How do you react to tailgaters?

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[ARCHIVED THREAD] - How do you react to tailgaters? (Page 1 of 5)

Posted: 10/23/2014 3:27:54 PM EDT

Say you are on a busy multi-lane highway, maintaining a safe following distance behind the vehicle in front of you, and there is a tailgater within 2 feet of the rear of your vehicle. What do you do?

Posted: 10/23/2014 3:28:49 PM EDT

[#1]

Let off the gas and reduce your speed through coasting.

Posted: 10/23/2014 3:28:51 PM EDT

[#2]

I reach down and push the activator button on my trailer brake controller to light up my brake lights without actually braking. Works most times.

Posted: 10/23/2014 3:29:04 PM EDT

[#3]

Drive very carefully until I can get away from the incompetent prick.

Posted: 10/23/2014 3:29:08 PM EDT

[#4]

Change lanes, let them pass, change back. Go on with my day.

Posted: 10/23/2014 3:29:46 PM EDT

[#5]

Posted: 10/23/2014 3:30:08 PM EDT

[#6]

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Quoted:
Change lanes, let them pass, change back. Go on with my day.

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This

Posted: 10/23/2014 3:30:12 PM EDT

[#7]

woot first to vote

Posted: 10/23/2014 3:30:24 PM EDT

[#8]

I don't do anything aggressive. Getting angry about another person causing a dangerous situation, and then you acting in an aggressive way that escalates the danger, is self defeating.

Posted: 10/23/2014 3:31:59 PM EDT

[#9]

I roll down my windows and throw pennies at them.

Posted: 10/23/2014 3:32:05 PM EDT

[#10]

Depends what lane I'm in. If the left lane ill get over, if the right i slow down just for fun.

Posted: 10/23/2014 3:32:41 PM EDT

[#11]

What is this tailgater you speak of?
I pay attention to what is in front of me and don't do a thing to escalate any possible confrontation by pissing off those behind me.

Posted: 10/23/2014 3:32:51 PM EDT

[#12]

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I reach down and push the activator button on my trailer brake controller to light up my brake lights without actually braking. Works most times.

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When I'm doing the tailgaiting, that would be the "first blip". The warning blip. That's when I downshift. Next comes a full on brake check. Floor it and zip around 'em, creating a hundred yard gap as they struggle furiously to keep up.

Posted: 10/23/2014 3:32:53 PM EDT

[#13]

I used to yank the ebrake on them or throw pennies out the sunroof.

Posted: 10/23/2014 3:34:32 PM EDT

[#14]

I usually don't do much for a while, but if it's blatant I can seldom resist yelling while looking into my RVM. That gets half of them to back off.

Posted: 10/23/2014 3:35:15 PM EDT

[#15]

Quote History

Quoted:
Change lanes, let them pass, change back. Go on with my day.

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Posted: 10/23/2014 3:35:17 PM EDT

[#16]

If I'm in the fast lane, then move over. If I'm in the slow lane and said idiot doesn't go around, then I roll coal. Bitch.

Posted: 10/23/2014 3:36:06 PM EDT

[#17]

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Depends what lane I'm in. If the left lane ill get over, if the right i slow down just for fun.

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Yes, I always get over if I happen to get busted driving too slow (read: slower than the guy behind me wants to drive), I get over ASAP.

Posted: 10/23/2014 3:36:46 PM EDT

[#18]

Toss a piece of ceramic from a spark plug out my sunroof.

Posted: 10/23/2014 3:37:18 PM EDT

[#19]

Tailgaters? Easy. You need to clean your window. A lot. Time to get rid of those stubborn bug guts.

It's fun watching them clean their window as soon as I clean mine.

No sense getting high blood pressure over it. As soon as I get a clear path to the right lane that will not involve me braking to a speed slower than my travel speed, I'll move over and let speedy pass. I just remind myself that if he does anything stupid, he's at fault.

Posted: 10/23/2014 3:37:26 PM EDT

[#20]

pull the emergency parking brake

no j/k

Posted: 10/23/2014 3:37:27 PM EDT

[#21]

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Quoted:
Change lanes, let them pass, change back. Go on with my day.

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This, it's not worth even getting invested in

Posted: 10/23/2014 3:37:46 PM EDT

[#22]

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Quoted:

This, it's not worth even getting invested in

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Quoted:

Quoted:
Change lanes, let them pass, change back. Go on with my day.

This, it's not worth even getting invested in

Yup

Posted: 10/23/2014 3:40:08 PM EDT

[#23]

I try not to look and don't linger in the speed lane. Sometimes I pray.
Been driving a long time and have seen and extracted my share of dead and or maimed folks from vehicles.
Playing games is stupid.

Posted: 10/23/2014 3:41:13 PM EDT

[#24]

Ask my passenger to hold the wheel, climb onto the roof, and blade at 45.

Posted: 10/23/2014 3:41:23 PM EDT

[#25]

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Quoted:

Yup

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Quoted:

Quoted:
Change lanes, let them pass, change back. Go on with my day.

This, it's not worth even getting invested in

Yup

Posted: 10/23/2014 3:42:09 PM EDT

[#26]

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Quoted:
Ask my passenger to hold the wheel, climb onto the roof, and blade at 45.

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Piss in the lane too.

It shows ownership.

Posted: 10/23/2014 3:43:13 PM EDT

[#27]

I ignore them.

Posted: 10/23/2014 3:43:16 PM EDT

[#28]

I'd have to use my mirrors to know that anybody is back there

Posted: 10/23/2014 3:43:30 PM EDT

[#29]

Quote History

Quoted:
Change lanes, let them pass, change back. Go on with my day.

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This.

Posted: 10/23/2014 3:43:59 PM EDT

[#30]

Slow down and clean my windshield repeatedly. The extra spray blowing back onto them seems to piss them off more.

Posted: 10/23/2014 3:44:10 PM EDT

[#31]

I sing the Price is Right soundtrack in my head as I slam the brakes.

"Tell him what he's won... A new car!"

Brake checked a cop once when he was too close while getting my plate number. He was not amused. Not my problem if he didnt see that cat that ran across the road.

Posted: 10/23/2014 3:44:27 PM EDT

[#32]

let off the gas

Posted: 10/23/2014 3:44:42 PM EDT

[#33]

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Quoted:
Let off the gas and reduce your speed through coasting.

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First I don't camp in the left lane, so if he's tailgating me he's probably in the right lane. I let up on the gas and we slow down to a speed where I'm comfortable w/ the distance between us. Either that or he passes me. There is no way in hell I'm going to let him pressure me into speeding up.

Posted: 10/23/2014 3:44:43 PM EDT

[#34]

Quote History

Quoted:
Change lanes, let them pass, change back. Go on with my day.

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How hard is this for you people to grasp the concept of ?

Posted: 10/23/2014 3:45:11 PM EDT

[#35]

Quote History

Quoted:
This, it's not worth even getting invested in

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Quoted:

Quoted:

Change lanes, let them pass, change back. Go on with my day.

This, it's not worth even getting invested in

Not even worth changing lanes. If I am being tailgated, I must be in the right hand lane. If they ride my ass I drive like normal unless they get inches from me. I am not moving over to teh passing lane if I am not passing. Worst case scenario is I gradually slow down to get them to go around.

Posted: 10/23/2014 3:45:27 PM EDT

[#36]

Windshield washer fluid bath.

Repeat as needed.

Posted: 10/23/2014 3:45:31 PM EDT

[#37]

Go slower

Posted: 10/23/2014 3:45:48 PM EDT

[#38]

I speed on a regular basis, if someone is tailgating me at 10-15 over, hopefully they pass me in a passing zone (single lane). On the freeway I just move over as I should.

If they are being real dicks about it, as I am speeding, I will slow down to piss them off.

Posted: 10/23/2014 3:46:14 PM EDT

[#39]

Slow down.

Posted: 10/23/2014 3:46:25 PM EDT

[#40]

Quote History

Quoted:
How hard is this for you people to grasp the concept of ?

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Quoted:

Quoted:

Change lanes, let them pass, change back. Go on with my day.

How hard is this for you people to grasp the concept of ?

Why would you move to the passing lane to let them pass you when you are in the correct lane? Let them move to the passing lane.

Posted: 10/23/2014 3:46:33 PM EDT

[#41]

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Quoted:

Change lanes, let them pass, change back. Go on with my day.

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This. I let them go be stupid somewhere else.

Posted: 10/23/2014 3:47:05 PM EDT

[#42]

on the open highway, i'll move over and let them by, but i actually only use the left lane for passing. If i'm going along minding my own business in the non passing lane and someone decides to tailgate, they get the slowdown or brake check if they are really asshole-ing it up.

Posted: 10/23/2014 3:47:07 PM EDT

[#43]

Quote History

Quoted:

Why would you move to the passing lane to let them pass you when you are in the correct lane? Let them move to the passing lane.

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Quote History

Quoted:

Quoted:

Change lanes, let them pass, change back. Go on with my day.

How hard is this for you people to grasp the concept of ?

Why would you move to the passing lane to let them pass you when you are in the correct lane? Let them move to the passing lane.

This

Posted: 10/23/2014 3:47:09 PM EDT

[#44]

Roll my window down and throw my beer at them

Posted: 10/23/2014 3:47:23 PM EDT

[#45]

Quote History

Quoted:

Let off the gas and reduce your speed through coasting.

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Yup

ETA: depends on what is in front of me. If I am behind someone then I do the above. If there is not anybody in front of me I would get over and let them pass.

Posted: 10/23/2014 3:47:24 PM EDT

[#46]

Get over if you're not going faster than traffic on the right.
If it's during rush hour I would just ignore them until traffic clears and it's time to yield to faster traffic.