Rant from me. Tailgaters.

Adrynalyne, car crash and then a fire..........shudder my worst nightmare.

Just a note to both sides of the debate. I think everyone agrees that to cause an accident just because someone is "Tailgating" is morally wrong.

That said I think we have all had a "tailgater" ride our bumper, and "wished" we could slam on the brakes and when the Tailgater crashes into us we jump out and shoot the Bas*ard dead, for all the agro the person has caused us.

Most of us, just at the most "tap" the brakes so the brake light comes on, then accelerate away, hoping the Turkey behind us gets the message.

 

Im sure we all wish we had a gun at those times, yeah

 

I would love to have one of these 'Trunk Monkeys', LoL!

http://www.trunkmonkey.com/content/view/28/1/

 

That is what I initially thought was implied by 'brake-test'
which is why I didnt have a problem with it being mentioned in the first post.

From what I gather now, (little bit on the slow side sometimes )
it means to slam on your brakes and therefore 'test' the brakes of the person tailgating you.

That is just stupid on so many levels
Who do you think they are going to crash into ?

 

Another scenario I always think of is that someone is in an emergency situation.
This happened to someone I know years ago. Was a 2 lane windey mountain road.
A car behind was right on their rear attempting to pass but it was impossible.
My friend pulled as far over far as they could giving the speeder enough room to finally pass.
At the bottom of the hill at the ranger's station there was the car and an ambulance treating a small child.
There is no way to let people know when there is a dire situation,
I remember that story giving people the benefit of the doubt.

 

Nevermind

 

I had a tailgater one time, sat on my arse and wouldn't pass in the passing zones. I braked normally and instead of passing he backed off. Five minutes later, he's back. I braked normally again. He backed off. Again he's back, another passing zone ignored, I braked normally again except this time I slowed to 30 mph, and shook my fist out the back window. He backed waaay off. A couple of miles later my car died and I figured I'd get beat up by these people even though they were quite old. Fortunately they had turned off just before.

 

It came through my email anyway. Now that i think it over, a 17 year old taking someone to court, I don't think so, not in the US anyway. I'm pretty sure you have to be 18 to sue although they do prosecute youngsters as adults depending on the crime, LIKE LYING! Perhaps we're being duped.

 

You were in an accident recently huh? How you doing?

 

Lookout .... Darlene is on the case

 

I'm slow :eek

 

no i was not lol i guess you misread my post

 

I'm sorry, must have been someone else, my memory is going

 

First off... nice quadruple post... (Multi quote functionality)

second off.. I had an 18-wheeler just about flatten my first Miata before because the prick was tailgating me and couldn't stop his crap when I hit a deer.

thirdly: my insurance is high as balls because my car of choice and my area. the fact that bad crap happens to me when I drive (couple of long stories... some involving ice and careless drivers) and that my insurance company doesn't care if it was my fault or not in an accident... I'm not a bad driver, but when someone pulls up behind me and rides my little 3 feet from the ground *** in something that is like 3 feet above the ground I get pissed... its almost the same deal about tailgating a motorcyclist... its just plain wrong

 

Guess maybe I should be blunt.

People who brakecheck to cause accidents or get revenge are IDIOTS.

Regardless if you believe it or not, if you brakecheck, YOU ARE A BAD DRIVER.

I was right though. My words fell on deaf ears.

 

Just because a person is in a hurry does not forgive ANY kind of stupidity on the roads. To purposely cause an accident is selfish stupidity beyond belief, but, because "The person behind you is in a hurry" is no reason to overlook their utter ignorance and disregard for other people on the road either.

If your in a hurry than you should have got your sorry *** out of the house on time and leave safe drivers alone.

 

Wow, this has been an interesting read for me. The premise of my rant was against the people that tailgate other drivers. The person following too close is the one that has the problem in my opinion. Sometimes you have to slam on the brakes (car pulls out in front of you, a large obstruction in the road, actual legit reasons to lock up the brakes.) Tailgater then hits me... Is that my fault or theirs?

I do not brake check very often, and I thought about that today when someone was riding my arse, I just slowed down and gave them the finger.

Just to clarify my rant, it is against the folks that will be the cause of the accident if I have to stop suddenly for a legit reason! What is the point of being 5' from my bumper unless we are at a stop?

Will I brake check some clown in the future... probably. I will think twice about it though.

Thanks for the replies.

Eric

 

i don't think its right eather way but i think some people watch nascar to much some think they will save some gas that way but really they could lose there lives doing it. i seen quite a few times where someone was tailgating a 18-wheeler because they thought they would save some money for gas but they lost there lives because the bumper on a 18-wheelers trailer will win every time no matter what your in.

you know i really hate it when a 18-wheeler tailgates noway they could stop if you hit your breaks hard doing 55 to miss someone pulling in front of you. and also someone turning in front of a 18-wheeler thinking the 18-wheeler will stop on a dime because of its air-breaks. lol

not to long ago i was heading back from town to our shop in my mothers explorer (about 10-12miles) and i was following a 18-wheeler i was about 40feet or more behind him he was doing 75mph and so was i. well i turned my head for one sec and when i looked back all his wheels were smoking because he locked up his wheels to miss a tractor that was coming across the bridge we were coming up to now if i was tailgating what would of happen? makes you wonder some times now i am sure i would never tailgate but i am sure if it was someone else they would of been on that 18-wheelers ares and there would of been nothing left.

sorry if some of that does not sound right i am very tired as i type this

i just wanted to let that out. and i got nothing to say about mikes post.

 

you guys get way too worked up.

I just randomly throw potato chips out the window at tailgaters. They look like rocks as they fly through the air.

And, yes, I do keep a can of Pringles in the truck for just such an emergancy.

Or I do what MA does, laugh my fool head off when the asteroid impact craters, err pot holes, near my house swallow up the front end of some idiot's car.

 

I think the tailgaters would have been the object of the discussion (jerks as they are) if not for the fact some arrogant kid came on to brag about purposely causing injury and lying (which in my opinion is doing now also) that touched a sore spot in so many here and turned this whole discussion around.

 

Careful, some of us may get worked up about your littering habits, as well as you deliberately trying to distract other drivers :tas

 

roflmao

I didn't realize that Pringles were such an environmental danger.

 

It depends on the flavour

Hope you don't throw your banana skins out the window too

 

Fred_G
you know how to get it going in here.
keep the rants a'comin

 

I do! I make sure they hit the grassy area though as banana skins on the freeway are pretty lethal for a motorbiker. I suppose you are now going to blame me for all the bears and cougars in my city?

 

...No, but I heard there's a bit of monkey problem there in Oregon. Unless it was just M.K. on the prowl again. :yum

 

I know this is not related to my posts, but the litter thing, and a little something that happened the other day and the litter posts...

http://thenewsstar.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070314/NEWS01/703140318

Yep, we got our traffic all screwed up by... chicken grease. Nasty.

I need me some of that chicken grease and a pump for the tailgaters!

E

 

Well let me tell you what happened to my daughter when the driver of the car she was riding in decided to brake check. She was a senior in high school and was in the backseat with her date. After the 16 year old male driver who brake checked stopped for a red light, the driver behind him got out of his car and opened the door to their car and started choking and beating up the young guy. So much for brake checking!

 

Since we're ranting about driving, I might as well vent my frustration at the people who can't count their turn at four way stops....

I mean, just today coming home from school. I was the second car to pull up to the intersection. After the first car to get there on my left side made a left turn I proceeded to take my turn and go straight. Of course the guy in the Navigator on my right, who was the last car to pull up, decides it's his turn just after I start entering the intersection. I had two options. Hit the gas and try to avoid the back of the car in front of me, or hit the brakes and let the guy in the Navigator slam into my right side. I figured if there was going to be any collision, I wasn't going to be the one at fault so I hit the brakes. LUCKILY, the guy in the Navigator stopped INCHES from the side of car with this stupid look on my face like I was doing something wrong.... He was supposed to wait for me, then another car before he should have even started moving. Even as I was in the intersection he keep on going like he was going to plow me out of his way or something!

And this happens all the time, at least 3-4 times a day. It's so simple people! You take your turn in the order you approached the intersection. Should more than on vehicle reach the intersection at the same time, the person to your right always has the right of way. God, I can't stand idiots.

 

You must have not gotten the email or letter. Obviously he/she is more important than you. Now you know. Common, courtesy, and laws do not apply to said person.

Well, at least that is how they drive...

E

 

This has been an interesting 'rant'. I have read all the replies, and while I do not agree with all off them, I respect the poster and their thoughts.

Let's see... I do now think twice before doing a brake check, and rarely do it anymore. You folks RUINED my drive to work!

I do no brake check with passengers in my car. Not a good idea.

As charmadette pointed out, well, lock your door when the idiot steps out of his car after a brake check, or be prepared to deal with said person. That is called assault, and is punishable by law.

So will I stop brake checking people? Nope. The person following too closely is the problem in my opinion. But I will think about it before I do it.

Hope your Monday went better than mine!

E

 

Mondays......... who needs em'
Saturdays and Sundays are better for some reason

 

Fair enough. Just remember, brake checks too, are punishable by law. And yes, it can be proven.

 

A few thoughts to add to this thread I've just come across.

In the 1960s/1970s, power braking was restricted to few luxury cars in the UK. I was taught to give these extra room because it was not unknown for drivers of these vehicles who had say a small crack on a lens to suddenly stop in front of an old banger (like mine) simply in order to find someone else to pay for a new lens. There was one reported instance where the driver was simply too lazy to clean his rear bumper.

Sorry the web links from those days don't seem to work any more.

Brake testing? I was also 'taught' to use brake AND accelerator together, so as to appear to brake, but not actually slow down, thus putting some extra distance between you and the tailgater. This is based on the fact that the brake lights come on a little before the actual pads are applied.

Tailgating is particularly obnoxious at night where a driver can easily be dazzled (temporarily blinded) by reflections from his driver's mirror. There should always be a patch of darkeness between the end of your dipped headlights and the rear of the car in front.
Also when driving sedately at night a good curteous proceedure is to illuminate the road ahead with your main beam as an overtaking driver approaches from behind; then to dip as she overtakes so your main beam will not dazzle.

More recently, within the last two weeks there was a high profile national case of gangs using cars to 'engineer' accidents. There was often a second car full of 'witnesses' There would be a passanger who would claim tens of thousands of pounds in whiplash injuries. Apparantly there was a bent doctor and insurance agent also involved.
Gang members got sent down for several years, but they only caught and prosecuted one gang, apparantly there are several operating in the area between Outer NW London and Birmingham.

A sobering thought all round.

Studio T

 

I think the funniest thing about tailgaiters is that if the car in front of them doesn't immediately pull away when the lights go green, they are stuck behind it, and have to wait for a chance to reverse. All of which stupidy could have been avoided with some common sense and forward planning.

There should be a safety zone all around your car. There are safe and legal tactics available to car drivers to ensure that such a safety zone remains effective.
First, ask yourself how fast it is safe to drive if there is a car which is too close behind you. If you were to suddenly brake in a genuine emergency, would the driver in the vehicle behind you have time to stop and avoid crashing into you ? If the answer is no, then ask yourself what the consequences of an impact at that speed would be. If you were only doing 30mph, and your car was hit from behind, it would obviously cause damage, but if for example you were doing 60, you would be far more likely to lose control of your own vehicle and may not be able to safely bring it to a stop. As such, you could decide that under those circumstances, you need to reduce your speed so that if an impact was to occur, you would be in less danger.
To open up the gap behind you, ease off the accelerator, and allow the car to gradually lose speed. The car behind you will also need to slow down, and check your mirror to make sure it does. Then accelerate up to the speed you were previously doing, thus opening up the gap (safety zone) behind you. If the driver behind you closes it, repeat the procedure as necessary to maintain a safe distance.