How Do You Deal With Tailgaters?

[Oaktree]

I typically drive 5-8 mph over the limit, so tailgaters aren't a big issue. I find getting behind someone pokey (usually someone driving a toyota, Suburu or old geezer in a pickup) more annoying. Winding roads with few places to safely pass only compound it. I don't tailgate, though there are times I'm tempted.

If I get behind somebody who can't make up their mind if they want to do 40 or 60 I back off, try to find a compromise speed but if they slow down again I just let the CC take over.

Gotta say, those are the worst ones to be stuck behind. Never fails they'll always speed up when there's a place to pass.
I don't use CC except occasionally on interstates, never on 2 lane roads.

I had a similar experience which I've related before. He would pass, then slow down. At one point I got POed and pulled over. When I pulled back out he was parked a 1/4 mile down the road waiting for me. I still don't know WTF was going on but in hindsight I should have picked up the phone and called the cavalry.

That would be scary.

Now I generally ignore them. If I'm with my wife, I slow down and pull over allowing the most impatient to pass. Life's too short to allow them to affect my life.

Same here. No sense provoking a road rage incident. Too many weirdos out there, some of them armed.

 

[MossRoad]

Lucky Strikes disintegrate when they hit the windshield.

No filter, no flavor, just burning toilet paper....

At least that's the little jingle we'd sing when we were kids.

 

[lman]

I admit that I drive fast and can’t stand it when people drive in the left lane and don’t check their mirrors and move over but I really don’t like is people who tailgate at 20 over the limit and when I move over they don’t pass
They want to go 80 but just don’t want to be first in line
I call them tire turds
And what about the people that you can watch for 10 miles following a semi and wait until you get five lengths behind them and they pull into the passing lane but maintain the same speed

The guy following a speeder is pretty smart. The guy in front will likely get stopped and ticketed while the guy behind is alerted to slow down.

 

[caver]

I often see these people on auto pilot. It's really obvious on a four lane. Once in awhile you get the woos driver who seems scared to pass even though you can see for over a mile and no oncoming traffic. Another thing happened yesterday is the people who pass on a four lane who must have their cruise set a fraction above mine. Just like the big trucks I don't like people loitering in my blind spot. Either shyte or get off the pot.

 

[MossRoad]

As a kid driving my mom's Plymouth with worn rings, I had a great way to lose tailgaters. I just stomped the gas pedal,and when the thick cloud of oil smoke thinned enough to see behind me, they were gone!. I've considered putting a pump to squirt oil onto the hot exhaust, operated by push button, although just oil would probably also work.
Score one for ICE cars...

As I recall, that's generally how they make smoke in airshow biplanes with radial engines... oil injecting into exhaust manifold.

 

[MossRoad]

.....and, therefore, if the guy in front of you stops fast, you have more room to slow down more gently so the idiot behind you doesn't rear-end your car. Excellent defensive driving, you are controlling what you can (your stopping distance) and not trying to control what you can't (the distance between you and the idiot).

If more people would think like this we would all be better off.

A couple months ago my wife and I were driving to some friends' house down a 2-lane highway southeast of here. A bit after 5 so lots of traffic both ways. We start coming up on a line of slowing cars, can't see why, but they are stopping, so I start applying my brakes, then letting off, apply, etc... so the brake lights go on and off a few times to warn the car behind me. As a general habit, I keep one eye on the traffic in front and another on the car behind me in situation like this take see if I'm gonna get rear-ended. And I generally leave about 2-3 spaces in front of me, so if I see someone having trouble stopping behind me I have room to move forward.

So the as the cars in front of me stop, and the guy behind me is doing a good job of stopping, I notice a car flying up behind him at full speed! I yelled to my wife uh-oh, and I floored it and drove off the right side of the road just as the car behind me got rear-ended. The car behind me ended up where we were, the guy that rear-ended him shot left into the oncoming traffic lane. I saw a large dually pickup towing a fifth wheel flat bed heading past us in opposite direction and expected the worst.... but somehow that was the end of the accident.

I ran back and checked the car behind us. It was an old couple. I asked if they were hurt? The first words out of the old guy's mouth were "I'm gonna kick that *******'s a**~!!!!" and he tried to get out of the car. I told him to stay in the car but he tried to get out and go after the kid that hit him. It was pretty easy to hold him back. I kept asking him if he was hurt and if his wife was hurt, but he was so angry he never checked on his wife. So I kinda forced him back in his car and told him to look after his wife. (she was physically fine, but pretty shook up). The kid started walking towards me and all he was saying over and over again was "My dad's on his way". He never asked about the people he rear ended. I told him to go over to the side of the road and wait there. I looked out and saw a guy directing traffic to our south and a woman directing traffic to our north. They seemed to know each other.

I noticed a walkie talkie on the guy's belt and asked if help was on the way. He was the guy that was driving the dually with trailer, said he was a volunteer firefighter, and the police and ambulance were on their way. The lady directing traffic was a friend of his from another car. He said he saw it coming and managed to get off the right side of his lane or he'd have killed the kid that caused the whole thing.

I asked him what caused the traffic backup, assuming it was just a car wanting to turn left. He said it was a combine holding up traffic that had no where to pull over to let traffic pass.

Kid's dad showed up, and came walking towards the old couple. I told him they appeared uninjured but he'd probably not want to go near them as the old guy wanted to kick his son's a** and he should probably wait for the cops. I also told him it was 100% his kid's fault. He acknowledge and went back to his kid.

A state trooper car pulled up, but it was an off-duty female officer with her husband and kids in the car on their way to dinner. Nevertheless, she pulled into a driveway, got on her reflective vest, and took over directing traffic. She handed me her phone and I typed in my info for her to give to the investigation officers when they arrived and she said thanks for sticking around and I could leave.

So... that was a long story, wasn't it?

 

[MossRoad]

What happens to me is, I will (for example) be entering a freeway and still accelerating when I merge, maybe doing 65. Someone comes up behind me doing 75. I'm still accelerating as they go by because I'm going to be doing 70. I'm not deliberately "racing" them or being a jerk, I'm just still in the process of accelerating up to my final speed.

Which brings up kind of a pet peeve:

You are on a four-lane and in the right lane. You move over to allow a car to merge, then that car gets in behind you and starts tailgating because he wants to go faster than you.

However, by this time, someone else has moved up beside you in the right
lane and you can't get back over. Now you're stuck in the left lane where everyone else want's to be going 80 and the guy you moved over for is behind you, pissed off because you're doing 70.

No good deed goes unpunished.

Yes! I always merge into traffic and sit in that lane for a bit until it's determined if I want to move out and go faster than the car in front of me.

If I'm on the highway and see a car coming up the ramp, I'll judge the situation, hold my speed and land if I'm gonna beat him, or move left to the next lane to give him space to get on.

What grinds my gears is when you do that and the guy gets on and rapidly accelerates, and either holds right next to you or accelerates and passes you on the right. GRRRR!

 

[Runner]

A couple months ago my wife and I were driving to some friends' house down a 2-lane highway southeast of here. A bit after 5 so lots of traffic both ways. We start coming up on a line of slowing cars, can't see why, but they are stopping, so I start applying my brakes, then letting off, apply, etc... so the brake lights go on and off a few times to warn the car behind me. As a general habit, I keep one eye on the traffic in front and another on the car behind me in situation like this take see if I'm gonna get rear-ended. And I generally leave about 2-3 spaces in front of me, so if I see someone having trouble stopping behind me I have room to move forward.

So the as the cars in front of me stop, and the guy behind me is doing a good job of stopping, I notice a car flying up behind him at full speed! I yelled to my wife uh-oh, and I floored it and drove off the right side of the road just as the car behind me got rear-ended. The car behind me ended up where we were, the guy that rear-ended him shot left into the oncoming traffic lane. I saw a large dually pickup towing a fifth wheel flat bed heading past us in opposite direction and expected the worst.... but somehow that was the end of the accident.

I ran back and checked the car behind us. It was an old couple. I asked if they were hurt? The first words out of the old guy's mouth were "I'm gonna kick that *******'s a**~!!!!" and he tried to get out of the car. I told him to stay in the car but he tried to get out and go after the kid that hit him. It was pretty easy to hold him back. I kept asking him if he was hurt and if his wife was hurt, but he was so angry he never checked on his wife. So I kinda forced him back in his car and told him to look after his wife. (she was physically fine, but pretty shook up). The kid started walking towards me and all he was saying over and over again was "My dad's on his way". He never asked about the people he rear ended. I told him to go over to the side of the road and wait there. I looked out and saw a guy directing traffic to our south and a woman directing traffic to our north. They seemed to know each other.

I noticed a walkie talkie on the guy's belt and asked if help was on the way. He was the guy that was driving the dually with trailer, said he was a volunteer firefighter, and the police and ambulance were on their way. The lady directing traffic was a friend of his from another car. He said he saw it coming and managed to get off the right side of his lane or he'd have killed the kid that caused the whole thing.

I asked him what caused the traffic backup, assuming it was just a car wanting to turn left. He said it was a combine holding up traffic that had no where to pull over to let traffic pass.

Kid's dad showed up, and came walking towards the old couple. I told him they appeared uninjured but he'd probably not want to go near them as the old guy wanted to kick his son's a** and he should probably wait for the cops. I also told him it was 100% his kid's fault. He acknowledge and went back to his kid.

A state trooper car pulled up, but it was an off-duty female officer with her husband and kids in the car on their way to dinner. Nevertheless, she pulled into a driveway, got on her reflective vest, and took over directing traffic. She handed me her phone and I typed in my info for her to give to the investigation officers when they arrived and she said thanks for sticking around and I could leave.

So... that was a long story, wasn't it?

I notice that pro truck drivers often turn on their flashers as soon as they are in a situation like that. Not sure if it's company policies or what, but not a bad idea to help get peoples' attention.

 

[Shawn T. W.]

We turn on our 4 way flashers partly because most of the trucks don't show there brake lights when only the engine brake is on, which is a good way to gradually slow down, save your real brakes for when you need them ...

Something not mentioned, but equally annoying is the idiot who sticks to the middle lane when there are three or more lanes ... I'm in the right lane, wanting to pass the slow poke in front of me, I have my left turn signal that activates SIX (6!) Blinking/flashing lights on the left side of my truck and trailer ... Yet idiot in the middle lane won't pull out into the far left* lane, even though there is nobody there!

*Us truck drivers call that "The hammer lane" or "#1 lane" ... In the above scenario the middle lane is #2, the far right is #3 ... And so on ... Far right is also called "The granny lane!"

 

[MossRoad]

We turn on our 4 way flashers partly because most of the trucks don't show there brake lights when only the engine brake is on, which is a good way to gradually slow down, save your real brakes for when you need them ...

Something not mentioned, but equally annoying is the idiot who sticks to the middle lane when there are three or more lanes ... I'm in the right lane, wanting to pass the slow poke in front of me, I have my left turn signal that activates SIX (6!) Blinking/flashing lights on the left side of my truck and trailer ... Yet idiot in the middle lane won't pull out into the far left* lane, even though there is nobody there!

*Us truck drivers call that "The hammer lane" or "#1 lane" ... In the above scenario the middle lane is #2, the far right is #3 ... And so on ... Far right is also called "The granny lane!"

In Indiana, they shouldn't pull into the left lane to allow you to pass them on the right.

They should pull into the right lane to allow you to pass them on the left.

They're never gonna do that, of course, but still, they shouldn't move into the far left lane to drive slower.

The far left lane is only for passing in Indiana. And, unless entering or exiting a highway or there's an emergency, on a three or more lane divided highway in Indiana, a truck isn't allowed in the left lane at all. So the trucks are stuck with slowpokes that won't move over to the right.

Indiana Code Title 9. Motor Vehicles § 9-21-8-13​

Current as of January 02, 2024 | Updated by Findlaw Staff

Sec. 13. Except when entering or leaving a highway or where a special hazard exists that requires, for safety reasons, the use of an alternate lane, a person may not operate a truck, truck tractor, road tractor, trailer, semitrailer, or pole trailer on an interstate highway consisting of at least three (3) lanes in one (1) direction in any lane other than the two (2) far right lanes.