How do you deal with 'Tailgaters' ?

jimgoose

Zonda999 wrote: »

A situation I often seem to come across is when I'm being tailgated in the right (overtaking) lane of a 2 lane dual-carriageway. What I do in these situations, if possible, is pull back into the left lane and speed up a bit (If the way is clear) and see how committed the tailgater is to their cause. They end up having to go WAY faster to try and pass me out, and often they can't if their car/van isn't up to the job. I like to think it puts them back in their box

Stop being a cunnox.

Galwayguy35

They piss me off when they are sitting on the boot but I just ignore them and move over to the hard shoulder and let them off when it's safe to do so.

Andy From Sligo

Galwayguy35 wrote: »

They piss me off when they are sitting on the boot but I just ignore them and move over to the hard shoulder and let them off when it's safe to do so.

ive been in many a situation where there is no hard shoulder or anywhere to pull over to the left - but anyway thats a form of bullying we all have a right to drive on the road and shouldnt be bulldozed into moving out of the way of ignorant arseholes that want to always be in front - we would have something to say if we were in a queue and somebody wanted us to move one side why they jumped the queue to get to the front so why do we have to allow people to do that on the roads?

Galwayguy35

Andy From Sligo wrote: »

ive been in many a situation where there is no hard shoulder or anywhere to pull over to the left - but anyway thats a form of bullying we all have a right to drive on the road and shouldnt be bulldozed into moving out of the way of ignorant arseholes that want to always be in front - we would have something to say if we were in a queue and somebody wanted us to move one side why they jumped the queue to get to the front so why do we have to allow people to do that on the roads?

So what do you suggest be done about them?

DEFTLEFTHAND

Duel is the ultimate tailgating movie.

barneystinson

Andy From Sligo wrote: »

ive been in many a situation where there is no hard shoulder or anywhere to pull over to the left - but anyway thats a form of bullying we all have a right to drive on the road and shouldnt be bulldozed into moving out of the way of ignorant arseholes that want to always be in front - we would have something to say if we were in a queue and somebody wanted us to move one side why they jumped the queue to get to the front so why do we have to allow people to do that on the roads?

So you're saying overtaking should be illegal?

henryporter

I had a particular type of retarded tailgater last night - full headlights straight in at me, so as I wasn't in any particular hurry I waited until I had a place to indicate, pull in, wait for them to pass, then indicate, pull out and give them a taste of their own medicine for the next 5 km - don't know which is worse; a night blind tailgater, a winter keep-your-effing-proper-stopping-distance tailgater or you common-or-garden variety twat tailgater.

Mint Sauce

I usally ignore them, at most I will move towards the hard shoulder to give them a little extra space to go round. But if I am driving to the road/weather conditions, I am not going to enter the hard shoulder at 100kph or what ever the safe driving speed is for anyone one bar blue lights, and in that case I will slow and move over once I hear or see them.

Andy From Sligo

Galwayguy35 wrote: »

So what do you suggest be done about them?

Id like to see more Garda Traffic Corp on the roads and when they see evidence of someone tailgating to either pull them over and give them a warning or take down their number plates and for re-occuring offender to either be forced to go on driving course or re-take their tests or a ban ... but i know it aint gonna happen, with cut-backs as an excuse or harassment being thrown into the mix

Andy From Sligo

barneystinson wrote: »

So you're saying overtaking should be illegal?

no not at all, but i think intimidation to other road users by the likes of tailgating should be

FullblownRose

Slow down and calm down please people it's not worth trying to make up a few seconds or minutes time..even when I try to be ready and leave early I often get delayed one way or another and have to remind myself of this saying..it's better late than never
I would prefer to be thought of as an inconsiderate person for wasting peoples time by being late to a meeting or appointment, and even risk jeopardising future dealings with them, as embarassing as that is,
than to have something really bad happen on the road. I can get over the shame of letting people down by being late and so on. I couldn't live with myself if I caused an accident.
Maybe you are highly skilled at driving but nobody can predict every eventuality or mechanical failure, there are things that are beyond our control on the road, the most important thing is safety so just slow down ..

roofer1988

Zonda999 wrote: »

A situation I often seem to come across is when I'm being tailgated in the right (overtaking) lane of a 2 lane dual-carriageway. What I do in these situations, if possible, is pull back into the left lane and speed up a bit (If the way is clear) and see how committed the tailgater is to their cause. They end up having to go WAY faster to try and pass me out, and often they can't if their car/van isn't up to the job. I like to think it puts them back in their box

drive inside the ditch you dont deserve to be on the road

barneystinson

Andy From Sligo wrote: »

no not at all, but i think intimidation to other road users by the likes of tailgating should be

You compared overtaking on the road to queue jumping, which is generally considered unacceptable behaviour. So it was just a bad comparison on your part?

Don't get me wrong, I abhor tailgating, I'll probably end up being rear ended by somebody one of these days, because my way of dealing with it is to tip the brakes, then to brake incrementally harder until they piss off away from my boot... But what I don't do is speed up when a car is overtaking me, that's not a solution to the problem, it's just being a bollix...

Andy From Sligo

barneystinson wrote: »

You compared overtaking on the road to queue jumping, which is generally considered unacceptable behaviour. So it was just a bad comparison on your part?...

true that, i did make it come across like that I admit ...

P. Breathnach

Some things are simple to understand, but people seem unwilling to accept the basics of safe driving: tailgating is dangerous; taking retaliatory action against tailgaters is dangerous.

If I am tailgated, I slow down gently to a speed where I don't feel the driver behind me is a danger to me. If there is a passing opportunity, well and good: let him (it's almost invariably a male driver) get past; if there isn't a passing opportunity, then he can stay there - I'm not going to pull off the road for him.

There is very little to be gained by aggressive driving. Very often the driver who makes huge efforts to get past me is still in my sight several minutes later. But his blood pressure is probably higher than mine.

Shenshen

Here's an honest question to the self-admitted tailgaters in this thread : What exactly do you achieve - or even just hope to achieve by tailgating?

Andy From Sligo

Shenshen wrote: »

Here's an honest question to the self-admitted tailgaters in this thread : What exactly do you achieve - or even just hope to achieve by tailgating?

I think its a 'power trip' most of the time, they dont drive right close up your cars rear because they are in a hurry or need to get somewhere , they just dont like being behind anyone, especially if the person in front is NOT breaking the speed limit ... oh and they most probably control freaks as well - have to be out there in front and prove that them and their high powered vehicles are 'the best thing ' on the roads! ...

Andy From Sligo

if you took out all this disillusionment what a lot of these type of reckless drivers have ie "accidents never happen to me, they happen to others, Im invincible" - then the roads would be a lot safer these days to drive on i reckon

To Elland Back

My '99 Audi is getting a bit tired. Can the serial tailgaters please PM me to let me know what roads they use? I need a new motor and I would prefer not to spend any money

Fentdog84

was in my friends car the other day and there was someone tailgating behind him. So what he did to teach him a lesson was he slowed down to 30 mp, it was a narrow road with no room to pass, so he kept this speed for the next 7-8 miles and must have held him up 10-15 minutes. The tailgaiter backed up eventually in the hope my friend would speed up a little..was pissing myself laughing

Andy From Sligo

the other thing that riles me up is the ones that tailgate you, then you let them overtake ..... and then a few hundred yards up the road they pull off left into their drive or turn off to road on left or worse still overtake you and turn right and your stuck behind THEM waiting to turn right! - what the feck is all that about- why could they not just wait!

FullblownRose

Andy From Sligo wrote: »

the other thing that riles me up is the ones that tailgate you, then you let them overtake ..... and then a few hundred yards up the road they pull off left into their drive or turn off to road on left or worse still overtake you and turn right and your stuck behind THEM waiting to turn right! - what the feck is all that about- why could they not just wait!

Yes, this. Hilarious. I don't mind too much (apart from the tailgating- if it's just overtaking to turn off into a driveway soon after) provided they don't do it dangerously but it's so *pointless* !

P. Breathnach

Fentdog84 wrote: »

was in my friends car the other day and there was someone tailgating behind him. So what he did to teach him a lesson was he slowed down to 30 mp, it was a narrow road with no room to pass, so he kept this speed for the next 7-8 miles and must have held him up 10-15 minutes. The tailgaiter backed up eventually in the hope my friend would speed up a little..was pissing myself laughing

I'd guess that the delay was more like about 2 minutes unless the tailgater was hoping to drive at a seriously inappropriate speed for a narrow road.

But it probably did feel like a 10-15 minute delay to the tailgater.

barneystinson

P. Breathnach wrote: »

Some things are simple to understand, but people seem unwilling to accept the basics of safe driving: tailgating is dangerous; taking retaliatory action against tailgaters is dangerous.

If I am tailgated, I slow down gently to a speed where I don't feel the driver behind me is a danger to me. If there is a passing opportunity, well and good: let him (it's almost invariably a male driver) get past; if there isn't a passing opportunity, then he can stay there - I'm not going to pull off the road for him.

There is very little to be gained by aggressive driving. Very often the driver who makes huge efforts to get past me is still in my sight several minutes later. But his blood pressure is probably higher than mine.

While the majority of tailgaters are men, the worst and most dangerous ones in my experience have been women. I remember one particular instance on the motorway between Waterford and Kk, which is lightly trafficked.

I was tipping along at 125, when a girl who I had overtaken a couple of mins earlier, sped up and sat in behind me - so close I couldn't see her reg plate... scary.

FunLover18

What's up with the people who tailgate lorries? On a motorway or dual carriage way of all places!! Just overtake. I presume they're just idiots because the chances are the truck driver has no idea they're there.

P. Breathnach

FunLover18 wrote: »

What's up with the people who tailgate lorries? On a motorway or dual carriage way of all places!! Just overtake. I presume they're just idiots because the chances are the truck driver has no idea they're there.

That's really bad driving because, as you say, the lorry driver probably doesn't know they are there. The guideline is that if you don't intend to overtake, you should stay back far enough to be visible in the driver's mirror. Simple really: you should have a clear view of the mirror on the lorry.

It's more of an annoyance on a single carriageway, because it makes it more difficult for other drivers to overtake the lorry: the overtaking driver needs enough road to overtake both vehicles in one manoeuvre.

lertsnim

Saw a tailgating twat in a BMW today who decided to overtake 3 cars with oncoming traffic coming against him. Spotted by the Gardaí. Delighted for him.

danger_mouse_tm

FunLover18 wrote: »

What's up with the people who tailgate lorries? On a motorway or dual carriage way of all places!! Just overtake. I presume they're just idiots because the chances are the truck driver has no idea they're there.

We know they're there allright. There are many drivers on the road who "don't overtake" - even on motorways. Some people also have a fear of driving beside a truck, particularly in bad weather. It annoys the hell out of me when I see a car up the arse of my trailer particularly at night on an empty motorway. I have to work harder to keep the truck in an exact straight line in anticipation of them overtaking me. I also don't want them making assumptions about me if I drift across lanes or into the shoulder as I eat a snack or take a drink of water. Finally, if I get a blowout in one of those trailer tyres, there's no telling what debris is going to be thrown back at them. If they're still behind me after the next motorway exit I will start slowing down at the next incline, simulating being seriously loaded until they go around me.

For those who have suggested applying the brakes, back when I had an exhaust on my car the size of a dustbin, I was a demon for dropping anchor in front of tailgaters. I did it one night on the n4 when some prick in a Ford Scorpio drove right up behind me and put on his full headlights after I moved into the outside lane. He deliberately drove on hard when he saw my indicator coming on to move out. I showed him. I gave the brake pedal a right smack. You had want to see the front end of his car almost hit the ground in a pile of tyre smoke. Then on came his concealed blue lights. I've never seen a guard throw his hat on the ground before. He showed me. Section 51,52 and 53 of the 1964 Road traffic act for reckless and careless driving. You have been warned!

Andy From Sligo

Has anyone used this Garda Traffic Watch on 1890 205 805 I have never used it so I dunno what happens, but what if you reported someone tailgating and it was your word against theres? - Theres an old thread on boards about the garda traffic watch number but last post was 2007 / 2010 and i didnt want to go resurrecting an old thread,

Shenshen

Andy From Sligo wrote: »

Has anyone used this Garda Traffic Watch on 1890 205 805 I have never used it so I dunno what happens, but what if you reported someone tailgating and it was your word against theres? - Theres an old thread on boards about the garda traffic watch number but last post was 2007 / 2010 and i didnt want to go resurrecting an old thread,

I've often considered it, but from what I heard nothing much ever comes of it. And to be fair, by the time the guards would get around to following up on it, what evidence is there that an offense had been committed?

The most I've done was to send a complaint to ESB last year after one of their vans had tailgated me from Cobh to Fota with his high beams on. I had memorized his license plate as he was right in front of me all down the N25. I got an apology, but can't say for sure if he hasn't pulled that act on other people since.