Tailgaters

[Turkish]

The issue with that in Georgia is that going anything less than ten over is a secondary offense, meaning they can't pull you over for it unless you are doing something else illegal. If the laws in Michigan are similar then you could speed up a touch....

Link?

 

[mattscott306]

Link?

Hmm... apparently I was told wrong.

According to this its 5 mph over.

It was a friends father who's a cop that told me, so I guess he was wrong. Or maybe it changed since then, it was about four years ago.

There are other states on that list that do not assess any points for 10 mph over (Georgia, it says, does not assess points for up to 15 mph over).

 

[Rodimus Prime]

Screw that. If I'm in front of them and doing the speed limit, they can go around, or wait. I've have stupid people pass me on back streets where the speed limith is 25 mph, and I was doing 25 mph. If they are in that much of a hurry, it's their problem. I'm not going to break the law by speeding up, or pull over and make myself late because they are in a hurry.

I might like to point out most speedo's on cars are off up t0 5 mphat around highspeeds. They are reading up to 5 mph off at high way speeds.

so when you think you are doing the speed limit you could really easily be doing slight under.

Also the pulling over part depends on a few factors. One are you on a multi lane highway and are you in the left lane. If so then you need to move over to the right and let the cars pass. Left lane is for passing only. It drives me nuts how often I have to pass cars on the right because they driver is ass who does not get out of the left lane. Most of the time those cars in the left lane have no right their. At best they are doing the speed limit but more offen than not they are doing UNDER the limit by some small amount. Oddly enough the drivers than tend to move over the best I have learned are the one doing a little over the limit. This is at least if you are not tail gating them.

Now on a 2 lane highway move over to shoulder when you have a fair number of cars behind you is partly a safety reason for both you and the other driver. It gives them that much more room to make the pass and it is easier for them to do. Plus it just safer for all involved in case he has to make an emergency lane change back you are that much less likely to get hit.

Mind you both those things listed above general are tied to longer distance driving so the pulling over part should not have a real effect one your time.

The only time I will get a little closer to some one bumper than I would like and most people are confortable with is if I just made a lane change and I am adjusting my speed. If I pull up close it it could be I am setting up to pass on a 2 lane road and again I am only there for a shorter peird of time (less than 1 min) so I have to travel less distance in on coming traffic.

 

[Turkish]

At the end of the day, people need to take a deep breath and chill out.

I was driving home yesterday and was going 55 in a 50 zone in the left lane of a two-lane expressway. A red Audi came up behind me at warp speed, and before I even had a chance to get over (my hand was on the signal stalk to let him know I intended to get out of the way), he was swerving around me to the right.

He passed me, and then proceeded to swerve in and out of about 6 people ahead of me.

All that BS so he could… you guessed it… get to the stop light that we all had to wait at along with him.

If you’re one of these antsy drivers, just take a minute to relax a bit. The road isn't your's alone.

 

[applekid]

Oh, how people must break the law.

 

[iBlue]

Depends on the scenario.

If it's just someone who's doing it for no reason I just think "Hey, where's the fire? Twunt." and ignore them. I tend to speed myself so no one should be in that big of a hurry to tail me. Sometimes there's no pleasing people. Those people can plainly piss off.

 

[emw]

Tailgaters generally don't bother me, because I feel their pain. I'm a lead foot, and am unashamed to admit it. I tend to drive faster than the posted speed limit in almost all cases, and can understand that others may be in a similar hurry.

However, I tend to do very little tailgating myself. I try to leave a decent amount of space (i.e., about 2 car lengths) in front of me - which I know isn't enough, but it's enough for me. However, when I'm keeping with traffic in the left lane and the right lane is generally going more slowly, and someone tries to zip around me to fill up that two-car-length space, I will indeed speed up to not allow it.

I mean please, it's one thing if I'm clogging traffic, and I'll understand that and get over, but if there's a line of 10 cars all going 70mph, there's no sense going around me to get 1 car length further, but in the end go no faster.

 

[173080]

If someone is fast enough to tailgate me, the least I can do is move over before they have to get on the brakes.

It's common courtesy, I'm no one to decide how fast someone else should drive. If they want to do 200km/h on a 50km/h road, they can go ahead.

If I'm on an 80km/h road and I'm driving at 160km/h and someone is driving behind me at 180km/h, I don't see why I shouldn't move over to the right, let them pass, and then follow. It's much safer for everyone.

 

[EricNau]

The issue with that in Georgia is that going anything less than ten over is a secondary offense, meaning they can't pull you over for it unless you are doing something else illegal. If the laws in Michigan are similar then you could speed up a touch....

Really? That doesn't make any sense...

In California it is illegal to go over the speed limit. Ever.


EDIT: OK, nevermind, I didn't realize there was a fourth page.

 

[MACDRIVE]

I was doing 45 mph in a 50 mph zone earlier today and I was being tailgated by some kind of white car. I'm thinking, this car is going to pass me at any second. The car continued to follow me so I decided to do an experiment and speed up to 50 mph; not soon after that the car finally did pass me, but only to be waiting for me at the red light.

 

[xsedrinam]

This seems to be a vicious cause and effect cycle. We ran an MR Driver's Pet Peeve Poll a little over a year ago, and of the ~120 who voted, 30% listed tailgaters as their biggest peeve, while 35% listed those who drive slow in the passing lane. Looks like they feed on one another.

IMO, someone who gets tailgated in the fast lane, and doesn't pull over, deserves what they get. Those who tailgate in the slower lanes, at night with their brights on, usually don't get what they deserve.

 

[Roger1]

I might like to point out most speedo's on cars are off up t0 5 mphat around highspeeds. They are reading up to 5 mph off at high way speeds.

so when you think you are doing the speed limit you could really easily be doing slight under.

Also the pulling over part depends on a few factors. One are you on a multi lane highway and are you in the left lane. If so then you need to move over to the right and let the cars pass. Left lane is for passing only. It drives me nuts how often I have to pass cars on the right because they driver is ass who does not get out of the left lane. Most of the time those cars in the left lane have no right their. At best they are doing the speed limit but more offen than not they are doing UNDER the limit by some small amount. Oddly enough the drivers than tend to move over the best I have learned are the one doing a little over the limit. This is at least if you are not tail gating them.

Now on a 2 lane highway move over to shoulder when you have a fair number of cars behind you is partly a safety reason for both you and the other driver. It gives them that much more room to make the pass and it is easier for them to do. Plus it just safer for all involved in case he has to make an emergency lane change back you are that much less likely to get hit.

Mind you both those things listed above general are tied to longer distance driving so the pulling over part should not have a real effect one your time.

The only time I will get a little closer to some one bumper than I would like and most people are confortable with is if I just made a lane change and I am adjusting my speed. If I pull up close it it could be I am setting up to pass on a 2 lane road and again I am only there for a shorter peird of time (less than 1 min) so I have to travel less distance in on coming traffic.

The speedometer thing is a real possibility, but that applies to the tailgater as well. They may be going faster than they think. As for the highway thing, I agree entirely, with certain exceptions:
In Michigan, if a police officer has someone pulled over (lights flashing, etc) traffic is required to 1. change lanes and go around the cars, or 2. slow down. It's a saftey thing, that can get you a ticket if you don't.

The second exception is M14, down by Barton Drive in Ann Arbor. Terrible, terrible. People entering the highway from a STOP SIGN to traffic going 55 MPH, right before merging with traffic going 65 MPH (oh, there is a merge lane in the same spot). Left lane, 55 MPH, let the mergers begin.

Where I live, most of the 2 lane roads don't have shoulders. Pulling over would put a person into a ditch, or worse a tree. So, I'll just do the speed limit, and let people pass me.

BTW, if someone is on my bumper to pass, feel free to do so. I"m ignoring them anyway.

Edit: Forgot to mention that the highway before Barton Drive goes downhill, with a blind left turn at the bottom (where Barton Dr. is) then goes uphill. With a concrete highway divider and almost no shoulder on the left, and none on the right. They really need to redo that section of road.

 

[Rodimus Prime]

The speedometer thing is a real possibility, but that applies to the tailgater as well. They may be going faster than they think. As for the highway thing, I agree entirely, with certain exceptions:
In Michigan, if a police officer has someone pulled over (lights flashing, etc) traffic is required to 1. change lanes and go around the cars, or 2. slow down. It's a saftey thing, that can get you a ticket if you don't.

The second exception is M14, down by Barton Drive in Ann Arbor. Terrible, terrible. People entering the highway from a STOP SIGN to traffic going 55 MPH, right before merging with traffic going 65 MPH (oh, there is a merge lane in the same spot). Left lane, 55 MPH, let the mergers begin.

Where I live, most of the 2 lane roads don't have shoulders. Pulling over would put a person into a ditch, or worse a tree. So, I'll just do the speed limit, and let people pass me.

BTW, if someone is on my bumper to pass, feel free to do so. I"m ignoring them anyway.

minus one face. I know almost exactly how far my speedo is off at high way speed (3mph) so I do adjust for that when I read it. But people who are doing exactly 70mph on there speedo are really doing UNDER the limit.

As for the part about the 2 lane road it all with in reason if you can not do it safely you don't. It is that simple. I wouldn't pull over to the shoulder if I did not have a paved shoulder to drive on. Simple as that.

Now it is a pet peave of mine having people cruise in the left lane and not moving over for faster traffic. Sign after sign say left lane for passing only and people to pay no attention to it and just sit in the left lane not letting faster cars by. I kind of figure if you get passed on the right it a pretty clear sign you NEED TO MOVE OVER.

 

[takao]

minus one face. I know almost exactly how far my speedo is off at high way speed (3mph) so I do adjust for that when I read it. But people who are doing exactly 70mph on there speedo are really doing UNDER the limit.

it can be off in both directions, that's why in many countries they subtract a certain percentage (10 percent) when getting measured by police as certain tolerance

 

[mad jew]

I don't know about other countries but the Australian Design Rules (ADR) dictate a 10% discrepancy in speedometer readings and as such, most cars sold in this country have overly optimistic speedos. Wheels Magazine rates a lot of cars at 99km/h when they read 100km/h on the speedo. The difference clearly isn't all that great.

Also, we're told that we must be under the speed limit. By law we could be booked for doing 60km/h in a 60 zone but it'd be a piece of cake getting off the charge in court. You'd have to find a particularly grumpy cop for this to happen. As a rule of thumb, the unofficial leeway is more like 10% in most states bar Victoria where it is typically less.

 

[Roger1]

Now it is a pet peave of mine having people cruise in the left lane and not moving over for faster traffic. Sign after sign say left lane for passing only and people to pay no attention to it and just sit in the left lane not letting faster cars by. I kind of figure if you get passed on the right it a pretty clear sign you NEED TO MOVE OVER.

I agree with you, with certain exceptions, as noted above.

 

[173080]

If you notice that someone is closing up on you the smart thing to do is to move over to the right if you can. Any good driver should be looking at his or her rearview mirror at all times anyway, so it shouldn't come as a surprise.

Why wouldn't someone move over? They don't own the road.

Some people are just too distracted or arrogant and don't move over for faster traffic, even after I courteously flash the high-beams at them well before I pass to give them time to change lanes safely. These people are the reason I'm installing flashing blue and red LEDs hidden behind the kidney grilles of the Bimmer. Maybe then they'll get the message.

 

[Earendil]

If you notice that someone is closing up on you the smart thing to do is to move over to the right if you can. Any good driver should be looking at his or her rearview mirror at all times anyway, so it shouldn't come as a surprise.

Why wouldn't someone move over? They don't own the road.

Some people are just too distracted or arrogant and don't move over for faster traffic, even after I courteously frash the high-beams at them well before I pass to give them time to change lanes safely. These people are the reason I'm installing flashing blue and red LEDs hidden behind the kidney grilles of the Bimmer. Maybe then they'll get the message.

I'm sure you know (at least in my state) that is illegal?
In the US, there are actually laws against what color lights can be used from the different angles of your car. Not that cops enforce it all that often, but I know for example white light is not supposed to shine from the rear of your vehicle if it is moving forward. I believe red light is not to be seen on the front of your vehicle, but I could be wrong.

 

[pjarvi]

On residential roads, I ignore them forcing them to either go around or sit behind me and act like the idiots they are.

On Highways it depends. If I'm in the left lane, I'll move over if there is plenty of room, and I won't have to slow down because of someone else going even slower in the other lane. If someone else is going slower, than I'll maintain my present speed until I have passed them, and then move over. If I'm in the middle lane and have cruise control turned on, I stay-put and ignore them. They can either go around me to the right to get to their exit, or around to the left to pass. If i'm in the right lane I ignore them with the exception of semi-trucks. I'll go as slow as I damn please in the right lane, but if a semi is fast approaching I'll move left for them to pass me since they're just trying to do their job, and I figure it would be more dangerous for them to have to change lanes.

On 2 lane highways (1 lane in each direction), I make use of turnouts and shoulders when it is safe to do so. On straightaways I'll move over into the shoulder partially for motorcycles while maintaining speed so they have a clear view and can decide for themselves if they want to pass.

What drives me nuts are people that tailgate, you let them pass, and then they go slower once they're in front of you. I went through that twice with one idiot in a minivan, and eventually just sped up and got several car lengths passed them so I wouldn't have to deal with them anymore.

 

[ErikCLDR]

Well, in America most cars don't have rear fog lights which are basically really bright tail lights that you can turn on when its foggy so people can see you and they also are useful backing up.

When being tailgated I just press the little button and voila, they think my brake lights are on, but I actually am not braking.

 

[Earendil]

Confession and rant time

I dislike tailgaters with a passion. They rank #2 on my pet peeve list, right next to people who merge onto the freeway at 10-20mph UNDER the speed limit/traffic speed for no good reason.

That said, tailgaters usually don't bother me too much, because I'm normally driving on the upper half of the speed scale
I've made a couple long distance trips recently, and a few times tailgaters really got to me. First, an SUV right on my tail when I had a motorcycle in front of me. Great, fine, tailgate me, hit me when I break, repair my car at your cost. Whatever. But if a car hitting me in the rear is going to increase my chance of hitting the car in front of me, especially a motorcycle who is likely to outbreak my car anyway, that is unacceptable, I should be allowed to shoot them.

People who sit in the left hand lane and are driving slower than 75% of traffic should get over. Never mind the speed limit, or what you "think" your rights are. As far as I'm concerned, traffic should split the number of available lanes into the range of traffic speeds. If you are driving in the slower 50%, get in the lanes on the right half of the freeway.

Confession time. I live in a small town. I do not speed through town, but go 25mph pretty much on the dot. I drive a 89' 325i bimmer
the city roads pretty abruptly turn to country roads with no traffic and no houses, and shortly after that the speed limit increases. Well people depart town faster than 25mph, even though that is still the speed limit. But I will often go exactly 25mph all the way out of town (inviting tailgaters) and as soon as I cross the speed limit increase sign, and the 25mph limit is gone, I'm gone as well
It amuses me greatly

 

[Roger1]

Confession and rant time

They rank #2 on my pet peeve list, right next to people who merge onto the freeway at 10-20mph UNDER the speed limit/traffic speed for no good reason.

LOL! I used to own a Ford Festiva. I would come down the ramp with the accelerator floored, and be lucky that I was doing 45 MPH. I would have to drive down the shoulder another 100 yards or so before I got up to speed (55). I loved that car, but it was a real hazard when trying to merge into traffic

 

[Earendil]

LOL! I used to own a Ford Festiva. I would come down the ramp with the accelerator floored, and be lucky that I was doing 45 MPH. I would have to drive down the shoulder another 100 yards or so before I got up to speed (55). I loved that car, but it was a real hazard when trying to merge into traffic

See, that is good reason

I was behind a mid 90's porche 911 the other day that merged at 50.
Speed limit was 65, traffic was doing 70.
Fortunately it wasn't a busy freeway at the time...

 

[Roger1]

See, that is good reason

I was behind a mid 90's porche 911 the other day that merged at 50.
Speed limit was 65, traffic was doing 70.
Fortunately it wasn't a busy freeway at the time...

Don't take it personally. He probably had a fouled plug, and was trying to limp home.

 

[odinsride]

I am one.

However, when I'm being tailgated on the rare occasion, I slow down, let them start to pass, then speed up. Or let them pass and start tailgating them..