Become a MacRumors Supporter for $50/year with no ads, ability to filter front page stories, and private forums.

How do you deal with tailgaters?


  • Total voters
    116
I slow down, let them start to pass, then hit the gas so they can't pass

Usually my weapon of choice :D If it's a 1-lane-each-direction road and they can't pass, I'll either brake check or just slow down below the speed limit alltogether. Keep in mind that I'm usually at least 5 over the limit, so if someone's tailgating me, they're even more of a dumbass than I am. The road that leads to my house is a 40mph zone, and I usually do at least 45, but if someone's tailgating me, I've been known to slow down to 30.
 
ive actually gotten out of the car before and checked my trunk for miscellaneous stuff. it frustrated the hell out of the guy behind me LOL
 
Tailgaters really don't bother me. I'm usually going 5-10 miles over the speed limit. A friend of mine spits out the sunroof if you're tailgating him. I'll have to try that. :D
 
In my experience, tailgaters are less of a problem (especially on the highway) than people who hog the left lane and block passing or fail to check their mirrors, drive well under the speed limit or fail to use signals.

When someone gets real close behind me on the highway, i always change lanes to the right to let them pass. When I was commuting to college a few years ago, I used to respond to tailgaters by showing them that they'd have to drive fast if they wanted to stay on my tail, of course they usually tried to hang with me, to show just how macho they were (and yes, women did it to me too) :eek: After a few testosterone-induced triple digit plus games like that I realized just how stupid that was...so again, I just change lanes and let them by.
 
I fail to see the problem.
Ok so some tailgates you. The only reason I can think of why you don't like it, is that it could cause an accident. That should rule out basically tricks involving hitting the breaks. Since this just increases the probability for an accident.
Speeding up should increase the probability that an accident would be fatal or severe.
As I see it, the best strategy is just to ignore it. Everything else just increases the possibility for an accident and/or make injuries from an collision more severe.

Actually, the safest thing to do would be to pull over. The second safest would be to gradually slow down to a speed that puts him at a safe distance should you have to stop suddenly. In most cases, this is 5 mph. :rolleyes:
 
I fail to see the problem.
Ok so some tailgates you. The only reason I can think of why you don't like it, is that it could cause an accident. That should rule out basically tricks involving hitting the breaks. Since this just increases the probability for an accident.
Speeding up should increase the probability that an accident would be fatal or severe.
As I see it, the best strategy is just to ignore it. Everything else just increases the possibility for an accident and/or make injuries from an collision more severe.

Well it's really annoying to have someone riding so close that all you can see is their car in your rear view, and you have to think before you use the brakes or get ready to turn, or even just slow down for a curve.

I mean, it's usually completely intentional on the part of the person who is doing the tailgating, because he could really be driving the same exact speed, but 20 feet further back.


I usually do whatever feels more enjoyable at the time. Sometimes I'll do the brake-tap, I'll pull over if I'm just out for a joyride, or if I'm going over the speed limit and he's still tailgating me, I'll drive faster until he's scared to keep following. ;) That's very rare though.
 
I just move over and let them pass. Youre not going to teach them a lesson by pulling any stunts, so just let them on their way. They will rear-end someone sooner or later.
 
I just move over and let them pass. Youre not going to teach them a lesson by pulling any stunts, so just let them on their way. They will rear-end someone sooner or later.

after they pass you, you should make eye contact as theyre passing, and smile at them while you give them the finger. :D
 
I fail to see the problem.
Ok so some tailgates you. The only reason I can think of why you don't like it, is that it could cause an accident. That should rule out basically tricks involving hitting the breaks. Since this just increases the probability for an accident.
Speeding up should increase the probability that an accident would be fatal or severe.
As I see it, the best strategy is just to ignore it. Everything else just increases the possibility for an accident and/or make injuries from an collision more severe.

Read my first post on how I deal with them. I just cause my brake lights to flash but my speed stays constant. It gets them off my rear.

Reason I do not like being tailgated is incase I do have to slam on my brakes I am going to get slammed into. First off because I will more than likely be hit before they even have a chance to reacted to my brake lights and even if they do react fast enough to hit there brakes there is not a chance in hell of there car stopping before it hits mine because there are very few cars out there that can stop quicker than mine.

Other reason (pariclure true of SUVs) is they block my view in my mirror making it hard for me to know what is behind me. This is a problem when I want to change lanes is I can not tell what is going on behind me.

Lastly they just make me nervous. SUV being one of the worse. Big rigs have tail gated me before but it is so rare they normally give me enough space. Cars do it as well but SUV bother me the most because of the view issue and their brakes suck compared to mine.
 
I generally drive faster than the limit, so I'm not often bothered by tailgaters.

However, depending on the road, I will use a combination of the methods used here to knock em.

So do I.

The problem is if I'm doing 70-75 in the left lane, give me a chance to get out of your way. I get really annoyed when someone comes up behind me at 90-100 mph and expects me to cause an accident to get out of their way. I always try to get out of the fast lane if I'm going slower than someone, but the aggressive BS does me in.

If it's anywhere else, I usually slow to the speed limit and piss em' off.

I never tailgate. Ever.
 
I chose other because... I'm normally the tailgater. Yeah, I realize that I just opened myself up to all sorts of nasty mean comments... I just like driving faster, and I get annoyed by people who drive the speedlimit or a touch faster in the left hand lane.
 
Driving the speed limit in the left lane on the highway is not "normal", it is inconsiderate and even dangerous. Lots of people seem to do it though - it should be reinforced that it is a passing lane. Also, vigilante blocking of speeders is both stupid and dangerous - if they are willing to zoom by you or ride your bumper it's best not to get in their way just to piss them off unless you are ready to risk a crash.

I've done more than my share of stupid things on the road, and I'm done with it - if somebody thinks I'm going too slow I get out of their way, period. Not worth the risk. Now if they are following me to get me out of the car and beat me up, that's a different story, but otherwise I won't play ball.
 
Change lanes if possible, and let them by...if there is not a second lane, and you are going the speed limit, then just ignore them... or pull over a bit, slow down a little and let them pass... ;)
 
depends on my mood, sometimes i just let them pass me, bt sometimes i liek to have fun with them, like making them think they can pass me and then at last minute accelerate and not allow them to do so, or allow them to pass me and then tailgate them... don t do it that often anymore, i way more careful on the road now than i used to...maybe is cause i m driving with a suspended driver license...i kid..:) :rolleyes:
 
i liek to have fun with them, like making them think they can pass me and then at last minute accelerate and not allow them to do so, or allow them to pass me and then tailgate them...
Good way to get yourself shot... at least down here in Atlanta.

Seriously, if you're driving slow- GET OVER. Not that complicated.
 
Good way to get yourself shot... at least down here in Atlanta.

Seriously, if you're driving slow- GET OVER. Not that complicated.

Uh, yeah whatever.

If I'm going over the limit in the left lane and I have to go 80-85 to get out of your way within your short attention span, you're going to wait until I can get out of your way.
 
Uh, yeah whatever.

If I'm going over the limit in the left lane and I have to go 80-85 to get out of your way within your short attention span, you're going to wait until I can get out of your way.

I understand if there is a ton of traffic on your right where you cannot get out of the way. But if you have an opportunity to move over and do not, then you're being a pain in the neck.
 
Tailgaters don't bother me. I find they're usually better-than-average drivers and am not overly worried about being hit.

It's drunk or plain bad drivers that bother me, at any distance or speed -- especially super slow ones in fast lanes, or ones who won't move over.
 
I generally try to ignore them as much as possible. Sometimes, this is a problem itself. Example: Massashusetts has a lot of rural country roads outside of Boston. State route 225 is one of them. Normally, this is a pleasant road to drive, with enough curves to make it interesting, and some views that look like all those New England postcards you've probably seen.

The posted speeds are reasonable, with 40mph being the norm for most of it. The road is narrow, two lanes, and as I said, curvy. For some reason, driving the legal limit infuriates many especially at night. On this road, the best policy is to simply pull over, stop, and let the IQ challenged have it. A lot of this road passes through the ultra-rich town of Carlisle, and the Carlisle Police department literally has nothing to do but sit and wait for speeders.
 
If it's a 1-lane-each-direction road and they can't pass, I'll either brake check or just slow down below the speed limit alltogether. Keep in mind that I'm usually at least 5 over the limit, so if someone's tailgating me, they're even more of a dumbass than I am. The road that leads to my house is a 40mph zone, and I usually do at least 45, but if someone's tailgating me, I've been known to slow down to 30.
:D I do this, but not as much so... usually about 5 above the limit, I'll go down to just at the limit or maybe up to 5 MPH slower. The way I see it, a) slow is safer when they're so close and b) they don't deserve to go faster than the limit any more than anyone else on the road. At that point if there's room for them to pass they probably will, though I've had some jackasses that just wouldn't pass no matter how much opportunity they had.
 
I usually just keep doing what I am doing. I usually am cruising 10 over anyways so if you really need to tailgate me, by all means do it. They hit me its their fault.
 
Looking at a few of the responses, I want to clarify, at least for myself, that when people tailgate me they have to be going fast. I'm almost always doing 10 over, if not sometimes more. If I'm doing the speedlimit or less (sightseeing), I'll pull over.
 
Driving the speed limit in the left lane on the highway is not "normal", it is inconsiderate and even dangerous. Lots of people seem to do it though - it should be reinforced that it is a passing lane. Also, vigilante blocking of speeders is both stupid and dangerous - if they are willing to zoom by you or ride your bumper it's best not to get in their way just to piss them off unless you are ready to risk a crash.

I've done more than my share of stupid things on the road, and I'm done with it - if somebody thinks I'm going too slow I get out of their way, period. Not worth the risk. Now if they are following me to get me out of the car and beat me up, that's a different story, but otherwise I won't play ball.

I effing HATE vigilantes. I want to speed, don't stop me dammit! IMO, going under the speed limit on a highway, especially in the left lane, is more dangerous than me going above the speed limit.
 
IMO, going under the speed limit on a highway, especially in the left lane, is more dangerous than me going above the speed limit.
Try doing that in Georgia. The highway that goes around the perimeter of the city, if you even go the speed limit around that circle you're taking a risk. Everyone FLIES around the perimeter.


Well... these guys did it.
 
Register on MacRumors! This sidebar will go away, and you'll see fewer ads.