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Tailgating is the one thing that gets on my nerves. I've already been slammed into twice. And the second one I was driving a gas tanker. And to this day they still do it. But the one thing that I have been seeing is when they pass they jump right in front of your car or truck missing your bumper by an inch.
Perhaps it's not the other drivers. Eye exam due, perhaps? Change in rear view mirror? Burned out taillamps?
NOPE, happens to me also.....tailgate me....even when there is another lane going in the same direction. It is due to this country being populated with so many idiots...plain and simple.
Drafting: riding close to another vehicle, in order to face less air resistance. Seen in NASCAR (and other motorsports). Also used by some hypermilers to increase fuel economy.
Slingshot: a passing maneuver. The car overtaking starts by drafting (see above). The car the accelerates while pulling out of the airstream. The backdraft from the current combined with the power of the now-high-revving engineliterally "slingshots" the overtaking car forward. Seen in racing, and used by drivers of underpowered vehicles.
In a day and age of 300hp family cars that get 30mpg highway, I doubt it's either of these. Most likely just idiot drivers who aren't paying attention to relative speed or following distances.
Solution? wire an auxiliary switch to your break lights. Turn them on while speeding up. Watch their confusion in the rearview.
I'm one of those drivers who just sticks to the right lane with the cruise control set to about 5-10 over the limit on freeways.
As do I, and generally put 12 ~15K on divided highways/year, mixed urban/suburban/rural, and frankly, I don't see such behavior very often at all - in fact, I see more of the other (too far back from vehicle in front @ intersections) in suburban/urban street driving. In all fairness, I don't obsess @ what's behind me...
Perhaps it's not the other drivers. Eye exam due, perhaps? Change in rear view mirror? Burned out taillamps?
It happens to me, just sometimes you get a cluster of them as it's not SUPER common.
I really can't figure it out, road totally empty, not in the fast lane and yep....the guy has to "buzz" you by coming within 10yds of your bumper as they just barely slide around you.
Even better is the person that has to roll up behind you and tailgate the crap out of you because they are exiting in 10 seconds.
Keep in mind, I'm not some slow poke driver. This generally only happens when there are numerous cars in front of me or the offending driver is going at least 10 over the speed limit.
Oh well.
P.S. There has to be a difference between tapping the brakes just enough to get the lights on and slamming on the brakes...I can't imagine the first is illegal as it's just meant to get the guy behind you to wake up and realize how close they are.
"10 yards" = 33 feet - not exactly "close" nor "up on a bumper", nor is that a distance that makes me even slightly uncomfortable (and yes, I know the "recommended" distances/speed)
You mean they'll be confused by the glass bulbs bursting when you hit the break switch?
lol I'm sure there'd be some wiring conflicts and all. I suck at wiring (usually have a friend of mine help out if wiring is involved). It'd be pretty funny though. In my last car, I'd flip on the rear fog lights -- they looked a lot like brake lights lighting up -- then I'd drop it a gear and step on it. They back off, thinking you're slowing down, then you widen the gap. Bonus points if somebody merges into the new gap.
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