# Riding my tail with highbeams on is a recipe to make me go slower, not faster... **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [November 28, 2003, 7:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/riding-my-tail-with-highbeams-on-is-a-recipe-to-make-me-go-slower-not-faster/215697 "2003-11-28T07:51:35Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![Ilsa\_Lund](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/a6a055/32.png) [@Ilsa\_Lund](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ilsa_Lund)\ **Post date:** [November 28, 2003, 8:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/riding-my-tail-with-highbeams-on-is-a-recipe-to-make-me-go-slower-not-faster/215697/41 "2003-11-28T20:46:50Z")
NS_C_ ---
**Author:** ![bobkitty](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/c67d28/32.png) [@bobkitty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bobkitty)\ **Post date:** [November 28, 2003, 8:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/riding-my-tail-with-highbeams-on-is-a-recipe-to-make-me-go-slower-not-faster/215697/42 "2003-11-28T20:49:37Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by lucwarm \* > **Right, so all the OP had to do was pull as far to the right as possible and come to a dead stop. Tailgater passes him, end of story.** See my post above. > [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by lucwarm \*\*\* > Kindly describe the location of the 6 miles where it’s impossible for someone to allow a following car to pass. \*\* Did you miss the “CR 49 in eastern Alabama” or the “where each side drops off into a ditch, there AREN’T any driveways because there are no houses and hence no streetlights, the numerous curves are almost 90 degrees”? I’m bloody well not giving out exact directions to my house on the internet. Perhaps you can go tour any of the SEVERAL other roads people have mentioned in this thread- **Troy’s** “CA 58 between I 5 and US 101” seems pretty specific. > [@](#): > > _Originally posted by lucwarm \*\*\* > I’ve lived all over the United States. Farmland, desert, urban areas, etc. I have yet to see a stretch of road more than a mile long where it’s impossible to allow a car following you to pass you. The only possible exception I can think of is the center tube of the Lincoln Tunnel which connects New York City and Weehawken, New Jersey._\* So because you’ve never seen it, it doesn’t exist? Fabulous argument, that. Aren’t you a lawyer? > [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by lucwarm \*\*\* > Actually there’s no need to debate the nature of the roads any more if you concede that the OP could have allowed the tailgater to pass. \*\* The tailgater always has the choice of swinging into the other lane. He chose not to take the opportunity to pass the OP when the OP slowed to a crawl. Did the tailgater expect an engraved invitation? Or perhaps a flashing light saying “PASS ME!!!”? > [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by lucwarm \*\*\* > And for the record, I could have been a little clearer when I said there’s alway a place to pull over. I’m not trying to say that you can always get totally clear of the road. I am saying that you can always allow the guy behind you to pass. \*\* See my above comment, and my last post. Let’s say I pull over on my particular road as far as possible, running the risk that I may overcorrect and slip into a ditch, adding the fact that BECAUSE OF THE GUY BEHIND ME I’M PARTIALLY BLIND. How long do I continue tooling along on the very side of the road, going as slowly as possible and hoping the guy either gets a fucking clue or gets off my ass? Remember that I’m a young, smallish, unarmed female, usually driving alone (though I’ll concede martial arts experience), and this area is populated with people who are regularly armed to the teeth. I am NOT coming to a stop. How long, then? Ten, fifteen minutes? Half an hour? Or do I risk my life and attempt to speed up to something that would please Mr. Tailgater? How fast is that going to be? Five miles over the speed limit? Ten? Keep in mind that I’m partially blind. Should I keep speeding up if he stays on my bumper? The OP didn’t necessarily have a choice in slowing down- it’s an automatic response when you’re driving several tons of metal that can get you killed- but the tailgater had several choices, none of which he took advantage of. THAT is why the tailgater was the fuckwad. ---
**Author:** ![Krebnut](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/e95f7d/32.png) [@Krebnut](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Krebnut)\ **Post date:** [November 28, 2003, 8:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/riding-my-tail-with-highbeams-on-is-a-recipe-to-make-me-go-slower-not-faster/215697/43 "2003-11-28T20:55:28Z")
I have a 20 minute commute on a three lane highway, and one afternoon I found myself behind two slow driving idiots both going 50 in the far right and middle lanes respectively. So I pull into the left lane to pass and what happens…damn them both, they speed up, they slow down, they speed up, they slow down and I’m trapped in that passing lane. I just did not want to go 85 MPH on slippery roads to pass nor slow down to 50 MPH to get behind either of them again. They were the first two cars of that annoying drive home to mess with me. So I figure I’ll stay there a bit until they are done playing Rolling Roadblock, until I notice coming from the distance, a penis-truck full of guys in baseball caps and almost popping out the sides, the truck was so full. I think…uh oh…and sure enough, I get flashing lights, on my ass, and I could see in my rearview mirror a lot of gesturing and yelling, and I could feel the beer-breath infused vulgarities hitting me in the back of the head. After a couple of minutes I decide, maybe I can cause a mass stroke/coronary in the truck behind me…I could see bright red faces and snarling and cursing of increased fervor… my exit is coming up and I need over in the right lane, so I take my foot off the gas and start decelerating… when I hit the 50MPH mark, there is an expected opening on my right, and the truck chucked full of testosterone swerves out to pass. Expecting a 6 finger flip off, I poised myself for the proper timing, and chewed my gum obnoxiously at them and flipped them off simultaneously. I could see the writhing mass going crazy. I am sure they wanted to kill me. Or at least beat me up a lil. Sure felt good to piss off their bad-mannered, road-hogging, pea brains. I noticed they were going to be caught in the same trap I was from the looks of it. The two slow movers on my right had caught up another slow driver in the far left lane. I HATE those light flashers and tailgaters. Sometimes you get stuck in a lane and have no option but to deal with it for a little bit, so CALM DOWN and stop getting so worked up about it and quit tailgating and flashing those lights! ---
**Author:** ![Balle\_M](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/13edae/32.png) [@Balle\_M](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Balle_M)\ **Post date:** [November 28, 2003, 8:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/riding-my-tail-with-highbeams-on-is-a-recipe-to-make-me-go-slower-not-faster/215697/44 "2003-11-28T20:56:10Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by lucwarm \* > \*\*Sorry, but that’s BS. In a stretch of road a mile or longer, there’s ALWAYS a place to pull over, whether it’s a driveway, a side street, or a freaking patch of dirt. In light traffic, you don’t even have to pull entirely off the road. \*\* Sorry, but THAT’S BS. Come visit me in Wild Wonderful WV and I’ll show you 10 mile stretches where you can’t pull over. ---
**Author:** ![Ilsa\_Lund](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/a6a055/32.png) [@Ilsa\_Lund](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ilsa_Lund)\ **Post date:** [November 28, 2003, 8:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/riding-my-tail-with-highbeams-on-is-a-recipe-to-make-me-go-slower-not-faster/215697/45 "2003-11-28T20:57:24Z")
I am in awe of bobkitty. ---
**Author:** ![wakimika](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/f08c70/32.png) [@wakimika](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wakimika)\ **Post date:** [November 28, 2003, 9:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/riding-my-tail-with-highbeams-on-is-a-recipe-to-make-me-go-slower-not-faster/215697/46 "2003-11-28T21:02:30Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Ilsa\_Lund \* > \*\*I am in awe of bobkitty. \*\* Me too. Well said, **bobkitty**. I really liked **krebnut** s penis-truck too, even though I’m not sure what it is. ---
**Author:** ![bsane](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/8e8cbc/32.png) [@bsane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bsane)\ **Post date:** [November 28, 2003, 9:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/riding-my-tail-with-highbeams-on-is-a-recipe-to-make-me-go-slower-not-faster/215697/47 "2003-11-28T21:10:02Z")
I’m sure there are 10 miles of road in this country without a place to pull over, but unless the OP states clearly that there were no driveways for the entire trip I would find it hard to believe they were on one… Krebnut- do you think you can work in another example of your bad driving into your story? Are your mistakes completely lost on you? ---
**Author:** ![imthjckaz](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/imthjckaz/32/3223_2.png) [@imthjckaz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/imthjckaz)\ **Post date:** [November 28, 2003, 9:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/riding-my-tail-with-highbeams-on-is-a-recipe-to-make-me-go-slower-not-faster/215697/48 "2003-11-28T21:20:23Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by lucwarm \* > \*\*Actually there’s no need to debate the nature of the roads any more if you concede that the OP could have allowed the tailgater to pass. > \ > I am saying that you can always allow the guy behind you to pass. \*\* Maybe you missed something. > [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Windwalker \* > \*\*I found myself on a narrow two-lane road with no shoulder, going about 30 mph in a 35 mph zone, but hey, it’s 11 PM, no streetlight… > \ > …I slowed down to 25 mph, then to 20 mph, but the guy was still content to ride my tail… Finally I got us down to a painful 15 mph > \*\* Looks to me, **Windwalker** , gave the tailgater had ample opportunity to pass, but instead chose to stay behind. If I came across a vehicle that was going 20 mph below the speed limit, I would pass it the first safe chance I had. To follow a vehicle going that slow, is just plain stupid. And BTW, central Minnesota, especially in winter, has plenty of roads with narrow or no shoulders. ---
**Author:** ![lucwarm](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/e19adc/32.png) [@lucwarm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lucwarm)\ **Post date:** [November 28, 2003, 9:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/riding-my-tail-with-highbeams-on-is-a-recipe-to-make-me-go-slower-not-faster/215697/49 "2003-11-28T21:23:48Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by bobkitty \* > **See my post above.** From your post above, I gather that you concede that it is generally possible to allow a car behind you to pass. Yes or no? \*\* > [@](#): > > Did you miss the “CR 49 in eastern Alabama” or the “where each side drops off into a ditch, there AREN’T any driveways because there are no houses and hence no streetlights, the numerous curves are almost 90 degrees”? I’m bloody well not giving out exact directions to my house on the internet. \*\* All I want is a specific description of the stretch of highway in question: e.g. Highway number 37 in Eastern Alabama, between 10 miles and 16 miles east of Smallville. Obviously that won’t let me find your house. \*\* > [@](#): > > Perhaps you can go tour any of the SEVERAL other roads people have mentioned in this thread- **Troy’s** “CA 58 between I 5 and US 101” seems pretty specific. \*\* It’s your claim that I’m testing here. But let’s clarify things a little: **Troy** , is it your position that on CA 58 between I 5 and US 101, it’s impossible to allow a car behind you to pass? \*\* > [@](#): > > So because you’ve never seen it, it doesn’t exist? Fabulous argument, that.\*\* You seemed to be trying to argue that my experience is limited. Or did I misunderstand you? \*\* > [@](#): > > Aren’t you a lawyer?\*\* Yep. And by the way, it’s hardly a frivolous argument. But look, there’s no need to quibble about my experience, since you seem to have a counter-example in mind. Is there, or is there not, a 6 mile stretch of road in Eastern Alabama where it’s impossible to allow a car following you to pass? \*\* > [@](#): > > The tailgater always has the choice of swinging into the other lane. He chose not to take the opportunity to pass the OP when the OP slowed to a crawl. Did the tailgater expect an engraved invitation? Or perhaps a flashing light saying “PASS ME!!!”?\*\* Gimme a break. The OP was deliberately impeding the tailgater. If he’d wanted to allow the guy by easily he could have. He didn’t. \*\* > [@](#): > > See my above comment, and my last post. Let’s say I pull over on my particular road as far as possible, running the risk that I may overcorrect and slip into a ditch, adding the fact that BECAUSE OF THE GUY BEHIND ME I’M PARTIALLY BLIND. How long do I continue tooling along on the very side of the road, going as slowly as possible and hoping the guy either gets a fucking clue or gets off my ass? \*\* A minute or two. After that, if the tailgater doesn’t pass you, you should call the police on a mobile phone if you have one. Otherwise drive at the fastest safe speed you can to the nearest populated area and get help. Because you’re being stalked. \*\* > [@](#): > > the tailgater was the fuckwad. \*\* Absolutely. And the OP was a “fuckwad” too. ---
**Author:** ![Krebnut](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/e95f7d/32.png) [@Krebnut](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Krebnut)\ **Post date:** [November 28, 2003, 9:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/riding-my-tail-with-highbeams-on-is-a-recipe-to-make-me-go-slower-not-faster/215697/50 "2003-11-28T21:24:24Z")
bsane posted: “Krebnut- do you think you can work in another example of your bad driving into your story? Are your mistakes completely lost on you?” Nope. That’s my story, and I’m sticking with it. And I’m a fine driver, thank you very much. Wakimika: Penis truck: Extension of manhood, to make up for life’s deficiencies. ---
**Author:** ![lucwarm](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/e19adc/32.png) [@lucwarm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lucwarm)\ **Post date:** [November 28, 2003, 10:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/riding-my-tail-with-highbeams-on-is-a-recipe-to-make-me-go-slower-not-faster/215697/51 "2003-11-28T22:03:07Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by imthjckaz \* > \*\*Maybe you missed something. > > Looks to me, **Windwalker** , gave the tailgater had ample opportunity to pass, but instead chose to stay behind.\*\* It’s hard to tell for sure by reading the story, but I gathered the OP was deliberately trying to hold up the other driver. Certainly if he gave the other driver a reasonable opportunity to pass, that changes things. ---
**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:** [November 28, 2003, 10:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/riding-my-tail-with-highbeams-on-is-a-recipe-to-make-me-go-slower-not-faster/215697/52 "2003-11-28T22:04:10Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by lucwarm \* > \ ***f the tailgater doesn’t pass you, you should call the police on a mobile phone if you have one. Otherwise drive at the fastest safe speed you can…** Isn’t that what the OP was doing, due to being blinded by the tailgater’s hi-beams? ---
**Author:** ![lucwarm](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/e19adc/32.png) [@lucwarm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lucwarm)\ **Post date:** [November 28, 2003, 10:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/riding-my-tail-with-highbeams-on-is-a-recipe-to-make-me-go-slower-not-faster/215697/53 "2003-11-28T22:06:56Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Ilsa\_Lund \* > \*\*Call the state patrol and find out. It is certainly wha I was taught in a defensive driving course sponsored by the NSA. \*\* Well, maybe I will – but let me make sure I understand what you’re saying. Is it your position that the conduct engaged in by the OP is consistent with what you were taught in a defensive driving course? ---
**Author:** ![lucwarm](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/e19adc/32.png) [@lucwarm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lucwarm)\ **Post date:** [November 28, 2003, 10:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/riding-my-tail-with-highbeams-on-is-a-recipe-to-make-me-go-slower-not-faster/215697/54 "2003-11-28T22:08:58Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Jeff Olsen \* > \*\*Isn’t that what the OP was doing, due to being blinded by the tailgater’s hi-beams? \*\* I don’t think so. It sounded to me like he was intentionally trying to impede the tailgater in order to punish him and retaliate against him. ---
**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:** [November 28, 2003, 10:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/riding-my-tail-with-highbeams-on-is-a-recipe-to-make-me-go-slower-not-faster/215697/55 "2003-11-28T22:29:07Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by lucwarm \* > \*\*I don’t think so. It sounded to me like he was intentionally trying to impede the tailgater in order to punish him and retaliate against him. \*\* Could be six of one, half dozen of the other. I’ve also been on country roads like what the OP describes, most recently in WV (hi, **Balle\_M**!), and certainly wouldn’t want to try pulling off the road with someone’s hi-beams in my eyes. Lots of roads there are built onto the side of a mountain, go too far and you’ll fall of a cliff or drive into a wall of rock. ---
**Author:** ![Ilsa\_Lund](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/a6a055/32.png) [@Ilsa\_Lund](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ilsa_Lund)\ **Post date:** [November 28, 2003, 10:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/riding-my-tail-with-highbeams-on-is-a-recipe-to-make-me-go-slower-not-faster/215697/56 "2003-11-28T22:45:41Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by lucwarm \* > \*\*Well, maybe I will – but let me make sure I understand what you’re saying. Is it your position that the conduct engaged in by the OP is consistent with what you were taught in a defensive driving course? \*\* Yes. The curriculum stated that one should “slow down and continue driving until the problem is resolved.” In the one on one with the state patrol officers in between lessons, we were told to slow down as much as was necessary to get him off your back. Obviously not on the highway, but otherwise, go 15mph if you think you need to. ---
**Author:** ![Windwalker](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/5e9695/32.png) [@Windwalker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Windwalker)\ **Post date:** [November 28, 2003, 11:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/riding-my-tail-with-highbeams-on-is-a-recipe-to-make-me-go-slower-not-faster/215697/57 "2003-11-28T23:50:34Z")
Yay, I’m being flamed 🙂 Let me set a few things straight: The road in question didn’t really have a shoulder to speak of. It had a white line on either side of the road, and about 1-2 feet more to the edge (usually a drop-off or vegetation or a railing). I considered pulling over as far as I could and coming to a dead stop, but, I am usually afraid of doing so, as the person behind me might have taken it as a cue that I wanted to start something. I envisioned him pulling up beside me breaking my window with a nightclub or something (yes I probably watch too many movies). There _were_ a couple of driving paths that opened up occasionally off the road on either side (perhaps long driveways), but these were all pretty narrow and were tough to spot from a distance, especially with the glare that was coming from behind me. I could have taken one of them, but I was a bit afraid that the guy behind me would follow me and trap me in a dead end somewhere. Again, I’m probably being paranoid, but I’d rather take my chances on the main road with cars passing by, than on some random isolated path. My _main_ reason for slowing down was because my nightvision was being shot to hell. It was genuinely harder for me to see with Mr. Highbeam in back of me. But I also did take a petty vindictive joy in making him slow down. I’m not a saint, and if this makes me a fuckwad, so be it; misery loves company. If this was an emergency of some sort for Mr. Highbeam, there were definitely a few stretches that were safe to pass, though he would have had to do it through a double-yellow. But that wouldn’t matter in an emergency, would it? Again, I could have facilitated this by slowing to a dead stop, but that seems almost an invitation to a direct confrontation. I felt much safer going slow, but obviously I was still risking some sort of road rage from Mr. Highbeam. Still, I did not feel that much danger scooting along on the main road. And certainly not as much as driving fast with half-blinded vision, squinting and closing my eyes frequently. I considered taking off my glasses, actually, as they were really doing a number on me, but that just didn’t seem like such a bright idea. Instead, I kept moving my head around, to find a good spot to avoid that ubiquitous glare while still surveying the road ahead, but it was maddeningly impossible, as all the random reflectors (sideview, rearview, glasses, windshield) seemed to cover all the positions. As for the illegality of driving slow, perhaps I was being illegal, who knows. But oh well, my ability to drive was being disrupted, and it was as uncomfortable as all hell, so it seemed like the safest thing to do. And I also delighted in Mr. Highbeam sharing my misery, which makes me a bit of a jerk, at least, I agree. Next time, should I stop completely? Is that a wiser choice? Seems like I’ve been seeing conflicting thoughts on this. My own paranoia says no, but I may change my mind. ---
**Author:** ![Windwalker](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/5e9695/32.png) [@Windwalker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Windwalker)\ **Post date:** [November 28, 2003, 11:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/riding-my-tail-with-highbeams-on-is-a-recipe-to-make-me-go-slower-not-faster/215697/58 "2003-11-28T23:59:53Z")
By the way, I forgot to mention. At the end, Mr. Highbeam finally _did_ pass me, when the road reached a spot that had the dotted yellow line (instead of double yellow). It’s bizarre that he didn’t seem to mind zooming in at about 50mph (when he was catching up to me), and having his highbeams on within feet from another car, but he totally respected the double-yellow. Go figure. ---
**Author:** ![wakimika](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/f08c70/32.png) [@wakimika](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wakimika)\ **Post date:** [November 29, 2003, 12:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/riding-my-tail-with-highbeams-on-is-a-recipe-to-make-me-go-slower-not-faster/215697/59 "2003-11-29T00:00:11Z")
I don’t think the OP was being a jerk, even if he did enjoy slowing down the other vehicle. Tell me, if I’m walking down a dark sidewalk and some guy follows me shining a powerful flashlight at my head, block after block, am I supposed to meekly step into a vestibule and hope he goes away? ---
**Author:** ![leander](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/bcef8e/32.png) [@leander](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/leander)\ **Post date:** [November 29, 2003, 12:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/riding-my-tail-with-highbeams-on-is-a-recipe-to-make-me-go-slower-not-faster/215697/60 "2003-11-29T00:09:58Z")
Despite **Ilsa** ’s “I know the law in every state”, there are several states that recommend pulling over. And even a few that have a law on the books in re slow driving. But as for the OP, I’m not sure I wouldn’t have done the same thing. If his lights were really making it difficult to drive safely, then slowing down may have been the best choice. At least you and Mom made it home safely, and hopefully had a nice Thanksgiving day despite the stress. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/riding-my-tail-with-highbeams-on-is-a-recipe-to-make-me-go-slower-not-faster/215697.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/riding-my-tail-with-highbeams-on-is-a-recipe-to-make-me-go-slower-not-faster/215697.md?page=4)