How Do You Deal With Tailgaters?

[Renze]

Yes.
I'm not sure if I included it but there also is a statute prohibiting speeding up when somebody is passing.

Here too, but when i was doing 65mph (50mph is allowed with a trailer) a truck (that bypassed its mandatory speed limiter: likely by pulling the breaker from the breaker box) tried to pass me at night on an empty two lane road. I kept him busy in the opposing lane, untill he reached 85mph. When i saw headlights in the oncoming lane (where he was driving) i scooted away at 100mph to not make him do anything stupid and cause an accident by proxy, because the guy looked pretty aggrevated

 

[not2old]

This is one good reason to always have superior horsepower.

I have to agree with this. In the ten years I've had my CTS-V, I've given a jerk my right foot rather than my finger three times that I can remember. Much more satisfying and polite.

 

[BleedingOrange]

I have to agree with this. In the ten years I've had my CTS-V, I've given a jerk my right foot rather than my finger three times that I can remember. Much more satisfying and polite.

Yup, and each time I hope like heck it ain,t a pissed off, of duty cop. With cell phone cameras now so popular, were they can snap your plate, it is even more risky doing stuff that isn,t really legal, while driving.

 

[WinterDeere]

I have to agree with this. In the ten years I've had my CTS-V, I've given a jerk my right foot rather than my finger three times that I can remember. Much more satisfying and polite.

I loved the old big-v8 CTS-V's of the 2010's era. Sadly when we went shopping for a new car for my wife in 2020, with the CTS-V at the top of my memory, I found they no longer offered any of the higher horsepower and higher displacement options in a wagon. We ended up abandoning Cadillac, on that alone. Meanwhile, Dodge was still offering the Durango with 485 and 707 hp options, much more suitable.

I try to never buy any full-size car less than 500 horsepower, that's about the minimum I consider "drivable". Something around 200 - 250 hp/ton.

There's just no arguing with 500 hp in a passing scenario, when most you're passing on the road are driving 4-bangers that struggling to make 200-250 hp.

 

[Jstpssng]

With cell phone cameras now so popular

Not just that. Dash cams are also getting more widespread. I've had (2) school buses running red lights on mine. Not just stale yellow, my light was green when they went through from the other direction.

 

[paulsharvey]

Not just that. Dash cams are also getting more widespread. I've had (2) school buses running red lights on mine. Not just stale yellow, my light was green when they went through from the other direction.

They are adding bus light running ticket cameras to some busses now too.

 

[BravoXray]

Quite a while back, I was headed home from work and some asshat in a BMW was right on my rear bumper, I mean no more than ten feet off it, for several miles. I could see he had a big cup of something he was taking a swig out of every once in a while, so I waited until he had the cup up to his face and gave him a brake check. Next thing I saw was whatever he was drinking splash all over the inside of the windshield. He blew his horn then pulled over and stopped. I was still laughing when I got home.

 

[JasperFrank]

That's a good law, but I suspect very few know it. I see people do this routinely, although I don't know if PA has any specific law against it.

This is one good reason to always have superior horsepower.

This, and how to use it. If you pass some one with "swiftness,"... "Command" for lack of better words, there are fewer games the other driver plays. And I want to think the best of other drivers. I wonder if its even something they are conscious of doing.

Its the slow overtake, that seems to be at the root of these issues.
I drive small cars now. So swiftness isn't available. But when I had the G30 Van, with a 454, when the secondaries kicked in, I was passing them, and they knew I was passing them. Safely and Controlled and then no more games, "I'm going to go a little bit faster than you."
In the smaller cars, its almost an affront to some people. And these are the dangerous ones to deal with. If some idiot in an expensive car, gets mad, I just pull over. Not worth my time. As said earlier, I do see them later; ticketed or caused a wreck.

 

[sd455dan]

That's a good law, but I suspect very few know it. I see people do this routinely, although I don't know if PA has any specific law against it.

This is one good reason to always have superior horsepower.

Agree, but sometimes best to just let an aggressive driver go.

Happened the other day with a Porsche that kept running up on my tail, we entered a slow down to 45 small town and he started to enter the center turn lane like he was going around . Then an oncoming vehicle pulled into it for a turn up a head and he must have thought better of it.

My step son was with me and I told him this guy wants to race. He corrected me and said no he doesn't. He barely got the words out and the road opened up to two lanes in both directions and he goes blasting by. Looked over and said see.
I wasn't going to race anyway, and what does my kid do but flip the guy off, then I see the Porsche driver flip us off and told my kid to knock it off. Within a couple more blocks the Porsche passes two cars in front of us cutting one of them off.
Figured i don't need any trouble so just cruised along at the speed limit.

Thought maybe I could have out accelerated him in the model Y Performance,- anyway get home and thought I wonder what that Porsche was actually packing under the hood.

I am not well versed in Porsches but made sure to note the model (Panamera Turbo SE Hybrid).

A little google Fi -Turns out those things are rated at 771 HP and hold a record on the Nürburgring.
0-60 in 3 seconds flat and a top speed of get this 200 MPH + Wow... Quite the grocery getter.

 

[steve tym]

I suspect some of the poky people (imagine that, I'm going to defend them) get to the passing zone and speed up because it's a nice straight piece of road and or, then they realize how slow they are going when you go to pass them.
Why so the slow people refuse to pull over when it's safe to do so?

 

[Yander]

I used to brake moderately and watch them struggle. Now I drive so slow they pass

Others may be in a hurry, I'm not. I'm 5mph under most of the time. Their urgency is not my issue

I'm somewhat in this camp now. I have been driving over 90 miles a day in a mix of open interstate and downtown Columbus ohio since 1995. When I was a younger and less patient person, I would get pissed and do all kinds of crazy things. I have some stories that I'm not proud of that I won't share : )

As I got older and calmed down a little, I don't let it bother me unless it is extreme. By extreme, I mean if I'm already running 80 in a 70mph zone and someone comes up so close I can't see headlights, and they could have just gone around, I still like to "have some fun". Only I no longer get angry; I generally have a smile when I'm toying with them. It breaks up the monotony of the long commute. Or if I'm running 80 in fast lane and passing everyone and it still isn't fast enough for the guy who wants to drive 90, I will have some fun there too. I basically just make them drive 80, then 75, then 70, you get the point. I've had all other lanes blowing by me before while I drive 50 in the fast lane to make a point. I don't do that often but if I'm in one of those kind of moods.

I usually try to be courteous to semi-drivers, but I had one change lanes into me about a month ago, and I had to go off the road or he would have destroyed my old Tundra. He was coming over, and I couldn't stop or slow down in time. I did mess with that guy for quite a while after I got around him. He was probably in his 60's and he flipped me off ironically : ). I still wonder if he ever even seen me. That is perhaps the most pissed I've been with a truck driver ever. I wanted to get out of my truck on that one, but I didn't. He was trying to change lanes so he didn't have to stop at a stop light because the car ahead of him was stopping, and he didn't want to. I get it, but you don't change lanes into another vehicle to avoid a stoplight.

 

[Jstpssng]

^^^^^^
Sometimes that's likely the case. Other times they feel they have to speed up for a hill. But when somebody starts blocking lanes it's intentional.

I was headed home after a few weeks away and might have been moving right along on a deserted stretch of road. Somebody was turning around and when they pulled out... they straddled the center line and stopped.
I went from 65 to zero way too quickly.
Exact same stretch of road, on another trip back from a 3 week stint; 9 at night, I'd been driving all day so when I came up behind a slow moving car I pulled out around him.
All of a sudden I heard a chainsaw! Who is running a saw at that time of night?
Then realized the car beside me had a fart can muffler, and he thought he wanted to race.

 

[NUTTERDW]

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.

My dad is gone now but his advice to me over the years was I pay taxes same as the tailgaters so if they are in as hurry they should have left sooner, so just drive the speed I am comfortable with. I do pull over if I am driving under the speed limit, but I find most of them are wanting to drive faster than the speed limit.

 

[WinterDeere]

I was passing them, and they knew I was passing them.

As aggressive as I can be on the road, this is something that I sometimes have to watch, as some of my cars are pretty loud. The last thing I want to do is frighten the hell out of someone's poor old grandma, as much as I really do want to get past her.

...just drive the speed I am comfortable with.

I've been teaching a teen to drive, and he's been having trouble with this, as his speed is always below the speed limit on roads where most tend to drive perhaps 10 over the speed limit. I tell him to just keep poking along at the speed he's comforable with, ignore those lights in your rear-view mirror. But along with that is an obligation to not make it difficult for those cars behind you to safely pass, when they have an opportunity to do so.

 

[Bocephous]

I pull over and let them pass...same thing I'd want them to do for me. Less drama is always good. I've had enough drama in my life for several lifetimes. I'd like to turn the violence dimmer switch down and learn to chill. There is a definite time for escalation and driving ain't it.

And, you never know what kind of person is driving, and what kind of day they're having. You may be the straw that breaks that camel's back if you start playing games and the repercussions of that may be irreversible.

 

[steve tym]

What happened to pulling to the right when someone is behind you? Not that I expect you to pull into the brake down lane, but my god man, don't be in the left lane with traffic piled up behind you, that's just rude.

 

[Jstpssng]

...Not that I expect you to pull into the brake down lane, but my god man, don't be in the left lane with traffic piled up behind you, that's just rude.

Also against the law in most places.

 

[sd455dan]

What happened to pulling to the right when someone is behind you? Not that I expect you to pull into the brake down lane, but my god man, don't be in the left lane with traffic piled up behind you, that's just rude.

Yep I believe in the 3 vehicle rule, I will get over if possible and let them go very similar to roading one of the tractors.

 

[John0829]

Yep I believe in the 3 vehicle rule, I will get over if possible and let them go very similar to roading one of the tractors.

Tractors? 3 vehicles rule, around here it is more like 3 miles and then only MAYBE, WILL THINK ABOUT IT after passing a dozen places they could have pulled off.

 

[paulsharvey]

Yep I believe in the 3 vehicle rule, I will get over if possible and let them go very similar to roading one of the tractors.

The advice around here, is to NOT pull your tractor or other SMV off for people. You have the right of way once on the road, and you pull over, you have yielded that, so; if it pulling back onto the road, thats on you. They advice to maintain your position, and others can go around as they are able.