OT: Peve: Tailgating

[AustinBoston]

Of all the bad driving habits, I think tailgating is the worst.  It is childish, rude, selfish, and flagrantly dangerous.

I used to think tailgating was bad in Boston :mad:, then I moved to Minnesota :swear:  It's not that Boston drivers are more conciencious or safer than Minnesota drivers.  No, the opposite is the case.

After living here for just a week or two, I figured it out.  In Boston, the rude, arrogant, ignorant drivers will slam on their brakes if you tailgate.  Therefore, pretty much nobody tailgates.  It doesn't mean people use a safe following distance, just that they're at least a car length or two back (which is much better than 3 feet).

I tried the "slam on the brakes" thing in Minnesota once.  It didn't cause an accident, but I won't do it again.

The thing about tailgating is that the driver who tailgates is saying "I don't give a flip about your safety."  I don't care who you are or what you think, you have no business putting me or my family at risk for no good reason.  There is no good reason for tailgating.  I can control the situation in front and on both sides of me, but I can't control what's going on behind me.

About two years ago, the law here in Minnesota was changed to require a three second following distance.  The old rule was two seconds.  Two seconds is plenty in most circumstances, and one second is acceptable in heavy traffic.  The problem is, without enforcement, drivers around here are typically maintaining 1/4 to 1/8 second following distances.  What difference did changing the law make?  None, of course.

At 65 MPH (actual secondary road speeds here vary between 55 and 75), you cover 95 feet in one second.  You are travelling approximately the length of your vehicle five or more times in a second.  Bad practice.

One of the excuses I have heard from tailgaters is that they don't want people cutting in front of them.  Of course, anyone with half a brain knows that this is second grade mentality behind the wheel.  The roads are public.  What right do you have to say someone can't change lanes or drive in front of you?  You are not standing in line to go to recess, so you shouldn't be worried that someone might get in line in front of you.  Grow up, already.

Another problem with tailgaters, particularly extreme tailgaters, is that they make the driver in front of them watch the rear view mirror instead of where they are going.  

I did this recently because the driver behind me was not only tailgating, but reading the newspaper! :yikes: I realized I was not watching the road enough and tried to ignore him, but my eyes kept going back to that rearview until he changed lanes.  Thirty seconds later, he rear-ended someone else.  Those who research accidents know that most are caused by a combination of factors that add up to an accident.  This guy only needed three - a newspaper, tailgating, and stopped traffic.  Obviously, the newspaper was the main cause, but had he not been tailgating they both would have had a much better chance.

I don't know why, but some drivers don't adjust their habits when they strap on a trailer.  The safe following distance is two seconds, three with a trailer, and four if the trailer doesn't have brakes.  But I often see pickups with a 5-ver and a boat behind that (yes, two trailers) following 1/2 second behind the next car at 65-70 MPH.

Ever heard of FOG?  It is often foggy around here, and frequently it is patchy fog.  A puff of wind blows that fog bank onto the highway, and you suddenly have zero visibility.  Thanks, but I'll take the guy reading the newspaper.  At least it's possible for him to see, even if he isn't looking.

Ever heard about those 100-plus car pileups?  Guess how they happen.

There are plenty of factors to make driving dangerous that are out of our control as drivers.  Tailgating is one that is entirely in our control - at least in front of us.

Austin

[mach8274]

Hey austin. I feel your pain. I live Just outside Charlotte, NC. My job is in Charlotte, 11.5 miles from my house. I see alot of tailgating to and from work, not only from daily commuters, but from 18 wheelers as well. These trucks can weigh up to 80,000 pounds. Try stopping that on a dime!

I am extra carefull when I'm towing, especially with my wife and 6 month old son in the truck. I worry about someone plowing into the back of my PU.

Just wanted to let you know that you are not alone in this.

Dave

[Old Goat]

We travel on the back roads as much as possible to avoid the interstates. Tailgating doesn't happen very often but when it does I always find a place to pull over or slow down and signal  the offender to go on by.. I also pull over to let large trucks go by and when traffic starts backing up behind me...When travelling on the interstates I observe the speed limits, stay to the right and don't usually look in the rear vision mirrors at all except to change lanes...Helps keep the blood pressure down........

[vjm1639]

Around here, we don't call it tailgating...we call it sitting in traffic on I-95  ;>.    Seriously though, i know EXACTLY what you mean about being the driver watching the person behind you!  Because we do spend so much time stuck in traffic, I can't tell you how many times I've caught myself watching the person behind me as they read the paper, a book, put on makeup, talk on the phone with one hand while the other is holding a cigarrette and gesturing all over the place....And we wonder why there are so many accidents....it's scary.

[byrdr1]

BOY!!!!
I thought A.B. was complaining about us eatting chicken behind the truck at a ballgame or a race... WHEW!!! I glad it's not that!! Got to watch those chicken bones, they can get on the track if you are not careful..
 
We live on I-40/I-85 corridor in NC.. I see it all the time when I tow my TT down the road.. I pick my lane and dont move most of the time.. BUT I see it a lot around here.. In the counties on each side of us & ours they have special NC highway troopers/patrol that look for this kind of stuff and burn you a new one..
"Aggressive driver enforcement" it is called..

[Camping Coxes]

, I can't tell you how many times I've caught myself watching the person behind me as they read the paper, a book, put on makeup, talk on the phone with one hand while the other is holding a cigarrette and gesturing all over the place....

What makes me nuts is when I see some "professional" driver, driving a semi truck with one hand as he's talking and laughing on his cell phone.  A car can do some damage if you're not paying attention and get in an accident, but a diesel is a whole 'nother thing.  It can be a very, very serious accident waiting to happen.  
 
I have been rolled into by women putting on make-up and they relax on the brake and just roll on into me.  "Whoopsie!  Did I do that???"  Another boneheaded move was someone decided that a truck needed more room to turn right, threw his car into reverse and hit the gas before I could even react, and slammed right into the front of me!  Talk about being shocked.  
 
Tailgating is a problem everywhere.  Unfortunately, even the calmest person can turn into an idiot behind the wheel.

[vjm1639]

Driving into work early one morning last week ---- bad accident ahead and traffic is crawling along. I look over at the car next to me and the guy is shaving with an electric razor...ok, I've seen that before...but...37 minutes later, he finally finishes!!! Heck, it doesn't take that long to shave my legs! LOL

[AustinBoston]

Driving into work early one morning last week ---- bad accident ahead and traffic is crawling along. I look over at the car next to me and the guy is shaving with an electric razor...ok, I've seen that before...but...37 minutes later, he finally finishes!!! Heck, it doesn't take that long to shave my legs! LOL

Are you sure it was the same guy?  Could have been a similar looking person with a similar looking car.  It's very unlikely that you would still be next to him after 37 minutes, even in S&G traffic.

If you are correct, then that's a LOOOONNNGGG time to shave, even if the battery in the shaver was going down.

Austin (about 3 minutes for me)

[dthurk]

If I'm towing, I'm usually one of the slower ones on the highway.  I'm usually doing speed limit.  Most are chopping at the bit trying to get around me.  

However, there have been non-towing times that I've found myself annoyingly focused on the rear view mirror.  If we're stuck in heavy traffic and I have no other options, I have occasionally moved the mirror location so I couldn't see out the back and hope for the best.  At least I was able to focus again out the windshield and keep my own driving as good as possible.  I would continue to use my side mirrors as needed.  Most times, if someone rear-ends someone else, it is they who are ticketed.  Of course, if a ticket is being issued that means an accident has occurred, and that'll ruin anyone's day, even if all are safe.

I've found LA freeways to be the worst so far.  90 mph with less than a car length between any car.  If there's more space than that, someone else is moving into the space.  What's REALLY interesting is the 90 mph to 5 mph transition when you're in one of the middle lanes.

[vjm1639]

Are you sure it was the same guy? Could have been a similar looking person with a similar looking car. It's very unlikely that you would still be next to him after 37 minutes, even in S&G traffic.
 
If you are correct, then that's a LOOOONNNGGG time to shave, even if the battery in the shaver was going down.
 
Austin (about 3 minutes for me)

LOL  Yep...it was the same guy..and he hangs out the window and looks at himself in the side mirror too...really strange guy... Here in the DC area once you're stuck in our traffic you can very possibly be next to the same car for hours..or at least slightly pass each other a few times! S&G traffic doesn't exactly describe many of our commutes..more like S&S.   Everyone headed north in the mornings at least to the beltway  or DC and south in the evenings back home....

[GeneF]

Tailgaters are a pain but the one's that scare the dickens out of me are the jerks that won't let you move over a lane on the interstates.

On one interstate, I put my right blinker on to move over to the slower driving lane.  Checked my mirror and saw a jeep well behind the trailer so I started to move over.  I quickly glanced at the car in front of me and then checked my mirror again to find the jeep moving up beside me at a fast rate of speed, as I am moving over.  This female driver was blasting her horn.  I was forced to cut to the left quickly and touch the brakes.  The trailer did a few funny dance steps and I was looking for the nearest bathroom.

I have had the same thing happen a couple of times before but not as deliberately done by this driver.

Why is it that some people just hate to travel behind trailers?

As for the tailgaters, I almost bought a sign to put right under the little Kiwi bird on my trailer.  It said "If you get any closer, I'll fxxt."  Think it would have helped?

[AustinBoston]

Tailgaters are a pain but the one's that scare the dickens out of me are the jerks that won't let you move over a lane on the interstates.

Tailgaters or not, most drivers around here will let you in.  But every once in a while, there's someone who would rather be in an accident than let you in. :yikes:

I think it's the same mentality for both.  Neither one ever recovered from trying to be the first in line for recess back in the third grade.  :mad:

Austin

[Kelly]

Tailgaters or not, most drivers around here will let you in.  But every once in a while, there's someone who would rather be in an accident than let you in. :yikes:

I met one of those on the way back from Forestville, AB.  I was trying to move over to the left lane to let a tow truck through.  He was on his way past me to clear a car from the right lane that was blocking traffic.

This guy just did not want to let me in ~ even when he saw the tow truck next to him with his lights going.  I pretty much had him pinned between the PU and the center barrier and he kept creeping forward!!!  I think he finally realized that since the van was in front of him and the PU was next to him that he should drop back.

With a car full of kids I could only smile and wave ~ with all my fingers ~ as I moved forward.  

IMHO ~ Minnesotans are the worst (or is it best?) tailgaters out there!  

[griffsmom]

My DH has family in Minnesota and we were there for a family reunion in 2001. I didn't notice tailgating to be a problem as much as people who were turning left would wait until you were practically upon their car before they finally made the turn right smack in front of you with only inches to spare!!!! :yikes: :mad:
 

I've found LA freeways to be the worst so far. 90 mph with less than a car length between any car. If there's more space than that, someone else is moving into the space. What's REALLY interesting is the 90 mph to 5 mph transition when you're in one of the middle lanes.

That LA stands for Lousiana, right? Here in L.A., there is always traffic and some days, you're lucky if you can maintain a consistent 45 mph, let alone 90!! My last job was 25 miles from my home and it routinely took me between 60 to 90 minutes to get to and from work.

[dthurk]

That LA stands for Lousiana, right? Here in L.A., there is always traffic and some days, you're lucky if you can maintain a consistent 45 mph, let alone 90!! My last job was 25 miles from my home and it routinely took me between 60 to 90 minutes to get to and from work.

No.  The LA I'm referring to is Los Angeles.  I don't think I've seen speeds like that anywhere else.  

As long as I'm re-posting to this thread, I guess I should say that I might be guilty of tailgating myself.  A peeve of mine would be drivers on 2 lane highways that are doing a consistent 5 to 10 mph UNDER the speed limit, then SLOW DOWN for a 45 mph speed limit out in the country somewhere.  I tend to get a bit close, waiting for a passing zone.  Then once you pass them, they speed up to be able to tailgate you!  

I do drive differently, though, between towing and not towing.