Tailgating

Zascar

Is it just me or are irish driving habbits, especially tailgating, getting worse. I don;t know what it is, but recently I need to have people driving right up my ass everywhwere I go, its really annoying, but moreso extremely dangerous.

I was just on the M50 there in the inside lane at the back of a line of 4 or 5 cars when a van pulled in behind me and proceed to drive along, approx 6 or 7 feet away from my rear, when we were traveling 110-120 Km/h. I really hate this so I took my foot off the accellerator and let the car gently slow down, he got closer and closer, so I accellerated hard and left him miles behind me. However he then proceeded to do the same again. I repeated, to let him know i don't want anyone on my ass, but he would not let up. I even tried treid givng the brake a tiny tap, not to slow down, but to flash my brake lights to hopefully make him stop. No use.

Usually I am not into road rage at all, but I put down my window, gave him the finger and then sped off, onto the outside lane and took the left turn off. I was stopped at the next lights when he followed me, got out of his van and walked up top my car shouting "What sort of game are you playing" in his big bogger accent. I asked him why he was riding my ass in the first palce but he had no answer, only wondering why I was messing about, saying he had kids in the car. I told him he should not be driving so carelessly when traveling with children. He then tried to say I was Jamming on my brakes which was just not true. The lights then went green so I just left.

That was by far the worst insident I have experienced however it seems people in this country have a problem with driving so close. I can't understand it. Its going to be their fault if they hit you anyway, so why bother? Sometimes people do it to try to get you to change lane, but I was not holding up traffic, there were a number of cars in front of me. Apart form tailgating I find the worst habbit of Irish drivers is staying in the inside lane when not overtaking, even when there is no traffic on the outside lane. I know its wrong but I usually just swiftly undertake them, and get out of the way.

I truely think that instead of having all the ads about wearing your seat belt and drink driving, at least a portion of that airtime should have quick points on driver education - like correct lane positioning etc - actually they do have one on "Only a Fool Breaks the Two Second Rule" but we definitely need more of them.

So after todays experiance I don't think I will be repeating that technique, but what is the best advise to try to get someone to stop tailgating you?

eth0_

In fairness, I don't think you handled the situation particularly maturely yourself.

Why didn't you just pull into another lane and let him pass, instead of acting the big man and giving the guy the finger? Yeah, he shouldn't have been driving up your ass, but how did you know that guy wasn't going to get out at the lights and get violent?

Talk about double standards..

Zascar

Yes I have learnt my lesson and won't be repeating it ever again but he had no reason for driving up my ass in the first place!

kikel

Tailgating is wrong. I know that. But people must just get out of the over taking lane if possible. It is not other drivers responsiblity to prevent people from speeding. If they do want to slow other drivers down. Report them to the guards.

Wishbone Ash

kikel wrote:

Tailgating is wrong. I know that. But people must just get out of the over taking lane if possible. It is not other drivers responsiblity to prevent people from speeding. If they do want to slow other drivers down. Report them to the guards.

I think the OP said he was in the left lane when tailgated.

antodeco

This is always happening with me on the m50. It always happens when im in the right lane, behind a row of cars, and there are several cars in the left lane. I cant go anywhere, but people drive so close to me, that I cant even see the grill on their cars. Travelling at full speed. Normally I put on my hazards on slow down a small bit (without breaking) and people generally back off. If I cant go anywhere, they cant go anywhere, its as simple as that. Theres nothing more annoying than that. On the same point, why do people drive 20-30kmh slower than the speed limit in the right lane. or the same speed as the slower cars in the left lane.

oleras

Zascar wrote:

I was just on the M50 there in the inside lane at the back of a line of 4 or 5 cars when a van pulled in behind me and proceed to drive along, approx 6 or 7 feet away from my rear, when we were traveling 110-120 Km/h. I really hate this so I took my foot off the accellerator and let the car gently slow down, he got closer and closer, so I accellerated hard and left him miles behind me............

This is where you went wrong, imo. Why slow down and then speed up ? if someone drives too close to me, esp on a dual carriageway, ill slow down till they are sick of doing 30 ( if it takes it...:D ) enough to pass me, thats what the outside lane is for after all, and if it is a single carriageway with a hard shoulder, i might even pull in for them so they can pass, im not in any real hurry anywhere, the speed limit will do me fine ! (then again i do consider myself a good time manager, so no need to rush anywhere )

Stark

Some people are just clueless. I think they probably never had formal driving lessons and don't know that you're supposed to leave a safe distance. They probably only passed their tests as dual carriageways and motorways aren't on the test. Plenty of times I've turned off after being tailgated expecting to see some right aggressive looking **** only for it to be some young girl in a Micra looking as relaxed as a cow in a field.

Wishbone Ash

Stark wrote:

Some people are just clueless. I think they probably never had formal driving lessons and don't know that you're supposed to leave a safe distance. They probably only passed their tests as dual carriageways and motorways aren't on the test. Plenty of times I've turned off after being tailgated expecting to see some right aggressive looking **** only for it to be some young girl in a Micra looking as relaxed as a cow in a field.

Motorways are obviously not on test routes but ordinary dual carriageways are on some of them.

Stark

There was no dual carriageway on my test route even though there were a few within easy reach of the test centre. There are definitely a lot of people out there who have never been tested in anything other than congested city driving.

mrbungle

I found a cool way to stop tailgaters, this choad was up my ass on the N6 on the way into Dublin a few months ago.

The evening was coming into dusk and the light was slightly dimming. There was a nutsack behind me about 3ft from my car on the way into Enfield. He wouldn't budge at all or overtake.

I turned on my high-beams and after a min or 2, the oncoming traffic started flashing me and the choad backed off thinking there was coppers ahead !!!!

Class. He kept his distance then !!

jfanning

Stark wrote:

There was no dual carriageway on my test route even though there were a few within easy reach of the test centre. There are definitely a lot of people out there who have never been tested in anything other than congested city driving.

But does it have to be? The concept of a safe distance to travel behind another vehicle is the same no matter what speed to situation you are in

Stark

You always have to keep some form of distance but that distance varies depending on the speed you're doing. When I did my test, the traffic was bumper to bumper.

colm_mcm

mrbungle wrote:

I turned on my high-beams and after a min or 2, the oncoming traffic started flashing me and the choad backed off thinking there was coppers ahead !!!!

Class. He kept his distance then !!

Well done, you knowingly blinded oncoming drivers for 2 minutes. What a brilliant way to promote responsible driving.

mrbungle

colm_mcm wrote:

Well done, you knowingly blinded oncoming drivers for 2 minutes. What a brilliant way to promote responsible driving.

Using my rear fogs is also a favourite of mine when there's a choad tailgating me..

mrbungle

Spraying the windscreen cleaners and soaking the choad behind also another favourite.

colm_mcm

wouldn't mind using the rear fogs to get someone off your ass. but leaving the full beams on so that other people will flash their lights at you is just silly

optiplexgx270

Fogs is a fav of mine too shame the damn focus only has one I like the washer idea.

Guy in work was pulled by the guards in a 50kph zone doing 90kph cos the damn guards were tailgating him (5-6 feet according to him). He turned on them saying why were you tailgating me that the reason i was speeding up so i could get you off my bumper. Worked too i wouldnt have the nerve to attack back at them.

Stark

Are you sure the guy in work isn't pulling porkies? I'm a little incredulous of that story.

vshastak

Sometimes I just keep accelerating as normal and use my left foot to press brakes just a small bit. 2 times to "brake" like that is enough to teach smbd to keep the distance. That works 100%.

Stark

The "tapping the brakes" thing never works for me unfortunately. I must try the fog lights next time it happens.

optiplexgx270

Stark wrote:

The "tapping the brakes" thing never works for me unfortunately. I must try the fog lights next time it happens.

only really works at night.

And yeah i believe the guy in work only bit i dont really believe is he was doing 50-55 before the unmarked Focus came up behind him.

Stark

Ironically enough, about the only time I'll stick religiously to the speed limit is if someone's riding my ass. I'm always paranoid that it could be an unmarked squad car behind me.

optiplexgx270

LOL i just drive well under the limits to piss them off naughty i know but makes me feel good

colm_mcm

Thats why bullbars are so great!

litirspam

You should leave the whole "bogger" thing at home.

kikel

Wishbone Ash wrote:

I think the OP said he was in the left lane when tailgated.

The OP refers to the inside lane as the overtaking lane. and the outside lane as the other.

baztard

There's an ad on TV at the moment, talking about a 2 second rule. Basically no matter what speed your going at you should give yourself a gap to the car in front that will allow you 2 seconds reaction time. Also in very slow moving traffic or when stopping in traffic behind another car, you should always be able to see the base of their rear wheels.

Alun

kikel wrote:

The OP refers to the inside lane as the overtaking lane. and the outside lane as the other.

I think that's an American thing ... they seem to call the lane nearest the centre of the road the inside lane (and the lane furthest away from the centre the outside lane) for some reason best known to themselves, and there were a few hints in the original post that made me think he's from that side of the pond? Just a thought.

kdouglas

Alun wrote:

I think that's an American thing ... they seem to call the lane nearest the centre of the road the inside lane (and the lane furthest away from the centre the outside lane) for some reason best known to themselves, and there were a few hints in the original post that made me think he's from that side of the pond? Just a thought.

given that they also drive on the other side of the road, then would this not make sense, i always think of the outside as being on my right....

Archeron

baztard wrote:

There's an ad on TV at the moment, talking about a 2 second rule. Basically no matter what speed your going at you should give yourself a gap to the car in front that will allow you 2 seconds reaction time. Also in very slow moving traffic or when stopping in traffic behind another car, you should always be able to see the base of their rear wheels.

Thats a good ad. As simple as it is, it is effective. I've actually been driving and said to myself "only a fool breaks the two second rule" LOL. Then I usually slow down a bit creating a bigger gap between me and the car in front. Then I call myself a spanner and laugh.
There should be more ads like this though, on a variety of subjects. (only an idiot puts their makeup on at 100kmph on a motorway perhaps?)

SonOfPerdition

vshastak wrote:

Sometimes I just keep accelerating as normal and use my left foot to press brakes just a small bit. 2 times to "brake" like that is enough to teach smbd to keep the distance. That works 100%.

IMO thats incredibly dangerous. your left foor is not as sensitive to the braking pressure as your right foot is, and you could easily brake alot more severely than you intended and cause an accident . .especially if someone is tailgaitng you.

mrbungle

Isn't the onus on the person following you, not to be too close and to keep a safe distance from the car in front.

Savman

Zascar wrote:

I really hate this so I took my foot off the accellerator and let the car gently slow down, he got closer and closer, so I accellerated hard and left him miles behind me. However he then proceeded to do the same again. I repeated, to let him know i don't want anyone on my ass, but he would not let up. I even tried treid givng the brake a tiny tap, not to slow down, but to flash my brake lights to hopefully make him stop. No use.

So he was Tailgating, but your response of aggressive driving just means you sank to his level. There is absolutely NO way to stop someone tailgating you, as you have no control over other vehicles on the road (thats the risk of driving anywhere).

Not to be preachy but in those circumstances I usually do one of 3 things:
1-pull into left lane or hard shoulder to encourage tailgater to "go for it" but only where there's a broken white line that permits overtaking

2-accelerate to increase the gap between me and asshole behind (usually misconstrued as a "catch me if you can" gesture)

3-slow right down gradually while keeping eyes fixed on road ahead (the 'aul "fook him he can wait" approach)

Either way there's sweet FA you can do but the hazard lights are your friend. Hard braking should be avoided unless you want him coming thru your back seat :rolleyes:

Stark

Fog lights worked a treat for me the other day

ninty9er

optiplexgx270 wrote:

LOL i just drive well under the limits to piss them off naughty i know but makes me feel good

People who do that really really p1ss me off. even at traffic lights i think someone should have their clutch at biting point waiting for lights to go green. It's why traffic moves smothly in mainland europe, no slacking.

I floor it to the limit then stick on it and if somebody wants to tailgate me thats their problem. They hit me they're the one gonna get ****ed over on insurance aftter my car is fixed and my bills paid.

Stark

ninty9er wrote:

It's why traffic moves smothly in mainland europe, no slacking.

And how people get rear-ended while pulling off at traffic lights.

optiplexgx270

ninty9er wrote:

People who do that really really p1ss me off. even at traffic lights i think someone should have their clutch at biting point waiting for lights to go green. It's why traffic moves smothly in mainland europe, no slacking.

I floor it to the limit then stick on it and if somebody wants to tailgate me thats their problem. They hit me they're the one gonna get ****ed over on insurance aftter my car is fixed and my bills paid.

Well arnt you just great :rolleyes:

ninty9er

optiplexgx270 wrote:

Well arnt you just great :rolleyes:

My driving tester seemed to think so!!

AMurphy

Zascar wrote:

Is it just me or are irish driving habbits, especially tailgating, getting worse. I don;t know what it is, but recently I need to have people driving right up my ass everywhwere I go, its really annoying, but moreso extremely dangerous.
......
So after todays experiance I don't think I will be repeating that technique, but what is the best advise to try to get someone to stop tailgating you?

You're absolutely correct. Tailgaiting is a national passtime.

However, you may not have coped with the "intimidation" in the best possible manner.

Given the driving conditions, there are few options either. 2 lanes is not enough.

It seems if you are in a string of cars passing the usual string of trucks, transporters, etc you really have no room to slot in between the transporters in teh "slow" lane, so you are stuck in teh "fast" lane for the duration. and even if you did pull in and let the tailer pass, s/he is simply replaced with a new tailer, it's that bad.

So given the conditions, do not try any "tricks", simply INCREASE the distance between you and the car in front, cause if an emergency occurs, you need to consider the delay of the driver behind you, not your own latent deay. So you have to add his/her time delay on top of yours.

Otherwise, if conditions permit and you are not in too much of a hurry, let them past to annoy someone else.

Otherwise, good luck and happy miles. Stay cool. :cool:

curiosity

Where theres hard shoulder to pull over onto and let them pass, I take that option. However, seeing as the gist of the thread is more about what you do when you don't have that option, this is my approach.

Let me say first, I hate tailgaters with a passion. They're either stupid, arrogant or both. How anyone can drive with such a small margin of error is beyond me. I would no longer try the whole "brake/fog lights" approach. I wouldn't fancy explaining to a gardá/ my insurance company why I braked at 90 km/hour on a national road, causing accident and injury. Also, doing this usually gets the person behind you hopping mad etc.

So when the front numberplate of the car behind me disappears below my rear window, i just slow down a few kms gradually. I then accelerate back up to a speed I feel comfortable at. I repeat this until I'm given enough room to drive safely. No hand gestures, no swerving etc. I like to think the presence of a towbar on my car concentrates the mind of those following.

Zascar

Sometimes I feel like welding a large battering ram to the back of my car, and if anyone is tailgating me, slam on hard to avoid hitting a fly or something...

AMurphy

Hi tech solution;
A rear facing strobe lamp, that begins to flash when the object comes inside a certain range, speed dependant. And increases in frequency as the distance decreases.