Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
I've tailgated. I've been tailgated. Stressful stuff. Now I only unintentionally do it when I catch someone a hell of a lot quicker than I intended as I coast down to their speed.
Four Ways and slowing down. The people in front of you, drive too slow for you. And you drive too slow for the people behind you. I try not to annoy people too much as people seem kind of mentally agitated nowadays.
I don't see the reason to tailgate where we live anyway. It is too easy to blow past people. It is a pain when some slow poke is in the fast lane. You got 3 to 6 lanes of traffic and you decide to drive 63 in a 65 lane where most people drive 75. For one that is not safe. Another thing is that in California slower traffic is required to move to the right. I would say that most slow drivers are safe though and stay out of the faster lanes. It is important to maintain some courtesy on the roadway. I think most people will tap their lights if they are coming up on you and most slow drivers are courteous enough to move out of the way.
I take it you are one of the infamous "rat runners" then, the people taking shortcuts on narrow 1-lane roads meant mainly for the locals, and you gripe at having to get behind people walking their dogs or pushing their baby strollers all on the road?
If I read you right, then the message is clear--stay off those roads. You have no business being back there, especially if what you're doing is using it to save 1 mile on your work commute. Technically of course you can drive on those roads, but you really shouldn't be. You spoil the quality of life for people who actually live on those roads, and chose those roads specifically because they wanted some seclusion from zoom-zoom in their living space.
Any one person doing this, it's not a big deal, but when lots of people "catch on" and start taking a given shortcut, the cumulative effect is destructing and yes I think they need to stay from back there and stick to the 4-lane roads.
On the 4-lane roads, it's a totally different story. Those roads are designed for lots of people, and if you live on such a road, it's the price you pay. Traffic should be moving and moving fast on such roads.
Perhaps instead of thinking about how to "punish" the tailgater, you should be thinking about why they're tailgating in the first place?
There are some obnoxious drivers that will tailgate anyone anywhere for no reason. From my perspective, most of the obnoxious people are in front of the tailgater doing one of the following things:
Sitting in the left lane going whatever speed they feel like and sentencing every other driver to their chosen speed.
Going too slow on a road with no passing lane.
Aggressively pulling out in front of a would be tailgater and then going really, really slow.
Not maintaining a consistent speed and/or randomly hitting their brakes every 30 seconds when there is no one in front of them.
Talking/texting and not paying attention to anything around them.
The list goes on and on. If someone is tailgating you, there's a good chance that they are just trying to get somewhere and you are preventing them from doing so.
I assume that the objection to tailgating is that it is unsafe. I can't really see how trying to seek revenge on people for violating your personal space ups the safety quotient. Let me guess, if the windshield washer fluid doesn't work, you slam on the brakes to "really teach them a lesson!"
I agree with your list. As someone that doesn't do those things I still get tailgated on occasion with the most common being.
1) A 30mph street that cuts across near my neighborhood that police frequently speed trap on. I go 35mph and have had people literally climb in my trunk for my crime. I've saved several tailgaters from tickets over the years on that road occasionally waving to them as we pass a speed trap and watching them sheepishly drop off my bumper. (I'm only on that road for about 4 blocks so that gives you an idea how impatient they are). Most of the time the offenders were young gals/guys.
2) Heavy traffic, 20 cars in front of me....moron behind all of us in a tremendous hurry thinking tailgating will solve it.
I have to ask a question here, if you are driving in the left hand lane of an interstate, doing the speed limit, and there is no one ahead of you as far as the eye can see, and 20 cars stacked up behind you that can't pass you because you are doing the same exact speed as the car in the right lane, do you think that is OK? Or could you just speed up a tad and pull to the right...you know and be a little considerate.
Location: The Circle City. Sometimes NE of Bagdad.
24,470 posts, read 26,003,936 times
Reputation: 59848
Quote:
Originally Posted by sjinnj
I have to ask a question here, if you are driving in the left hand lane of an interstate, doing the speed limit, and there is no one ahead of you as far as the eye can see, and 20 cars stacked up behind you that can't pass you because you are doing the same exact speed as the car in the right lane, do you think that is OK? Or could you just speed up a tad and pull to the right...you know and be a little considerate.
This is what I do, as it seems people are ALWAYS on me azz, it must be the Mini, it barely has a booty so it seems like people are unusually close
hmmm....wipers.....
Sadly I got rear ended on the highway while I was stopped... I'm OK but I got to drive a Mini rental haha the moment I used the windshield wipers I was like holy crap that's a strong spray!
I have to ask a question here, if you are driving in the left hand lane of an interstate, doing the speed limit, and there is no one ahead of you as far as the eye can see, and 20 cars stacked up behind you that can't pass you because you are doing the same exact speed as the car in the right lane, do you think that is OK? Or could you just speed up a tad and pull to the right...you know and be a little considerate.
Last sentence, need to be written in Spanish, every Asian language, every African language, in Ebonics, in red neck term. And plain ol English in big bold.
Did I leave out any continent or language?
Traffic jam continues, because the idiot on the left is oblivious..
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
I've saved several tailgaters from tickets over the years on that road occasionally waving to them as we pass a speed trap and watching them sheepishly drop off my bumper. (I'm only on that road for about 4 blocks so that gives you an idea how impatient they are). Most of the time the offenders were young gals/guys.
