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Aggressive Sunday evening tailgaters .... |
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#1 |
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Forum Member
Join Date: Oct 2013
Posts: 3,997
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Aggressive Sunday evening tailgaters ....
Several times recently I've experienced aggressive Sunday evening tailgaters. It happened again tonight. Same scenario. I'm driving along at the speed limit. Very few cars on the road. They could easily overtake if they wanted to. Tonight I felt they were being aggressive, intimidating. The driver kept driving up until his lights disappeared beneath the view of my rear mirror. In the end I indicated and slowed to pull over into a lay by, but he was so close he had to slowdown too, but in the end swerved out and accelerated up to maybe 80 mph in a 30 mph limit. What is the problem with such people? Are they being intentionally intimidating or are they just stupid? Or are they trying to set up some kind of insurance scam? What do you do or would you do in this situation?
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#2 |
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Forum Member
Join Date: Oct 2010
Location: in the Sun (ツ)
Posts: 11,230
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you shouldn't have held up Percy and Vera on their way home in the Morris Minor trying to catch Doc Martin on the telly, then.
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#3 |
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Join Date: Jul 2004
Location: Stafford.
Posts: 4,706
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Quote:
What do you do or would you do in this situation?
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#4 |
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Join Date: Mar 2009
Posts: 14,543
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There's a 40Mph road near me that drivers 'think' they are driving at the speed limit on when they drive at 30, I do get annoyed and try and give them a bit of a clue that they are driving far too slow but I think they are so bad at actually looking at the road signs they drive too slow and hold everyone else up because of their incompetence. I have overtaken 1 or 2 and then driven at 40 ahead of them.
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#5 |
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Join Date: Oct 2010
Location: Crosby
Posts: 1,650
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Drivers like this aren't confined to one day a week, they are out in force al the time. The best solution is to (continue to) be a defensive driver, not an offensive driver.
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#6 |
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Forum Member
Join Date: Oct 2013
Posts: 3,997
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Just ignore them, if they wan to pass then they can if they don't then they can sit behind me.
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#7 |
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Forum Member
Join Date: Oct 2013
Posts: 3,997
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Quote:
Drivers like this aren't confined to one day a week, they are out in force al the time. The best solution is to (continue to) be a defensive driver, not an offensive driver.
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#8 |
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Join Date: Apr 2009
Posts: 1,114
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I slow down to encourage them to overtake.
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#9 |
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Forum Member
Join Date: Oct 2013
Posts: 3,997
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Quote:
There's a 40Mph road near me that drivers 'think' they are driving at the speed limit on when they drive at 30, I do get annoyed and try and give them a bit of a clue that they are driving far too slow but I think they are so bad at actually looking at the road signs they drive too slow and hold everyone else up because of their incompetence. I have overtaken 1 or 2 and then driven at 40 ahead of them.
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#10 |
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Forum Member
Join Date: Nov 2009
Posts: 1,171
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I saw some terrible driving on the motorways travelling back from family after Christmas.
It was like Sunday drivers on steroids. I would have to assume it's folk also doing long christmas journeys whom aren't used to long travel, the elderly, or tired drivers. And mixed in with the above, yep I had an aggressive tail gater. I checked my speedo, I was in the middle lane, overtaking trucks etc in the left and was doing about 75. AND maintaining the speed/flow of the traffic in front of me. It was cold, dark (no street lighting) and I ain't taking my chances with the boys and blue during the season of prime pickings looking for drunk/drug drivers etc. The right "fast" lane was empty. All I could think was, overtake me, or STFU. The cool thing is my car has an auto-dimming rear view mirror, so if they think flicking on full beam or flashing at me is going to disturb or phased me in the slightest, they can think again. I hold my lane and course and will never give way to such assholes. UNLESS, having evaluated the situation I have appreciated that yeah, I've spaced out a little bit and shouldn't be in this lane at this speed, then I will move in and give way. But I'll be the judge of that. The assholes can sit behind me and flash away all they like, I hope they get wound up even more and work themselves up to a heart attack. |
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#11 |
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Join Date: Jul 2001
Location: Brackley, UK
Posts: 16,657
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Yes, it's absolutely the right thing not to respond. Frankly I rather have such idiots in front than two feet from my rear bumper.
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#12 |
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Join Date: May 2011
Posts: 135
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I was driving back Friday evening and I had said to my boyfriend about the car that was really close behind me. I couldn't see their licence plate as they were that close. I was doing 30 mph on a 30 mph road. All of a sudden, the car behind me decided to overtake me (!) and they must have been doing about 40 - 50 mph. They even turned into a side road with no indication.
I beeped my horn at them. All I could think about what idiots they were and what made them think they were so special to break the speed limit! |
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#13 |
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Forum Member
Join Date: Oct 2013
Posts: 3,997
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Quote:
I was driving back Friday evening and I had said to my boyfriend about the car that was really close behind me. I couldn't see their licence plate as they were that close. I was doing 30 mph on a 30 mph road. All of a sudden, the car behind me decided to overtake me (!) and they must have been doing about 40 - 50 mph. They even turned into a side road with no indication.
I beeped my horn at them. All I could think about what idiots they were and what made them think they were so special to break the speed limit! |
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#14 |
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Forum Member
Join Date: Nov 2005
Posts: 3,387
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Brake and hope they get the shit scared out of them
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#15 |
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Forum Member
Join Date: Nov 2005
Posts: 3,387
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Quote:
I saw some terrible driving on the motorways travelling back from family after Christmas.
It was like Sunday drivers on steroids. I would have to assume it's folk also doing long christmas journeys whom aren't used to long travel, the elderly, or tired drivers. And mixed in with the above, yep I had an aggressive tail gater. I checked my speedo, I was in the middle lane, overtaking trucks etc in the left and was doing about 75. AND maintaining the speed/flow of the traffic in front of me. It was cold, dark (no street lighting) and I ain't taking my chances with the boys and blue during the season of prime pickings looking for drunk/drug drivers etc. The right "fast" lane was empty. All I could think was, overtake me, or STFU. The cool thing is my car has an auto-dimming rear view mirror, so if they think flicking on full beam or flashing at me is going to disturb or phased me in the slightest, they can think again. I hold my lane and course and will never give way to such assholes. UNLESS, having evaluated the situation I have appreciated that yeah, I've spaced out a little bit and shouldn't be in this lane at this speed, then I will move in and give way. But I'll be the judge of that. The assholes can sit behind me and flash away all they like, I hope they get wound up even more and work themselves up to a heart attack. |
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#16 |
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Forum Member
Join Date: Apr 2006
Posts: 4,116
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Quote:
Point taken. But when the tailgater is clearly driving aggressively and not overtaking when they easily could ...?
I ask because I've had several similar instances in the past. An example was driving home fairly late in the evening on the A5 between Towcester and Milton Keynes. I'd only been in the road a few minutes when a car caught me up and proceeded to stay very close behind me so I was getting their headlights straight in my rear view mirror with a lot of glare which was getting annoying. I flicked the rear view down to stop this but I was still getting headlight glare from my wing mirrors. I was doing 60mph and they were maintaining the same speed behind me. It's a stretch of road that doesn't have street lights so the glare was even more intense. Being midweek and late at night the road was not very busy and there was no oncoming traffic do I was expecting them to overtake. They didn't though and just sat there. After adjusting mirrors didn't work and they seemed to not want to overtake I gradually slowed to 40mph to encourage them to overtake and they still just sat there. In the end I pulled into a side street at the next village a few miles down the road and then pulled back out. I don't actually think they were tailgating (which I consider to be aggressively trying to get someone to speed up or move out the way). I think they just thought the distance they were behind me was ok and were driving too close. That's why they had no intention of overtaking, even when we got to a perfectly straight section which goes on for a couple of miles and they could have easily overtaken me. |
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#17 |
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Join Date: Feb 2013
Posts: 3,606
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I think one of the problems is setting speed limits too low, which has become a big thing with local authorities introducing new extended 30mph in non built up areas where the limits should really be 50mph. People just can't respect the limits anymore, it's the nanny state gone mad. So now they act all aggressive and bully people who stick to them religiously in a form of rebellion. I think Sunday winds them up even more, because of all the dozy Sunday drivers who are out in force.
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#18 |
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Join Date: Jun 2014
Posts: 944
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A problem I most often encounter are the idiots on dual carriageways who could overtake you, due to the right lane being free, yet choose to drive practically in your boot, all the time refusing to overtake. I had this the other day, when doing 30mph in a 30 limit.
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#19 |
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Forum Member
Join Date: Oct 2013
Posts: 3,997
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Quote:
Were they actually being aggressive and trying to get you to speed up/flashing lights etc or just driving too close?
I ask because I've had several similar instances in the past. An example was driving home fairly late in the evening on the A5 between Towcester and Milton Keynes. I'd only been in the road a few minutes when a car caught me up and proceeded to stay very close behind me so I was getting their headlights straight in my rear view mirror with a lot of glare which was getting annoying. I flicked the rear view down to stop this but I was still getting headlight glare from my wing mirrors. I was doing 60mph and they were maintaining the same speed behind me. It's a stretch of road that doesn't have street lights so the glare was even more intense. Being midweek and late at night the road was not very busy and there was no oncoming traffic do I was expecting them to overtake. They didn't though and just sat there. After adjusting mirrors didn't work and they seemed to not want to overtake I gradually slowed to 40mph to encourage them to overtake and they still just sat there. In the end I pulled into a side street at the next village a few miles down the road and then pulled back out. I don't actually think they were tailgating (which I consider to be aggressively trying to get someone to speed up or move out the way). I think they just thought the distance they were behind me was ok and were driving too close. That's why they had no intention of overtaking, even when we got to a perfectly straight section which goes on for a couple of miles and they could have easily overtaken me. I take your point though, there are drivers who drive too close unconsciously. They're not being aggressive particularly, it's just the way they drive. They're bad drivers basically, thoughtless. |
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#20 |
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Forum Member
Join Date: Oct 2013
Posts: 3,997
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Quote:
I think one of the problems is setting speed limits too low, which has become a big thing with local authorities introducing new extended 30mph in non built up areas where the limits should really be 50mph. People just can't respect the limits anymore, it's the nanny state gone mad. So now they act all aggressive and bully people who stick to them religiously in a form of rebellion. I think Sunday winds them up even more, because of all the dozy Sunday drivers who are out in force.
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#21 |
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Forum Member
Join Date: Apr 2006
Posts: 4,116
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Quote:
A problem I most often encounter are the idiots on dual carriageways who could overtake you, due to the right lane being free, yet choose to drive practically in your boot, all the time refusing to overtake. I had this the other day, when doing 30mph in a 30 limit.
You can be driving at 60mph with the right hand lane free and they'll be sticking to the back of you but not overtaking. It's at night when it becomes most annoying because you're getting the headlight glare. I've had to use the same tactic of gradually slowing down to around 45-50mph and then they get the messsge and overtake. With these people it's simply that they have no idea of the suitable distance they should be leaving to the car in front so they drive too close. |
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#22 |
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Forum Member
Join Date: Aug 2001
Location: Destination: Hard Brexit
Posts: 6,367
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If idiots tailgate me, I just touch the brake pedal lightly. The brakes don't actually apply but the brake lights come on. That's usually enough to get them to pull back a bit.
Also, just because there is a 40 MPH limit on a road, it doesn't mean you have to go that speed. It's not a target. Sometimes I do a little less due to weather or road conditions but others roar past endangering others. |
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#23 |
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Forum Member
Join Date: Nov 2012
Posts: 9,177
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Quote:
If idiots tailgate me, I just touch the brake pedal lightly. The brakes don't actually apply but the brake lights come on. That's usually enough to get them to pull back a bit.
After finding themselves unexpectedly getting close to your bumper a couple of times, they tend to leave a bigger gap. It works really well imo. |
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#24 |
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Forum Member
Join Date: Oct 2005
Location: derby
Posts: 14,740
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not read the thread.... so sorry if i missed this but
ive been plagued by slow drivers this crimbo. people driving well below the 30 limit. this is annoying because it means i have to drive in a lower gear (more fuel used, more pollution) when at 30 i could trundle along legally and efficiently. so ive been made to tailgate, by slow drivers. |
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#25 |
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Join Date: Aug 2009
Location: Leicester
Posts: 1,993
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They have introduces 20mph limits on x 30mph limit roads, when i say new limits these are across large areas not just one road. So me bumbling along at about 22 because honestly I am holding up traffic so I feel i have to go over a tad. A man came along side me gave me the finger and sped off. Diddnt go very far turned left and stopped. So I felt the need to confront him. When i did he turned to jelly, in any case im not threatening I just advised him that the roads are now 20Mph and since you clearly work around here you should know this and tell everyone else working here too. he just apologised and said ok.
In general though I think people just don't understand, just don't know and or just don't care. They just want A-B. I've seen grannies have their fog lights on, i used to think its people using it as an intimidation tactic which they do but some people just have it on because their brain isnt. |
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