# BWAHA: Driver's cooperate against tailgater! **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [May 20, 2005, 3:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bwaha-drivers-cooperate-against-tailgater/304750 "2005-05-20T15:52:40Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 18\ **Page:** 12
**Author:** ![Scumpup](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ce73a5/32.png) [@Scumpup](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Scumpup)\ **Post date:** [May 27, 2005, 2:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bwaha-drivers-cooperate-against-tailgater/304750/221 "2005-05-27T14:01:19Z")
> [@CandidGamera](#): > > No, in otherwords, you were exactly incorrect. I don’t let people jump in line in front of me, either. I can’t recall the last time that’s happened… 5th grade, maybe? What’s rude about talking on a cellphone? What’s rude about talking on a cellphone? Run a search, just on this board, with cellphone as the keyword and then get back to us. No, I think I was correct. People are rude in various ways every day. Without your car, you let it pass. Your excellent at rationalizing, as you’ve abudantly proven here, so I’m sure you can rationalize why you “teach lessons” on the highway but not at the movie theater or shopping mall. Clearly, nothing anybody says is going to change your mind, much less your behavior. PunditLisa read you like a book. Good day to you, goodbye to this thread, and I hope that nobody (including you) ends up as a sacrificial offering to your ego. ---
**Author:** ![Weirddave](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/919ad9/32.png) [@Weirddave](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Weirddave)\ **Post date:** [May 27, 2005, 3:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bwaha-drivers-cooperate-against-tailgater/304750/222 "2005-05-27T15:06:31Z")
> [@CandidGamera](#): > > But you are being bullied when they tailgate you. No, you’re not. You sad, patheric, deluded little man. Is your penis really THAT small?? ---
**Author:** ![CandidGamera](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/candidgamera/32/2878_2.png) [@CandidGamera](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CandidGamera)\ **Post date:** [May 27, 2005, 3:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bwaha-drivers-cooperate-against-tailgater/304750/223 "2005-05-27T15:34:54Z")
> [@Scumpup](#): > > What’s rude about talking on a cellphone? Run a search, just on this board, with cellphone as the keyword and then get back to us. There’s nothing wrong with talking on a cellphone. That’s what they’re for. There are problems when talking on a cellphone in certain situations, but I can’t think of any occurrences that a person’s use of a cellphone has annoyed me outside of “talking on cellphone while driving” - and since you were looking for an off-road example, that one’s not much help. Here’s the basic boiled-down version : The tailgater is, essentially, making a demand of the driver in front of him. Assuming the driver in front of him is in the right lane, or legitimately passing in the left lane, the tailgater has no right to make that demand. When someone makes a demand of me that they have no right to make, I refuse to acknowledge the demand and, if a good way presents itself, I will passively frustrate that demand. On or off the road. It just happens drastically more often on the road. I can’t think of any actual examples that post-date my high school graduation of the offroad sort, so I’d have to deal in hypotheticals. ---
**Author:** ![CandidGamera](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/candidgamera/32/2878_2.png) [@CandidGamera](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CandidGamera)\ **Post date:** [May 27, 2005, 3:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bwaha-drivers-cooperate-against-tailgater/304750/224 "2005-05-27T15:35:57Z")
> [@Weirddave](#): > > No, you’re not. You sad, patheric, deluded little man. Is your penis really THAT small?? It _is_ only about twice the length of your spine… I’m so ashamed. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![CandidGamera](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/candidgamera/32/2878_2.png) [@CandidGamera](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CandidGamera)\ **Post date:** [May 27, 2005, 3:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bwaha-drivers-cooperate-against-tailgater/304750/225 "2005-05-27T15:51:16Z")
> [@CandidGamera](#): > > When someone makes a demand of me that they have no right to make, I refuse to acknowledge the demand and, if a good way presents itself, I will passively frustrate that demand. On or off the road. It just happens drastically more often on the road. I can’t think of any actual examples that post-date my high school graduation of the offroad sort, so I’d have to deal in hypotheticals. Ah! Ah-ha! I got one. It’s weak-tea, but I was riffing on a Buffy episode, once upon a time, and one of my acquaintances demanded that I stop. Instead, I increased my mockery, and finally told the person that I would not be told to shut up in my own place, and if they didn’t like it, they could leave. Hmm… Going back to high school days, this wasn’t a “demand” situation but it was “other annoying behavior” - a fellow was walking along very close behind me, babbling and intentionally trying to get on my nerves. I was wearing a backpack. His reflexes were poor. I stopped dead, very suddenly, and braced for impact, sending him bouncing off my back and onto his backside. Back on the subject of cellphones… I guess Scumpup is talking about people who use cellphones in movie theaters? I’ve heard people’s cellphones ring in theatres, but can’t recall someone having the audacity to actually take the call, and I’ve generally attributed the ringer being on to them simply forgetting to turn it off. ---
**Author:** ![Skywatcher](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/skywatcher/32/254_2.png) [@Skywatcher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skywatcher)\ **Post date:** [May 27, 2005, 6:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bwaha-drivers-cooperate-against-tailgater/304750/226 "2005-05-27T18:21:13Z")
> [@CandidGamera](#): > > The tailgater is, essentially, making a demand of the driver in front of him. The tailgater is also being stupid while in control of a deadly weapon. I don’t know about you but I’d get the hell out of the way ASAP and let them be stupid somewhere else! I’d certainly not try to be equally stupid in retaliation. ---
**Author:** ![BMalion](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/e274bd/32.png) [@BMalion](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BMalion)\ **Post date:** [May 27, 2005, 6:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bwaha-drivers-cooperate-against-tailgater/304750/227 "2005-05-27T18:23:32Z")
> [@CandidGamera](#): > > …Instead, I increased my mockery, and finally told the person that I would not be told to shut up in my own place, and if they didn’t like it, they could leave… Apparently, your civility and graciousness as a driver, are exceeded only by your hospitality as a host. May God bless you with a long life rich with experience and filled with wonder. Adieu. ---
**Author:** ![Uncommon\_Sense](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/f9ae1b/32.png) [@Uncommon\_Sense](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Uncommon_Sense)\ **Post date:** [May 27, 2005, 6:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bwaha-drivers-cooperate-against-tailgater/304750/228 "2005-05-27T18:39:56Z")
> [@BMalion](#): > > May God bless you with a long life rich with experience and filled with wonder. > > Adieu. There’ll be lots of wondering, that’s for sure. ---
**Author:** ![CandidGamera](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/candidgamera/32/2878_2.png) [@CandidGamera](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CandidGamera)\ **Post date:** [May 27, 2005, 6:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bwaha-drivers-cooperate-against-tailgater/304750/229 "2005-05-27T18:42:47Z")
> [@BMalion](#): > > Apparently, your civility and graciousness as a driver, are exceeded only by your hospitality as a host. Oh? Then what’s the Miss Manners approach to getting someone to stop repeatedly telling you to shut up? ---
**Author:** ![kidchameleon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/898d66/32.png) [@kidchameleon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kidchameleon)\ **Post date:** [May 27, 2005, 6:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bwaha-drivers-cooperate-against-tailgater/304750/230 "2005-05-27T18:49:44Z")
> [@CandidGamera](#): > > Incorrect. Read again, please. Rule One is always in effect. Eh? Not from what you’ve said. ---
**Author:** ![CandidGamera](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/candidgamera/32/2878_2.png) [@CandidGamera](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CandidGamera)\ **Post date:** [May 27, 2005, 6:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bwaha-drivers-cooperate-against-tailgater/304750/231 "2005-05-27T18:51:27Z")
> [@kidchameleon](#): > > Eh? Not from what you’ve said. Please cite where I said I broke a rule of the road or behaved in a fashion I thought was unsafe. ---
**Author:** ![kidchameleon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/898d66/32.png) [@kidchameleon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kidchameleon)\ **Post date:** [May 27, 2005, 6:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bwaha-drivers-cooperate-against-tailgater/304750/232 "2005-05-27T18:56:18Z")
> [@CandidGamera](#): > > Please cite where I said I broke a rule of the road or behaved in a fashion I thought was unsafe. Find where a tailgater behaved in a fashion they thought was unsafe. ---
**Author:** ![CandidGamera](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/candidgamera/32/2878_2.png) [@CandidGamera](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CandidGamera)\ **Post date:** [May 27, 2005, 7:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bwaha-drivers-cooperate-against-tailgater/304750/233 "2005-05-27T19:02:45Z")
> [@kidchameleon](#): > > Find where a tailgater behaved in a fashion they thought was unsafe. Strawman. You claimed that I broke my Rule One and that there was evidence in the things I’d said here. Prove it. Or, perhaps you’re beating the dead horse that some of you think my approach to the situation is unsafe - so rather than MY Rule One, you’re talking about your own version of it based on the opinion you hold regarding “safer” driving behavior. An opinion which I have rejected. Don’t waste both of our time, if that’s the case. ---
**Author:** ![kidchameleon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/898d66/32.png) [@kidchameleon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kidchameleon)\ **Post date:** [May 27, 2005, 7:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bwaha-drivers-cooperate-against-tailgater/304750/234 "2005-05-27T19:27:49Z")
> [@CandidGamera](#): > > Strawman. You claimed that I broke my Rule One and that there was evidence in the things I’d said here. Prove it. Well see you wrote Rule One as “Drive safely, observing all rules of the road.” These things are not dependant upon what **you** think, but rather what the lawmakers and police think. But then you ask me to point out where you did something **you** thought was unsafe. Obviously you didn’t think that doing 74 in a 70 was unsafe, even though according to the law it is. Soooooo, there’s your proof. It’s no more of a strawman to ask that you and the tailgater both use the same reference, whether it be the POV of the individual committing the behavior or using a common legal authority. > [@](#): > > Or, perhaps you’re beating the dead horse that some of you think my approach to the situation is unsafe - so rather than MY Rule One, you’re talking about your own version of it based on the opinion you hold regarding “safer” driving behavior. :rolleyes: > > An opinion which I have rejected. Don’t waste both of our time, if that’s the case. So you are the arbeiter of all safe and legal driving techniques? We should all just do what **you** think it right? Well, silly society for not bowing down to your obvious greatness. It’s impressive that you know better than AAA, state and federal authorities. :rolleyes: **My** opinion isn’t here at all, just yours and that of the legal authorities. ---
**Author:** ![CandidGamera](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/candidgamera/32/2878_2.png) [@CandidGamera](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CandidGamera)\ **Post date:** [May 27, 2005, 7:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bwaha-drivers-cooperate-against-tailgater/304750/235 "2005-05-27T19:44:51Z")
> [@kidchameleon](#): > > Well see you wrote Rule One as “Drive safely, observing all rules of the road.” > These things are not dependant upon what **you** think, but rather what the lawmakers and police think. The first have is absolutely dependent on what I think. The second is subject to police and lawmakers. > [@](#): > > But then you ask me to point out where you did something **you** thought was unsafe. Obviously you didn’t think that doing 74 in a 70 was unsafe, even though according to the law it is. Soooooo, there’s your proof. It’s no more of a strawman to ask that you and the tailgater both use the same reference, whether it be the POV of the individual committing the behavior or using a common legal authority. 74 in a 70 is technically speeding, which **is** a violation of the rules of the road, as written. However, around here, enforcement starts at 5 mph over. So it’s not a violation of the enforced rules of the road. It is also most definitely not unsafe. > [@](#): > > So you are the arbeiter of all safe and legal driving techniques? We should all just do what **you** think it right? Well, silly society for not bowing down to your obvious greatness. It’s impressive that you know better than AAA, state and federal authorities. On the contrary. I’m not trying to convince anyone to change their driving habits. I am actually willing to let people have their own opinion about whether to get out from in front of a tailgater without hassling them, unlike most of the rest of you. ---
**Author:** ![CandidGamera](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/candidgamera/32/2878_2.png) [@CandidGamera](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CandidGamera)\ **Post date:** [May 27, 2005, 7:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bwaha-drivers-cooperate-against-tailgater/304750/236 "2005-05-27T19:46:08Z")
> [@CandidGamera](#): > > The first **have** is absolutely dependent on what I think. The second is subject to police and lawmakers. That would be “half”. ---
**Author:** ![GusNSpot](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gusnspot/32/436_2.png) [@GusNSpot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GusNSpot)\ **Post date:** [May 28, 2005, 5:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bwaha-drivers-cooperate-against-tailgater/304750/237 "2005-05-28T05:31:19Z")
Less see… Not much traffic. None faster than I and I was not even speeding… I did like you all said. Pull into the left lane, pass slower car, pull into the right… then pull into the left lane to pass slower car and then go back to the right until I get up to the next slow car. I was using my turn signals and wearing my seat belt and all that. Highway Patrol pulls me over and gives me a BIG ticket for erratic driving and excessive lane changes. He said I should have just stayed in the left lane as no one was coming up behind me and that all my lane changing was more dangerous. Around here it is \*55 to get the Hypo on a cell. ---
**Author:** ![Dante](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dante/32/9673_2.png) [@Dante](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dante)\ **Post date:** [May 29, 2005, 2:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bwaha-drivers-cooperate-against-tailgater/304750/238 "2005-05-29T14:44:59Z")
I could see it if you were “leapfrogging” between cars that had relatively little space between them, but it doesn’t sound like you were. Your cops are crazy… [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bwaha-drivers-cooperate-against-tailgater/304750.md?page=11)