PSA on Tailgating (friendly reminder)

"iaintafraidofnoghost" (iaintafraidofnoghost) 05/27/2016 at 00:28 • Filed to: PSA, tailgating, safe driving, road rules

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I love all my fellow oPPo’s, but it seems some (maybe more than I saw in one post) think it’s okay to brake check tailgater’s. Heck some believe it is the only solution to a tailgater.

I’m here to tell you friend, it is not okay. The best way to deal with a tailgater is to move over, let them pass and then move back / be on your merry way. Brake checking only inflames the situation and can lead to outcomes where no one is a winner. Heck most the outcomes from the brake checking are that no one wins.

The tailgater after being brake checked isn’t going to have a revelation that they are being a Grade ‘ A’ douche-nozzle.... no no no. What will likely happen is they will become enraged, further getting up your butt, further enraging you and... yea you get it, vicious cycle leading to dangerous situation/outcome.

So please fellow oPPo’s heed my warning and be the bigger person. You could be saving your life, the person behind you and fellow traveler’s lives on the road. A few seconds is not worth missing out on all the great joys of life (left-lane hogging is not one of them).

Life and Times of Magoo: The People's Champ > iaintafraidofnoghost 05/27/2016 at 00:38

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TL:DR

Down shift

BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOSSSSSSSSTTTTTTTT

iaintafraidofnoghost > Life and Times of Magoo: The People's Champ 05/27/2016 at 00:40

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I lol’d.

Life and Times of Magoo: The People's Champ > iaintafraidofnoghost 05/27/2016 at 00:41

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I forgot #Speed3

E90M3 > Life and Times of Magoo: The People's Champ 05/27/2016 at 00:43

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Downshift, Woah VANOS just kicked in, yo

DrJohannVegas > iaintafraidofnoghost 05/27/2016 at 00:45

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be the bigger person

I think it applies to both sides of the tailgater/tailgatee interaction. Just don’t do either.

E90M3 > iaintafraidofnoghost 05/27/2016 at 00:47

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It’s not illegal to pass in the right lane, sometimes you have to do things the Germans would frown on. Also you’re trying to tail me? Oh you’re in a lifted F250 and trying to pass me before this semi. Have you heard about 4th gear?

Zipppy, Mazdurp builder, Probeski owner and former ricerboy > iaintafraidofnoghost 05/27/2016 at 00:47

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ive had a situation where I had somebody tail me on a 3 lane highway, in the rightmost lane. No matter what lane I decided to move to, they promptly followed, probably a couple feet from my rear bumper. no other cars on that stretch of highway, I was somewhat forced to the ‘brake check’. I know its bad and all, but a quick tap of the brake seemingly gave them a reminder to back off. they decided they had enough and sped off into the distance, after that weird debacle.

iaintafraidofnoghost > DrJohannVegas 05/27/2016 at 00:48

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Agreed. But I assumed all oPPo’s aren’t jerks and don’t tail gate ;).

facw > Zipppy, Mazdurp builder, Probeski owner and former ricerboy 05/27/2016 at 00:56

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Yeah, I had a Suburban tailgate me (whole show, dropping back then flooring it up to my bumper repeatedly, flashing his brights). I was in the rightmost lane of a highway (with five lanes in my direction) and doing 10 over the speed limit. The highway wasn’t busy, but I had a car to my left so I had nowhere to go but the shoulder even if I did want to move. No I deal what this road raging ass wanted me to do, but I really didn’t care. After a bit he gave up and went around (no idea why he didn’t just get over to the left in the first place

His Stigness > iaintafraidofnoghost 05/27/2016 at 00:59

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The safer way to get an asshole off your ass is just slow down. Let off the gas and slowly coast. In most cases they will get the hint and go around you.

But, if you’d like to send a very clear message, coast a little, and then punch it and make your own gap. I do that in my Mercedes because screw MPG, and people always get the message.

Doing that prevents an accident which brake checking would cause. As we saw in the clip earlier, the Subaru was tailgating AND not paying attention, which is EXACTLY why I don’t brake check people. While I’m confident the rear ender would be found at fault, I don’t feel like getting into an accident which is totally avoidable.

Berang > iaintafraidofnoghost 05/27/2016 at 00:59

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If somebody is tailgating me, I roll down the window and take a dump out of it.

iaintafraidofnoghost > Berang 05/27/2016 at 01:09

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That is talented driving. I assume you shift down to gear 2 for proper measure.

Thomas Donohue > iaintafraidofnoghost 05/27/2016 at 01:11

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Be the ’bigger person’ and don’t tailgate. Or, when safe, slowly pass on the right if a left lane hog refuses to move over. Like most of us do. And give the finger. Which most of us do.

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RiceRocketeer Extraordinaire > Life and Times of Magoo: The People's Champ 05/27/2016 at 01:21

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I want boost too :-(

Sam > iaintafraidofnoghost 05/27/2016 at 01:50

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Tailgaters don’t bother me. If I’m on a highway I stick to the right lane unless I’m passing, so if they’re tailgating me they are just a dick. No cure for that behavior.

Occasionally I will slow down to exactly the speed limit if they’re riding my ass going 5-10 over. The thing I really hate is semis that tailgate, since the resulting collision is a lot more dire.

Danger > iaintafraidofnoghost 05/27/2016 at 05:12

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Small minded people drive emotionally. It is bad.

McMike > iaintafraidofnoghost 05/27/2016 at 05:19

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When someone is tailgating, I try to establish what the distance is. Once I figure out what the appropriate speed would be for the distance they have chosen to follow, I lift off the throttle and gradually slow down to that speed.

It’s really safe for everyone.

McMike > iaintafraidofnoghost 05/27/2016 at 05:29

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I’m curious what everyone thinks a “safe following distance” is.

Some use car lengths x speed, some use time.

What’s your (everyone’s) method, and how do you determine what tailgaitng is?

450X_FTW > iaintafraidofnoghost 05/27/2016 at 08:03

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I’ll brake check, but I’ll keep my right foot on the throttle and brake with my left. That way I don’t slow down but my brake lights still activate

spanfucker retire bitch > His Stigness 05/27/2016 at 08:11

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Yep. I’ve noticed that coasting tends to get tailgaters off your ass almost immediately. I do it all the time on two-lane roads where I really can’t do anything about it. There’s no good place for me to turn off and let the prick by, and if he really wanted to, he could just pass me when there is no traffic in the oncoming lane.

spanfucker retire bitch > McMike 05/27/2016 at 08:12

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If their headlights begin to disappear from my rear-view mirror (not quite totally with SUVs and trucks since they ride higher than my car) I consider that tailgating.

McMike > spanfucker retire bitch 05/27/2016 at 08:20

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At any speed?

spanfucker retire bitch > McMike 05/27/2016 at 08:41

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Yeah. I tend to stay much farther back myself when I’m behind a car, but if I’m in front of a tailgater, I start getting uneasy once their headlights begin to disappear.

Smallbear wants a modern Syclone, local Maple Leafs spammer > iaintafraidofnoghost 05/27/2016 at 08:41

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Two assholes can exterminate each other. The problem is that tailgaters endanger mostly themselves, and brake checkers endanger everyone else too. To put it another way, the tailgater puts themselves in a dangerous position. The brake checker sees the dangerous position and thinks “you know what would be fun, lets MAKE them have that accident”.

Personally my approach to someone really up my ass is just to touch the brake lightly with my left foot enough to make the lights come on. A tailgater can’t afford to gamble whether it’s a gentle brake or a hard brake.

The absolute worst though, in my opinion, is the guys that use brake checking as a solution to everything, not just tailgating.

McMike > spanfucker retire bitch 05/27/2016 at 08:55

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The “at any speed” question was in reference to your vanishing headlight comment. At parking lot speeds, that may not be too close. At anything else, it’s a completely different situation - especially anything over 50 mph.

Don’t get me wrong, I’m just curious how people define tailgating. More often than not, I find the definition is all over the map, and it’s more a “You don’t drive like I do, so you’re an dangerous idiot*” type of situation.

*We’re all guilty of that.

PotbellyJoe and 42 others > iaintafraidofnoghost 05/27/2016 at 08:55

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Gently pull back on lever.

spanfucker retire bitch > McMike 05/27/2016 at 09:02

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I understood what you were asking. My “yeah” comment was to answer your at any speed question. Regardless of speed I tend think of tailgating as being so close your headlights start to vanish.

Even at parking lot speeds I’d consider that tailgating since the chances of having to suddely stop are pretty high in a parking lot and even at those slow speeds, all you need is the driver behind you to be distracted for like 2 seconds when they’re that close.

His Stigness > spanfucker retire bitch 05/27/2016 at 09:12

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Yeah I try and move over, but if I can't, fuck the tailgaters.

iaintafraidofnoghost > McMike 05/27/2016 at 11:09

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For me it depends on speed, but I tend to keep a 2 second gap up to 55-60 and 2.5-3 second at higher speeds. It’s variable.

You can tell a Finn but you can't tell him much > McMike 05/27/2016 at 11:54

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Safe following distance is 2-4 seconds in clear conditions. If the road conditions are worse it doubles. It’s tough to judge this in your rear view mirror, but if I’m getting nervous about how close you are, you’re tailgating. It also depends on the car behind me and the vehicle I’m driving. If I’m in my STi and you’re driving a rusted to shit van, you are tailgating me if you’re inside of a mile. If I’m driving my truck and you’re driving a nice Mini Cooper, do what you will, I’ll be able wipe off my bumper if you rear end me.

McMike > iaintafraidofnoghost 05/27/2016 at 12:13

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I think time is best because it’s relative.

JRapp: now as good as new again > iaintafraidofnoghost 05/27/2016 at 14:01

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Yes! This! Under no circumstances is brake-checking ok. None. Never. That’s not to say that tailgating is, but that’s a different conversation. Brake-checking only endangers you and the tailgater. The right thing to do is to move over, and hope that one of these times their karma catches up to them. It is not your civic duty to try to punish a tailgater or to try to get them to change their ways. If you really want to do something, complain to the cops. After you’ve moved out of the way.

Scott > McMike 07/09/2016 at 11:50

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I am in agreement with Sheldon Cooper... a car length is not a standard unit of measure. Time is the only good way to determine if you are tailgating. I try to stay about 3 seconds behind, but I’ll admit I often find myself only about 2 seconds behind, which is actually the recommended distance anyways.