Why Do People Tailgate?

The BBQ Pit
101

The fifteen minute drive to my house from work is mostly on a single-lane road, with no way to pull over. I routinely get tailgated, especially in stormy/icy weather when I slow down to the speed limit because I drive a very light Echo.

The tailgating is worse in Georgia than my home state of NY(at least the little town I hail from). When I get tailgated, I just drive, watching the speedometer, so I don’t go too fast. If the driver behind me doesn’t like the fact that Im doing 65 in a 45, tough.

Morelin

102

ER, that should read 65 in a 35

103

In some states, it is against the law to remain in the passing lane as it is made for PASSING vehicles that are maintaining the speed limit or traveling slower that what is posted. IF YOU DON’T LIKE SOMEONE TAILGATING, MOVE YOUR ASS OVER!

104

One more thing. I don’t advocate tailgating unless in the event of an emergency which the driver should have their hazard lights turned on to demonstrate said emergency. Also, if you’re driving the posted speed limit in the “passing” lane or slower, you should move over to avoid someone who is “passing” slower traffic for whatever the reason. If you see someone speeding excessively, take your cell phone and contact the local authorities. Just be sure to NOT have a wreck while using your phone.

:smack:

105

What about the third type of tailgating … because it’s cool among your circle of friends? When I was living in Florida, I noticed that about 75% of tailgaters I encountered were ricers. Even at 10 to 20 over the limit in the right-hand lane of a six lane Interstate, inevitably a modded Honda Civic with pooting fart pipes and 90% tint would show up a few feet from my rear bumper.

Of the remaining tailgaters, most were rednecks in large pickup trucks, more often than not with some stupid quote displayed on top of the front window.

106

Former tailgater here.

Once, I was tailgating a black luxury car on a winding mountain road, when all of a sudden Robert Loggia himself leapt from the car and threatened my life!

I have not tailgated since.

107

Bullshit. I don’t “camp” in the left lane of a multi-lane. On the interstate I’m either right lane or center lane because I do NOT want to deal with the asswipes who think driving is the same as bumper cars.

But there HAVE been multiple instances where I have either

  1. tried to pass the slow idiot ahead of me, but as soon as I signal the lane change some asshole behind him speeds up and boxes me in, or
  2. I have been in the right or center lane during a low traffic period and someone has delibrately pulled up behind me - *even when the other lanes were empty - flashed lights, and made rude gestures when there is PLENTY of room for him/her to go around me.

Who appointed these other drivers to “clear the road”?

You are right on one level - I don’t care about road bullies, and that’s what tailgaters are - bullies. I don’t drive under the speed limit, I don’t flash tail-lights unless I truly mean to stop, I let folks change lanes and pass me. I’m not the problem here. People driving too damn fast in too much of a hurry are the problem here.

Oh, now THAT’s fucking mature of you, isn’t it? Risking getting rear-ended yourself just to make a point? THAT isn’t a “fuck the guy behind me” attitude? How about you just drive your car 20-40 mph over the speed limit and just leave the rest of us behind - we’ll be more than happy for you to be first at the scene of the accident.

As I SAID - if someone wants to pass me, let them. I’m more than happy to let them go first, and, since I’m not in the left lane unless I’m passing someone, there’s NO REASON to tailgate me, blink your lights, or otherwise act like a jackasss. But people do. All the time.

Like I said, a real fucking mature attitude. “Hey, let’s kill someone because they annoy us.” Does it make you feel big and important to risk not only your neck but someone else’s.

I never said ANYTHING about “blocking the left lane”. I was talking about TAILGATING, which is ILLEGAL, DANGEROUS, and STUPID regardless of what the guy in front of you is or is not doing. And SPEEDING is ALSO illegal, frequently dangerous, and often stupid. Cutting people off and slamming on your brakes to intentionally cause and accident is ALSO in those categories.

There is NO justification for tailgating! EVER!

108

One of the few times I will tailgate is if I’m in an exit lane, or a lane with another lane coming to an end into my lane, and here comes Johnny Jerkoff who is so important that he feels that he and he alone may pass everyone else and get over at the last minute. Not in front of me, chuckles. If you happen to be in front of me when this is happening, I apologize - I’m not letting that arrogant fuck in front of me. (And behind you).

And yes, it is always clear which drivers know exactly what they’re doing and which drivers are simply lost and realized they needed to get over. For the lost ones I let them in. If they don’t wave a thank you, I’m right on their ass. :smiley:

109

I camp in the left lane at times and I tailgate and I’m no bully. On long trips I routinely drive 80 in a 65. I have no speeding tickets; I’m guaranteed a few in the long run, but im willing to take that risk. I’m no less in control of a car at 50 or 90.

If there is a long stretch of highway ahead with no cars in the right lane I’ll take it, but it makes no sense to keep switching back and forth every two minutes when the right lane is crowded. Anyone that’s barely doing the speed limit in the passing lane on a crowded highway first gets a headlight flash, then the brights, if that doesn’t get their attention I start creepin in. Most cars very politely change lanes, and if they don’t I just sit em out.

I’m not endangering anyone, I’m just communicating my desire to “play through” so to speak, some cars don’t oblige me, most do.

110

Not that it matters, but I think in questions like this, it’s interesting to note where people live. My daily commute into NYC goes from between 10 mph to sustained periods of 85-90. At no time am I going more than 10 mph faster than the rest of the road… and I have not yet found it necessary to tailgate. It does require some slight amount of aggression in switching lanes, but not without signalling first. The only place in the country with worse traffic than this can be LA, so… any comments?

111

Gah. IMHO, tailgating is assault in that you are putting the other driver in fear of injury, even if there is no actual danger. Anyway, I don’t care how good a driver you are or how good your brakes are - tailgating is dangerous.

Yes it’s annoying and rude when people camp in the left lane. But tailgating is more than annoying or rude - it’s assault.

The next time you drive by the aftermath of a chain-reaction collision, you might remind yourself that each driver in the chain thought that he’d be able to stop in time if the car in front of him stopped short.

Also, keep in mind that there are professional scammers out there who disconnect their brake lights (but can reconnect them in a split-second) and have a team of lawyers, doctors, and chiropractors ready to go. If you encounter one of these people, you are setting yourself up to be sued for all you’re worth.

Finally, it seems to me that it’s quite likely that tailgating doesn’t do you much practical good a lot of the time, since a lot of tailgating victims respond by slowing down. I would suggest that the real reason a lot of people tailgate is to get emotional satisfaction from scaring/annoying/intimidating somebody who is annoying them.

112

It seems to me that:

  1. There are some aggressive assholes that tailgate for no readily apparent reason.

  2. There are some self-righteous assholes that sit in the passing lane, won’t move over, and deliberately provoke other drivers behind them.

  3. There are some oblivious assholes that don’t know what lane they’re in, don’t know the road rules and don’t care.

  4. There are some assholes that drive at speeds way under the limit, whatever lane they’re in. These are the ones that complain that they get tail-gated all the time.

  5. There are other assholes that use the passing lane but guage their speed by the car next to them. They’ll just speed up and slow down according to the car next to them, effectively blocking the passing lane.

To sum up: lots and lots of drivers are assholes. They may think they have justification, they may not. They’re just assholes. There is no moral justification for acting like an asshole.

113

Very well said, Desmostylus:D

114
  1. The are some people that use tailgating as a last resort to get the attention of drivers going too slow in the left lane and never deliberately provoke other drivers.
115

My experience is that flicking on your headlights to display brake lights to the tailgater behind you has never never worked. I admired this stunt when pulled successfully in The Eiger Sanction but it has never been effective in real life.

Tailgaters, you are rude, stupid people, no matter what excuses you tell yourselves. Your insurance rates will climb, you will become excessively familiar with the area body shops, you will injure or kill yourselves with your moronic aggression. Some of you will eventually mature and get over your misplaced anger, which is about all the encouraging news there is.

116

Honestly, its a two lane highway, Grandma is doing the limit in the left lane, and the road is crowded. Do you just sit boxed behind her and the cars in the right lane going the same speed or do you gently imply that perhaps madam would be more comfortable in the right lane. Explain to me what’s wrong there.

117

When I was learning to drive, my instructor said something to me that has stuck with me ever since:

There are two types of drivers;
-those who focus on themselves; their right of way, their own need to get where they are going,
-those who focus on driving in a safe and sensible manner, even if sometimes it means yielding when the law does not require them to.
Join the latter group and you will and experience far less stress, pay less for your motor insurance and live longer.

118

cainxinth, you don’t fit into my asshole classification at all. You aren’t the asshole. You are just reacting to assholes in categories 3, 4 or 5.

119

Mangetout, can’t a person be both? I care about getting where I’m going, I don’t like yielding when I don’t have to, but I will at times, and I never drive in any fashion other than a safe and sensible manner. Of course that depends on whether you think 80 mph is unsafe.

120

Mangetout: It’s way more complicated than that. When you drive you deal (briefly) with all types of people. Smart people. Stupid people. Polite people. Selfish people. Saints. Assholes.

No different to people on SDMB.

On the whole, though, I’d agree. Politeness is a safe strategy.