone lane changes into my lane with no regard to the fact that I'm doing 25 mph more than they are.
Click to expand...

I won't jump your case like I did the other fool, but what you're doing isn't very bright either. I don't like being flashed from behind, but I would prefer that to having someone running up on me repeatedly.

Has the world lost patience? If someone is driving slower than you and you are unable to pass why not just back off for a few minutes and wait for the situation to work itself out? It's not like passing this one person is going to make a whole lot of difference anyway.

On the receiving end, what are the legal ramifications for locking up your breaks while someone is tailgating you?
 
In Michigan I know you are 99.9999% at fault if you ass end someone. So if I slammed on my brakes and got hit it would be the other guys fault as long as I could say something like, an animal jumped out in front of me or my was doing something funny.

Chances are the other guy gets the ticket for ass ending.
 
BlazinXtreme
In Michigan I know you are 99.9999% at fault if you ass end someone. So if I slammed on my brakes and got hit it would be the other guys fault as long as I could say something like, an animal jumped out in front of me or my was doing something funny.

Chances are the other guy gets the ticket for ass ending.
Click to expand...

That's what I would expect, but there are some f'd up laws out there and I'd like someone with legal education to give me a definitive answer. I've checked Google but that's kind of hard to search for (:
 
Well there are probably slightly different laws for different places, and it would probably depend a lot on the specifics of the situation. Also, since your location is listed as "Everywhere," I assume the reply post would be quite lengthy!
 
MICHIGAN VEHICLE CODE (EXCERPT)
Act 300 of 1949


257.402 Rear end collision; prima facie evidence of negligence.

Sec. 402.

(a) In any action, in any court in this state when it is shown by competent evidence, that a vehicle traveling in a certain direction, overtook and struck the rear end of another vehicle proceeding in the same direction, or lawfully standing upon any highway within this state, the driver or operator of such first mentioned vehicle shall be deemed prima facie guilty of negligence. This section shall apply, in appropriate cases, to the owner of such first mentioned vehicle and to the employer of its driver or operator.

(b) This section may not be invoked by the owner of any vehicle, the rear of which was struck under the circumstances above mentioned, if the accident occurred between 1 hour after sunset and 1 hour before sunrise, and the vehicle so struck did not, at the time, have a lighted lamp or lantern reasonably visible to the drivers of vehicles approaching from the rear.


History: 1949, Act 300, Eff. Sept. 23, 1949


© 2004 Legislative Council, State of Michigan
Click to expand...

Michigan Legislation...not sure what it means though. I hate legal language.
 
Basically the guy who did the rear-ending (rear-ender?) is at fault no matter what with the exception of the one being rear-ended (rear-endie?) not having their lights on at night.

I would assume it's the same in all areas. You don't even have to have an excuse. Smoke those breaks and get a new car.
 
I'm not sure about that word "overtook" in the first part, but from what I understand if you rearend someone, you're screwed unless that person's taillights weren't on and it was more than 1 hour after sunset or 1 hour before sunrise.

Tailgaters be warned. My taillights work very well, and I would love nothing more than to teach a tailgater a lesson, the hard way.
 
Ya but Michigan has 1 million lighting laws. You can't have different coloured bulbs, can't have clear lights (those Lexus SUV's are hassled all the time), they can't be smoked out, and the list goes on. Maybe Michigan was a bad example.
 
Anderton Prime
I'm not sure about that word "overtook" in the first part, but from what I understand if you rearend someone, you're screwed unless that person's taillights weren't on and it was more than 1 hour after sunset or 1 hour before sunrise.

Tailgaters be warned. My taillights work very well, and I would love nothing more than to teach a tailgater a lesson, the hard way.
Click to expand...

I'm in total agreement. The only problem is that in most situations it would cause a bigger problem than I'm willing to deal with. I spend most of my time on the interstate in semi-heavy traffic.

I drive fast, upwards of 90 in a 70 and nearly all the time in the left (fast) lane. If someone is tailgating me it's because they're totally insane or the road is congested and I can't go faster. If I can maintain my speed, or only minorly reduce speed, in the right (slow) lane I am very willing to get out of someone's way and let them zoom ahead to get the speeding ticket. Sounds like a great idea to me. So the majority of occations for me to sucker someone into rearending me are when the road is heavily congested and I can't get out of their way. The problem with that is that more than the two of us could get involved and I don't want to drag some poor granny into the middle of my accident. Otherwise the interstate is wide open and I am willing to get out of a jack-hole's way.

Other locations would be on two lane roads in town and I'd honestly rather just slow down to nothing and piss them off more that way. Usually within about 5mph under the speed limit they get the idea and back off a few car lengths at which time I accellerate back to 5mph over or some such.

The situation has to be just right for me to seriously consider causing an accident. Keep in mind you better be prepaired for a few things. A) It could become one nasty wreck, including loss of limbs or even life. Sure you can handle that? B) The offending driver could be completely OK but approach you with a pistol. Not a happy thing. Please be careful.
 
Of course. I'm usually all bark and no bite when it comes to aggravating other drivers who piss me off. I'd never intentionally try to cause an accident...although once I was on the Gardiner Expressway here in Toronto and the speed limit changes form 100 to 90 and the 90 portion is usually pretty heavily patrolled by police, so I slowed from 120 to about 95 and there was a Honda Civic following me too closely (I guess, since I only took notice of him when I saw something strange in my rearview mirror - turned out to be him losing control and swerving right, then hard left so he was sideways on the road, and he went head-on straight into the barrier). But that was totally not my fault; I didn't even slow down fast on purpose to cause the guy to crash. He was just an idiot in a Civic barelling down the highway much too fast, and he got EXACTLY what he deserved. I bet he still speeds and follows too close. The only driving lesson people learn anything from is death.
 
Anderton Prime
Of course. I'm usually all bark and no bite when it comes to aggravating other drivers who piss me off. I'd never intentionally try to cause an accident...although once I was on the Gardiner Expressway here in Toronto and the speed limit changes form 100 to 90 and the 90 portion is usually pretty heavily patrolled by police, so I slowed from 120 to about 95 and there was a Honda Civic following me too closely (I guess, since I only took notice of him when I saw something strange in my rearview mirror - turned out to be him losing control and swerving right, then hard left so he was sideways on the road, and he went head-on straight into the barrier). But that was totally not my fault; I didn't even slow down fast on purpose to cause the guy to crash. He was just an idiot in a Civic barelling down the highway much too fast, and he got EXACTLY what he deserved. I bet he still speeds and follows too close. The only driving lesson people learn anything from is death.
Click to expand...

Wow ... he didn't roll it sideways at that speed? That's amazing. Did you stop to check on the accident or keep on rolling?
 
Anderton Prime
Of course. I'm usually all bark and no bite when it comes to aggravating other drivers who piss me off. I'd never intentionally try to cause an accident...although once I was on the Gardiner Expressway here in Toronto and the speed limit changes form 100 to 90 and the 90 portion is usually pretty heavily patrolled by police, so I slowed from 120 to about 95 and there was a Honda Civic following me too closely (I guess, since I only took notice of him when I saw something strange in my rearview mirror - turned out to be him losing control and swerving right, then hard left so he was sideways on the road, and he went head-on straight into the barrier). But that was totally not my fault; I didn't even slow down fast on purpose to cause the guy to crash. He was just an idiot in a Civic barelling down the highway much too fast, and he got EXACTLY what he deserved. I bet he still speeds and follows too close. The only driving lesson people learn anything from is death.
Click to expand...
Sounds like the kids I go to school with now. . . A lot of them drive this decently powered imports and speed from exit 37 to exit 47 on I-91 here in Ct. and I have seen a few incidents where they looked like they were going to lose it or take someone out. . .

If anyone is following me too closely, I give them a nice brake check. If they rear-end me, they'll be paying for it and most of the money will go directly into my pockets now that I have everything from autobody to Engine work at my disposal : )
 
Ah... Reading all your posts relax me, knowing that learners aren't the only ones suffering from pricks. :)
 
Anderton Prime
Police often tailgate drivers to intimidate them into making a mistake or speeding up. It's a dispicable practice.
Click to expand...
Yeah I just set my cruise control at 65 and gradually decreased it to 60 because what is the cop going to do? Write me a ticket for obeying the speed limit?

And anyways - if the cop is intentionally trying to intimidate you into breaking a highway saftey law wouldn't it be thrown out in court because he was tailgating? Simple proof of this would be from the video recorded out the windshield of the trooper's (or any policemen's for that matter) car.

But yes, everyone gets tailgated more than they would like - its all in how you deal with it. Either get out of their way or tap the brakes and decelerate or change lanes.
 
VTGT07
Yeah I just set my cruise control at 65 and gradually decreased it to 60 because what is the cop going to do? Write me a ticket for obeying the speed limit?

And anyways - if the cop is intentionally trying to intimidate you into breaking a highway saftey law wouldn't it be thrown out in court because he was tailgating? Simple proof of this would be from the video recorded out the windshield of the trooper's (or any policemen's for that matter) car.

But yes, everyone gets tailgated more than they would like - its all in how you deal with it. Either get out of their way or tap the brakes and decelerate or change lanes.
Click to expand...

Actually I believe the officer would be at fault (and in serious trouble) for "entrapment" - causing a citizen to break the law when they otherwise would not.
 
LoudMusic
Actually I believe the officer would be at fault (and in serious trouble) for "entrapment" - causing a citizen to break the law when they otherwise would not.
Click to expand...
Yeah that was pretty much my thinking in atleast getting your ticket thrown out.
 
I'd rather go for the lawsuit against the state. The ticket is inconsquencial at this point. . .
 
theGTfreak
My Dad doesn't tailgate unless someone pulls in front of him when he's obviously going 5-10mph faster. He stays right behind him untill he moves back into the other lane. Then my Dad whizzes by. It's just stupid if someone pulls out in front of you. It's normaly, I found, middle aged people that do it...
Click to expand...
I do the same thing as well. Someone cuts me off they get their bumper ridden until they vacate the lane. Thats generally the only time I tailgate someone - that or they're doing under the speed limit and cars are flying by me and I can't get over.
 

Latest Posts

Back