How Do You Deal With Tailgaters?

[bdhsfz6]

I pretty much ignored tailgaters for most of my driving career but over the last 5 years or so, it seems to be getting worse. In the past, I would do things like slow down until the offending vehicle passes me or tap my brakes a few times. On one occasion, I was driving my old 72 Chevy pickup when a late model BMW began riding my a$$. Just then, a deer started across the road in front of me and I hit the brakes hard. I missed the deer but the beemer didn't miss me. He plowed into my 6" channel iron rear bumper and stove in the front end of the car but left hardly a mark on my iron bumper. I guess the smile I had on my face didn't help the other drivers demeanor much as we exchanged insurance info. He sued, claiming I stopped for no reason but lost, since in my state, there in no excuse for a rear end collision. Still cost me though since I had to hire a lawyer.

The most recent incident, and the one that prompted this post, happened while I was towing my Kubota L3430 on a flatbed trailer. I was doing the speed limit on a rural 2 lane highway when a pickup began tailgating. Yeah, you guessed it, another deer crossed in front of me and I hit the brakes. The pickup plowed into the trailer doing a considerable amount of damage. Not the least of which was a bent up bucket and a bent tractor FEL arm. This time, I was out a considerable sum. Yes, insurance paid most of it but it took over a year for the payout while the insurance companies fought it out. I also lost the use of my tractor and trailer for several months.

Now, I guess I'm a bit paranoid about tailgaters. These days, my usual method is to just pull over and let the tailgater pass. It's so common around here now that pulling over is getting old, especially when towing a trailer. I'm curious what others here do.

 

[dodge man]

Pretty much the same thing you do. I’m betting most of the time if you talked to the person and got a honest answer they would tell you they aren’t tailgaters. You can just tell when someone is behind you or you meet them at a stop sign they are in a hurry. Years ago I discovered when I was in a hurry I really wasn’t. It’s a needless mindset.

 

[masseyrider]

I go out of my way to do exactly the speed limit or just a bit below. Ideally when there is on coming traffic.
And I'll go out of my way to start to set up a left turn really early to trap them behind me. If there is on coming traffic I'll wait for them to pass even if they are a safe turning distance away to begin with.
Funny how there is a high density of Black Forest vehicles in this area and they are the ones doing much of the speeding and tailgating.
Entitled much?

 

[Tinhack]

Taping the brakes without reason can get you "cuffed up" in many states. It depends on how the state defines reckless driving. Having a dash cam can help if, in deed, a deer or animal crossed your path. But it better show an unavoidable encounter. Be warned that not all rear-end collisions create an automatic fault.

 

[Shawn T. W.]

I generally just gradually slow down ... I also have at least one dash camera on, sometimes up to 4! (Depending on which vehicle I'm driving)

A slower speed rear end is safer than a fast one!

 

[MossRoad]

I just ignore them.

 

[RB5]

Funny how this thread pops up after I had a fun trip home from the city 2 days ago. I was almost rear ended by a one ton dually 4x4 with a big lift kit. I was in the fast lane on a 2 lanes each way. I was going 5 to 10 mph over the speed limit, and the car in front of me was blocking the fast lane. I got over as soon as I could. I really think this truck was going to rear end me if I did not. That wasn't the only incident. I don't usually drive home from Dallas on Sunday evenings. Now what I wanted to do... Have a trailer full of big round hay bales. Watch in the mirror as my buddy goes out the window and climbs onto the trailer to undo the straps. That incident happened to be the 3rd one I had to deal with on that trip. One of the others was a smaller car zig zagging through traffic.

As the population increases her this is something I have do deal with more often. My guess is a lot of you guys on here have similar issues.

 

[masseyrider]

I just ignore them.

There's always a logical one to ruin the fun.

 

[bigtiller]

I drive a little slower and ignore them.
20 years ago I sometimes would through a lit cigarette out the window and watch it bounce off their windshield.

 

[not2old]

I usually follow the two second rule. When someone is way too close behind, like about one parking space while on the highway, I increase the distance from the car ahead to three or four seconds. That gives me more space to slow down more slowly if necessary.

 

[LHF2019]

Ignore them. I'm usually 3-5 mph under speed limit middle of the night because well it is dark and who knows. I keep hoping for the day when there is a deer in my lane so I can just slide over and watch my tailgater take it out. Hasn't happened yet. Have a very new truck that likes to go 55+ on a 45 in the dark. LED lights and all. Just move my mirrors and ignore him. After a while he roars past. Have a co worker that tailgates bad. I have had him pass me and when we were side by side there was a deer beside him. Another morning had a long line of cars behind me. I wasn't holding up traffic, just a straight stretch and lots of distance. Next thing I know 4 cars back cop lit up. At work asked co worker what was going on with all the lights knowing he came in after me. Said he got pulled over for tailgating. But how can the cop tell how close he was. Cop told him he kept braking lol

 

[LHF2019]

I usually follow the two second rule. When someone is way too close behind, like about one parking space while on the highway, I increase the distance from the car ahead to three or four seconds. That gives me more space to slow down more slowly if necessary.

How does that work? If it is true tailgater then they also speed up. So you slow down speed up slow down speed up over and over

 

[not2old]

How does that work? If it is true tailgater then they also speed up. So you slow down speed up slow down speed up over and over

I'm not speeding up to increase the distance from the tailgater, I increase the distance between me and the car ahead of me.

 

[fidowanttobe]

Geography thing I guess. It's not very far on my roads here before a pass is easy. Fortunately for me as I'm the one that usually passes.
I used to rage about it, now I just pass as soon as i can instead because I never know the real reason of their slow speed.
BUT!!! You will pizz me off if my passing you, "wakes you up" and now you want to race or tailgate me.

 

[MossRoad]

There's always a logical one to ruin the fun.

I will say that sometimes at night, if someone is following me on the highway very close with bright lights, I'll turn the side mirror so it shines back at them. Almost always, they'll either back off or pass. But otherwise, I ignore them.

 

[bdhsfz6]

I can think of lots of ways to pi$$ off a tailgater but these days, I don't want to turn a tailgate incident into a road rage incident.

 

[MossRoad]

Geography thing I guess. It's not very far on my roads here before a pass is easy. Fortunately for me as I'm the one that usually passes.
I used to rage about it, now I just pass as soon as i can instead because I never know the real reason of their slow speed.
BUT!!! You will pizz me off if my passing you, "wakes you up" and now you want to race or tailgate me.

Yeah, we get that a lot. I think all of us do from time to time...

you come up on a car, so obviously you were going faster than them, you pass and get next to them and they speed up, or, as soon as you get past them and move back into the right lane, they pass you, pull in, then slow down again. Gets a bit aggravating. But, just let it go.

I try to drive at a speed where no one is passing me and I'm not passing anyone and we all move along at a nice clip. Rare, but pleasant when it happens.

 

[MossRoad]

I can think of lots of ways to pi$$ off a tailgater but these days, I don't want to turn a tailgate incident into a road rage incident.

Sure. In the old days, just downshift or pull the parking brake. No brake lights. Good way to get whiplash, though.

 

[hube2]

I slow down and I pull pull to the right as soon as I can to let them pass, most of the time I can pull over far enough that I don't need to stop.

I will admit that I was a tailgater in my youth, I was always in a hurry for no particular reason.

Let's just say that I never had to worry about tailgaters back then.

Today I am much different, I still like to drive fast, but I am never in a hurry. If I come up behind someone that is going slower I leave plenty of room, at minimum a 3 second gap.

It also annoys the piss outa me when people get on my A at a stop light. I have a manual shift, when they do this I generally let my car roll back just to scare the piss out of them.

 

[Too many Kubotas]

Generally being the faster vehicle on roads with very little traffic it's almost hard to be tailgated.

The exception is when ending up behind someone and while waiting for a chance to pass, another vehicle catches up with us. If they follow too closely I ignore them. My trailers are stouter than what they are driving.