lezlers, when I drive to enjoy the scenery, I drive at the speed limit or no more than 5 mph lower. This was a road with a 45 mph limit and a lot of tight curves. It’s a road into a national park where people go for the SCENERY. I was driving it at 40-45, taking the curves at a comfortable speed, often higher than the recommended 30-35 mph limit on the curves if I felt comfortable with it. Yet every ten minutes or so, someone would come roaring up on my tail at 60 or more. I’d move over and let them past first chance I got, but I’m sorry, if you’re overdriving the curves (and on that road, 60 mph IS overdriving the curves), it’s not my fault if you get impatient with me for not willing to do the same. Especially when my kids are in the car with me.
Who the fuck said anything about being freaked out? Maybe the OP is older, maybe they have a disability, maybe you don’t know shit.
A good driver should take the limitations of other people into consideration when on the road, instead of obnoxiously forcing someone to exceed them.
Wait for a chance to pass, then pass. Save the fucking light show for communication with extra terrestrials.
Yep, anything is possible. Maybe his brain was being sucked out by aliens as he drove. Maybe the guy behind him needed to get to the hospital. Maybe any number of things.
However, I’ll have to pull out Occam’s Razor on this one, and go for the OP not being comfortable driving at a higher rate of speed, especially since he/she says “I still give a hearty Puck Moo to anyone who tries to force me to risk my life so that he can get home 10 minutes faster.”
C’mon, read the OP. Guy doesn’t like being tailgated, so he engages in passive agressive behavior, thus endangering himself even more. Even the passenger, WHO WAS THERE, agrees the OP was being an idiot.
You don’t have to postulate demonic possession of the driver. He lays it all out for us in the OP.
Maybe, but the alternative that some in this thread are proposing is that we reward asshole tailgaters by letting them do whatever the fuck they want.
I agree that returning the aggression may not be very productive, and probably adds to the danger of the situation, but the person who does this is no more to blame than the person who starts the bullshit in the first place.
I have to ask the people who are complaining that driving 35 is stupid on the road described in the OP…have you ever driven on an old farm road? One in a hilly area?
I used to drive all over Central and South Texas, and the area’s full of teeny tiny used-to-be-dirt-roads farm roads. No street lights. No moon, cloudy night. Utterly frickin’ black out there except for my headlights, and when you’re on an excessively curving road your headlights don’t do a lot of good. If you’ve never been deep in the middle of nowhere late on a cloudless night, well, you’ve never seen such darkness unless you got buried alive at some point.
The road conditions are rarely good, as the roads were paved when your grandpappy was a pup and have been mostly mended with tar and buckets of asphalt since then. And if someone else is coming the other direction, you’d better pray that you’ve got excellent control of your car.
Depending on the night and the road, I wouldn’t call the OP an idiot. I once drove 10-15 mph on a 65 mph road – in rain so heavy I literally couldn’t see more than 5 feet in front of me. I knew where the road was by following the lines to my right, and when those disappeared I slowed down even further, afraid I was going to crash into a guardrail or something.
Driving fast is NOT a sign of a good driver. Driving safely is. Now you can make a case that someone driving 20 mph below speed limit is not driving safely, but it’s also not safe to rocket down a country road and not slow down when you see taillights ahead. And it’s really not safe to tailgate them, whether they’re going too slowly for you or not. Drift behind them at a safe distance until you get to a straightaway, then pass 'em.
I remember driving once when I was about 17. It was the morning I set off for college, actually. 
I was tooling along the highway, neat as you please, going 70 in the fast lane 'cause I had my parents with me. And this pickup truck pulls in behind me and pulls riiiiight close to my bumper. Won’t get off.
Let me mention now that the rest of the highway (three lanes goin’ my way) is clear.
I keep driving. He slows down and revvs up at me. I keep driving. He tailgates me some more.
This is getting irritating. I tap my brakes. He backs off an inch or two and then gets right back where he was.
I slowly slow down. 65. 60. He keeps on tailgating. I get to about 58 before he screeches on his brakes and zooms out to my side.
And Mom flips him off. 
Damn, that right there was a lovely moment.
Maybe, maybe not – but it’s a handy side effect. Yes, the speed up/slow down tactic in the OP was jerkish, but generally slowing down is a good idea. If the tailgater backs off, I’ll feel safer at a little higher speed. But I’m not going to speed up to the speed HE wants to go.
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One might offer the same karmic advice to the tailgater. Relax, BACK OFF, and wait for a SAFE opportunity to pass (didn’t sound like there was one in the OP) instead of making a potentially dangerous situation (dark, winding road) worse. It won’t kill you to get there a few minutes later, but rageaholic driving just might. (Jodi, I’m sorry about what happened with your sister’s friend. I wonder what the ratio is of people who died because they were having a heart attack and a slow driver wouldn’t pull over and let them pass, versus asshole drivers who kill people because they think they own the road.)
Ah, yes, the time-honored Tailgater’s Refrain: “I’m a better driver than everyone else, and therefore I am the arbiter of common sense.” Screw that. Here’s a news flash for you: There will be other people on the road who have as much right to use it as you do. You are not driving in “Bob’s Lane.”
I’m very familiar with Yosemite, having gone there every year when I was younger. That would be why I said in my post “granted, Yosemite is a bit different, as it’s predominantly tourists…”
It’s just whenever anyone says “enjoy the scenery” it automatically makes me flinch, due to living in a very touristy place where people routinely putter along, ignoring turnouts in order to “enjoy the scenery” on roads I take to work in the morning, blissfully unaware that not everyone in this area is on vacation, like themselves.
You also failed to mention your speed in your initial post. Going 5 miles per hour below the speed limit on a very windy road is not unreasonable, although I hope you used turnouts when available if you were routinely holding up a line of traffic.
Sorry, LPN, if you were in the left lane of a clear highway, you were in the wrong. It doesn’t matter if you were going 70 or 170, the left lane is the passing lane. Forcing a guy to pass you on the right is both illegal (in most states) and dangerous.
In Texas, it’s not illegal. Certainly our Driver’s Ed coach never said a word about it. I’ve heard the argument before, but I haven’t seen any cites of laws backing it up – though I don’t doubt they exist.
In fact, it’s allowed/legal/halfway encouraged in Texas to pass people on the right. I’m not certain what makes it less safe than passing on the left; can you explain this? Is it just that people don’t expect it?
Um, he was probably pissed because when you’re driving in the fast lane, you’re supposed to yeild to the right when someone wishes to pass you. You were being a left lane hog. You were in the wrong.
Granted, there’s no excuse for tailgating, but it appears as if you honestly don’t feel as if you were doing anything wrong, and you were.
Well if people are passing both on the left and the right all willy nilly, it seems highly likely that more accidents would occur as there’s no sense of order to it. A lot of people don’t look when they’re switching lanes as it is.
You may not have any actual law in Texas against it, but it’s still considered rude. It’s largely looked at as a common courtesy thing.
Here you go, Little Plastic Ninja, from the Texas Revised Statues:
As a former maniac asshole of the sort who was likely tailing the OP, I’ll offer an opinion as to what that person was thinking.
Whenever I overtook a car driving too slow, the last thing I wanted was for that person to speed up. What I wanted was for that person to get the fuck out of the way so that I could put plenty of distance between myself and the timid driver ASAP.
“Timid” is probably a poor choice of words. When someone is driving markedly slower than the posted speed limit, there can be a myriad of reasons for it from drunkenness to shitty night vision to tourists gawking to an honest perception that driving conditions do not warrant a higher speed. Any way I saw it back then, I still wanted that person out of my way.
It sounds to me as if Windwalker looked for and failed to find an opportunity to get out of the way. Okay, the asshole should have spotted that and backed off, trusting you to get the fuck out of the way as soon as practicable.
In my considerable experience, however, slow drivers are also sometimes quite inattentive and generally won’t pull over once you give them some space. They also won’t pull over if you scare them. Some of the passive aggressive types will even slow down enough to let you get beside them in the oncoming traffic lane and then gun it. One especially nice guy even went so far as to speed up and brake when I did with cars approaching.
Just as you the slowpoke can’t discern what kind of psycho is following you, the psycho can’t tell what kind of a prick you, the slow driver, are. That’s why he wants to get away from you so badly.
I used to have my best luck by picking the earliest opportunity, turning on my signal, flashing my brights once to remind the driver that he has a rearview mirror, and going for it. As often as not the other driver would process this assertive move as an announced intention to pass, and would he please slow down even further for a moment?
Now that I am enjoying the two-minute warning of my youth, I’ve finally hit upon another solution. Just last week I found myself about to shoot up the Route 9 switchbacks at Keys Gap when I noticed a line of cars tagging a laboring minivan just before the good curves began. You know what I did? I pulled over and waited for that fool to put enough distance in front of me so that I could enjoy my turns. And I did.
Problem solved–that time.
I certainly agree that there’s no need to travel in the fast lane when not overtaking, especially when other cars on the road are travelling faster than you are.
Perhaps Little Plastic Ninja has been taking driving lessons from Fuel.
I hate to break it to you, but this works both ways. Bob doesn’t give a shit if George wants to drive 20mph under the speed limit, he just wants George to have the common courtesy to let other people by. After, all, it’s not “George’s Lane” either.
Funny how slow drivers love to say “just calm down – driving slower won’t kill you” in the same breath as “who the fuck are you to tell me how I should drive?”
I think Sofa King hit on the disconnect that’s fueling this whole thread right here:
The presumption that someone who is driving slowly is a “prick” is a big problem.
No matter how slowly someone is driving, their responsibility is to maintain control of their vehicle without presenting a hazard. Not a nuisance, not a bother, a hazard. If they need to drive slowly – not at a glacial pace, but 35 in a 40 at night on a twisty road – in order to maintain their vehicle, that’s their perogative. That doesn’t make them a prick, or an idiot, or passive-aggressive, or a poor driver. In fact, one could easily argue that a bad driver is one who doesn’t temper their speed and modify their driving behavior in less than optimal conditions.
It is the responsibility of driver behind to maintain a safe distance. If that means that they too must go 35 in that 40 zone, so be it. There is never a time when tailgating is approrpiate. There is no justification for flashing lights and honking a horn at someone unless they are presenting a hazard to you and the horn and lights are the only way to alert them of your presence to avoid a collision caused by their actions, not yours. (Their actions as in changing lanes while you’re in their blind spot, not their actions as in driving so slowly that they make you hit them from behind.)
Flashing lights, blowing horns and tailgating is accomplishing nothing more than presenting further obstacles and distractions to a driver who is already showing evidence of being challenged to the limit of their ability or comfort level.
Common sense says that you don’t exacerbate an already bad situation.
And really, if you’re out on the road presuming that everyone who can’t or won’t drive as fast as you would/want to on a twisty road in the dark is a “prick” then you really should consider some anger management therapy.
Memo to self, preparing to head home: the driver who arrives at his destination safely, body and car intact, has won.
Not that I haven’t had difficulty remembering this at times in the past.
Oh, and well said, tlw.
Some clarifications.
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When I said I was going 35, that was my average speed. I was obviously going faster on the straightaways (up to around 45) and slower around the bends (down to around 25).
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As I mentioned in the OP, I tried to let him pass by slowing down to about 15 and getting as far to the right as I could without risking driving my car into the foresty ditch. At this point along the route, it was curvy enough that my follower apparently did not feel like passing me. I think I probably should have just stopped to make it even easier for him, but for some reason, I feel uncomfortable about doing that (as if I was stopping to get out of my car and shoot him or something).
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My speed is not only determined by my perception of my skill, but my perception of other drivers’ skill, namely any given dude who may be driving by in the other direction. I have seen way too many people take those curves too widely and end up halfway in the opposite lane before correcting themselves. This was my primary consideration for driving slowly, esp. at night. I’d rather not roll the dice and hope that other drivers in the opposite direction aren’t sloppy/stoned/drunk/sleepy.
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As I mentioned in the OP, we had just come from mountain hiking all day. I was tired. And sore. I don’t think my reflexes were at 100%. So add that on top of the nighttime, unlit, winding, single lane (in each direction), forest all around (interspersed with some cliffs).
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I felt threatened and angry when the guy started giving me a sound and light show, even after giving him a chance to pass. When threatened, I tend to slow down to give myself time to cool down and not make a careless mistake (i.e. taking a turn too wide). It’s not likely that I would make such a mistake, even when feeling threatened, but there’s a greater chance of it, esp. if I’m focusing on the dude BEHIND me instead of in front. Also, when angry, I feel the need to express my anger to demonstrate my displeasure at the situation. Hence the slowing down and speeding up. Yes it is juvenile, but really, I won’t abide being bullied, esp. after I try to make an accomodation with the bully (just fucking pass me, ok?).
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Someone made a comment about how I’m probably one of those jerks that likes to speed up when someone is about to to pass them on a multi-lane highway. That couldn’t be further from the truth. I SLOW DOWN when people are trying to pass me. I’m happy that they are passing me. If they are that rare twitchy race-car wannabe, I’d rather have them in front and zooming away than behind and antsy.
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One last thing, the last place I’d want to die would be on the road.
According to this site (which references the NHTSA) 41,000 people died on the road in 2001 while 3,000,000 were injured. Automobile accidents are the leading cause of death among people aged 6 to 33. Essentially, the riskiest thing I do is drive (I’m 22). What a shitty way to go out, in some banal, meaningless car crash. So yes, sometimes I drive a little over-cautiously, as some situations are catalysts for auto death. Like a windy, two-lane road with very little visibility. Even if I trust myself, do I trust others in such situations? No. I’d rather take risks doing something fun like sky-diving than in my means of transportation.
So, I guess I will earn some of y’all’s undying hatred by my slow driving in certain situations. If it means reducing my risk of being another damned statistic, so be it.
Let’s forget all this stuff regarding the “other guy”.
The only thing you have real control over is what you should do.
You should let him by at the very first opportunity.
Three reasons
1 Logical They may have a good reson to go by - perhaps a medical emergency , but they consider it a good reason whatever it may be - you cannot possibly know what it is.
2 Safety The greater the separation between the vehicles the safer you will be and so will they .
3 Courtesy Would you deliberately hold up a queue in any other situation ?
4 Self-esteem Do you really want to enter a competittion to see who can be the bigger dickhead ? In front of your wife/children/friends/business associates ?
5 Life is too short to let this sort of thing aggravate you .
The convention here in Oz ( Remember we drive on the left down here because the water swirls down the plughole in the opposite direction to you septics ( septic tank = yank)) is as follows
On being overhauled the driver in front will immediately look for the first available place where he believes the car behind could pass . On reaching such a place ( remember he can see further ahead than the car behind ) he gives one flick of the right hand turn indicator and pulls as far to the left as possible while slowing down . The car behind gives a quick flick of high beam headlights to acknowledge and immediately pulls out and passes . The passed car gives a quick flick of high beam headlights when the passing car is safe to move back to the left . The passing car will then indicate thanks by a quick left/right/left of turn indicators .
This system has been in use for over thirty years by skiers travelling from Melboure to the three ski resorts here in the state Victoria . It has the advantages of making the 350 to 500 Km trip safer for all parties and can lead to friendships made in the ski area parking lot - both parties have developed respect for each other .
PS - of course all this non standard usage of high beam and turn indicators lights is ILLEGAL -< tongue into cheek > the foregoing is in no way intended to encourage such activity < tongue out of cheek>
Yes yes I know !
"Three reasons - numbered 1 through 5 "
Bloody Skippys can’t even count ( or spell )
Skippy - an Australian - as opposed to a migrant from another country now living here .
From "Skippy the Bush Kangaroo’ - popular childrens TV show some years ago .
Only excuse is that Elder Son was hassling me for some computer time .