[Closed] Tailgating

Give more space between me and the vehicle in front, then ignore. Leave it very much in the 'their problem' camp

If there is no traffic in front of me I encourage them to overtake.

If there is traffic in front of me I increase my gap to it so that there is enough braking distance for myself and the car behind.

Never had that issue as I is awesome and always overtaking - tailgating is for dorks

Let the person overtake where possible, no reason not to.

Slam on and watch the panic in their eyes.

Slow down. They'll overtake eventually. It's their problem.

I just carry on driving as normal, it’s not something I find is an issue.

Give more space between me and the vehicle in front, then ignore. Leave it very much in the ‘their problem’ camp

this - has the virtue of also being what the Highway code tells you to do.

Either; slow down at the first point where it's safe and easy for them to overtake. Or actively get out of their way.

I find in the UK slowing down by say 5-10 mph and slowly accelerating away from stops or out of corners makes the point, once they drop back I'll drive normally again.

Serious answer - you obviously like to drive slower than the average driver

Are you leaving plenty of gap in front of yourself to the next car for them to over take you?

I assume you are not one of these drivers that slows stupidly for bends and then floors it up the next straight? Keep your speed consistently slow to enable people to overtake safely.

I drive at or below 30 in 30's and people bunch up behind me, thats their problem.

Repeatedly brake test them, use "friendly" hand gestures and then accelerate sharply while lobbing a fist full of coins out the window.

Just ignore them, they will soon overtake or back off.

confront when safe to

Do you mean stop and have a row in the middle of the road or?

It's really odd and definitely a problem up here (Highlands). The crazy thing is it's the worst place to sit if you want to overtake. If I want to overtake in minimum space I drop back 'into the pocket' so Ive go somewhere to accelerate into before crossing the central line when safe at a significantly higher pace than the car I'm trying to overtake. You simply can't do that if tailgating.

I think a lot of tailgaters here at least are just dozy, have little interest in overtaking and just keep going until they get to a slower car with a thumb up their bum.

Serious answer – you obviously like to drive slower than the average driver

There's nothing obvious about that at all.

I drive at or below 30 in 30’s and people bunch up behind me, thats their problem.

Yes and no. The Highway code has quite a bit to say about driving courteously, and "Don't hold people up unnecessarily " is one of them. If you're driving at or below the speed limit, then either don't prevent people from overtaking you, or if there's a queue behind you pull over to let them past.

Are you driving at 69mph in the middle lane of the motorway?

I'm a nightmare. I'll often slow right down if someone's aggressively tailgating me. Have been know to do it alongside a lorry if on a duel carriageway. Once or twice I've put on my hazards and slowly come to a complete stop.
Sorry, but I hate these idiots in their stupid cars (usually a bmw), so it's my petty way of getting revenge.

Yes and no. The Highway code has quite a bit to say about driving courteously, and “Don’t hold people up unnecessarily ” is one of them. If you’re driving at or below the speed limit, then either don’t prevent people from overtaking you, or if there’s a queue behind you pull over to let them past.

Yes and no 🙂 In the case stated, i.e. a 30 limit, if you're at or below the limit (and I'm assuming you're not doing 10mph), then if people bunch up then tough. It's 30 for a reason.

On roads with higher limits, sure.

And yes, I'm a careful and considerate driver. That's a good thing in my book.

so it’s my petty way of getting revenge.

Why do you care? If some-one tailgates me then they're a bad driver and more likely to have an accident, i want them away from me with as little hassle and fuss to me as i can get. So I'll get out the way of them having thier accident up the road, and as far away from me as possible

We're not talking about overtaking here. We're talking about cocks driving up your ass to show their displeasure.

It just bothers me that they can get away with it as there's no police presence. So I take matters into my own hands.

If you’re driving at or below the speed limit, then either don’t prevent people from overtaking you, or if there’s a queue behind you pull over to let them past.

I don't agree with that. Yes if you are travelling SIGNIFICANTLY below the speed limit (ie, driving a slow moving vehicle like a tractor) then yes, pull over but if you are driving at or around the speed limit (assuming it may be slightly below depending on circumstances) then there is absolutely no need to pull over to let people pass. Obviously you should never prevent someone from overtaking should they wish to but that is their decision to make.

I ignore it and let them past when safe, but some cars seem to attract it more than others. If I'm driving my old T4 van I rarely get it but when I drive my daughter's little Citroen C1 it happens a lot, this is driving at the speed limit in both vehicles.

 It’s 30 for a reason.

Sure, so be courteous to those around you and drive at 30. Driving less than that to me suggests one of a few things; New driver, someone not paying attention, or someone for whom driving is still an all consuming business and hasn't got the awareness to pay attention to everything that's going on around them.

We all have a duty of care to each other; hence rule 169

169
Do not hold up a long queue of traffic, especially if you are driving a large or slow-moving vehicle. Check your mirrors frequently, and if necessary, pull in where it is safe and let traffic pass.

So while you hold up a long queue of traffic behind, they have to make sure that they're not tailgating you and becoming impatient, but at the same time, it's your duty not to hold folks up unecessarly

@rollindoughnut

Maybe you need to watch a bit of this 🙂

Only place I get it (fairly) regularly (I don't drive long distances much) is the A34, cos it's a dual carriageway and lots of lorries slow the traffic down - as said above I just slow down by 5-10mph and most of them get the message. The ones who don't get the message don't even know they're doing it, so I just either
- ignore or
- stay in the way as long as possible to wind them up, or
- get out of the way.
Depends on my mood.
But don't do what I do cos I is a shit driver. Ask anyone who's been in my car.

Oh, if I get it on a 30mph road, I just go 29mph exactly. **** em if they don't like it.

Interesting replies so far. There is one section of road that this happens to me quite often it’s a 30mph downhill section for about 1/2 mile on a straight piece of road. I always stick to 31-32mph indicated yet almost everyone else flies up behind. Now some will overtake, others will just sit very close behind. I now tend to keep as far left as possible and continue. I have tried gently slowing and letting them past but this just seems to irritate those who wouldn’t have overtaken in the first scenario judging by the flashing lights and hand gestures. Can’t win.
Edit: I should perhaps explain that the reason this is a 30 limit road is that there are some houses dotted along the road and a number of footpaths that cross it so I believe that it is an appropriate speed to keep to

Driving less than that to me suggests one of a few things; New driver, someone not paying attention, or someone for whom driving is still an all consuming business and hasn’t got the awareness to pay attention to everything that’s going on around them.

Narrow road, parked cars, children playing, poor visibility, adverse conditions...

So I take matters into my own hands.

You're driving a tonne and half of machine that requires you to pay attention. Either (with respect) grow the **** up or stop driving. People pissing about either tailgating or driving badly to put off tailgaters or somehow "getting revenge" just makes everyone else's life harder.

In Sept last year I had a land cruiser, which was also towing a dual Axel trailer with a car on, rear end me at 80km+ as I slowed to turn right. They had been close a few times and I kept speeding up to get some space but she kept catching up. Windy back country road in Oz. I was going ng to pull over and let her pass but we were nearly at our destination so pushed on. We had a trailer full of camping gear. 2 kids and my wife.

Had we not have had the trailer it could have been worse. I'm still freaked when big trucks or 4bies get close. It was not a pleasant experience.

Just pull over if you can. Let these idiots pass.

Sure, so be courteous to those around you and drive at 30. Driving less than that to me suggests one of a few things; New driver, someone not paying attention, or someone for whom driving is still an all consuming business and hasn’t got the awareness to pay attention to everything that’s going on around them.

Can I just check how much less than the speed limit is acceptable to the higher level drivers of the world? What percentage of the speed limit makes you a lesser driver?

169
Do not hold up a long queue of traffic, especially if you are driving a large or slow-moving vehicle. Check your mirrors frequently, and if necessary, pull in where it is safe and let traffic pass.

This is clearly not directed at people driving a little under 30mph. It's for things like tractors, bicycles, and heavy vehicles that can't even get close to speeds safely achievable by other vehicles.

There are plenty of circumstances where 30 is not appropriate in a 30 limit, especially where there is a lot of traffic or parked cars lining the road, making it far more hazardous than without. The speed limit is set as the absolute maximum speed you should be doing under the best of conditions.

Depends on where i am, if i'm around my area in the 20 zone then i slow down some more if they are doing the daft stuff, as those tailgaters are just trying to bully me into going faster, same with some 30s.

If it's a A or B road, then i tend to do what others say, stay steady and keep my gap with the car in front, allowing those behind to overtake when safe, but again, as someone said, i've never understood why someone would be right in your boot before overtaking, you lose visibility for the overtake and the acceleration.

I use the A38 and A48 a bit where i see the accordion issue all the time, one driver doing 35 or so bunches everyone up, and then it just causes havoc with those overtaking zones, the ones that annoy me the most are the tailgaters who box you in the second you hit the dual lane part of the road, they're overtaking in the hatch markings and just being idiots, just to then hit the standing traffic that'll be ahead of them in the towns.

This is clearly not directed at people driving a little under 30mph. It’s for things like tractors, bicycles, and heavy vehicles that can’t even get close to speeds safely achievable by other vehicles.

There are plenty of circumstances where 30 is not appropriate in a 30 limit, especially where there is a lot of traffic or parked cars lining the road, making it far more hazardous than without. The speed limit is set as the absolute maximum speed you should be doing under the best of conditions.

Very much this.

I do worry about the fundamental understanding of the HWC of anyone who does not get this. To be clear there is no world where someone driving at 30 in a 30, or 29 or 28 or 27 or 26, or 25 should feel they need to pull over to allow others to make better progress.

I do worry about the fundamental understanding of anyone who does not get this. To be clear there is no world where someone driving at 30 in a 30, or 29 or 28 or 27 or 26, or 25 should feel they need to pull over to allow others to make better progress.

So much this and it astounds me that anyone can think differently.

This is clearly not directed at people driving a little under 30mph

If it was directed at a specific group then it would say so (as it does about large vehicles)  The HC tries to be as inclusive as it can - after all we share the road, so in this case the important parts of rule 169 are

Do not hold up a long queue of traffic This applies to everyone

and

or slow-moving vehicle If you choose to drive under the speed limit, this is you.

It's not difficult. You share the road. If you behave like a dick by tailgating or by driving in a way to some-how seek revenge on tailgaters, then those are equally stupid. Because invariably all you are now concentrating on is either the car directly in front of you or the car directly behind you. If I now come behind the pair of you, I've now got two cars intent on nothing other than being dicks to each other, which makes my life harder and more dangerous

Sure, so be courteous to those around you and drive at 30.

See this highlights the common problem we have where people believe, mistakenly, that the speed limit is the speed it's legal to drive at. It's not. It's the speed you cannot exceed.

The speed that it's legal to drive at is the speed which is safe. If you're on a road outside a school at pick up time, with cars parked down both sides of the road and lots of people milling about, then it's patently not safe to drive at 30mph. Nor is it really safe to do that on a regular, narrow residential road with cars parked up and down it and very narrow pavements. Context is everything here and 20mph in the right speed in those instances.

Context is everything here and 20mph in the right speed in those instances.

Of course, the OP is about tailgating, what are your actions if someone tailgates you in this context. If your immediate reaction is "That's their problem" then why aren't you thinking; "I'll  just get out f this person's way?"

I do worry about the fundamental understanding of anyone who does not get this. To be clear there is no world where someone driving at 30 in a 30, or 29 or 28 or 27 or 26, or 25 should feel they need to pull over to allow others to make better progress.

This, and I'd add 24, 23, 22, 21 and 20. And slower, if conditions require it.

We’re not talking about overtaking here. We’re talking about cocks driving up your ass to show their displeasure.

How close is too near for you?

If I now come behind the pair of you, I’ve now got two cars intent on nothing other than being dicks to each other, which makes my life harder and more dangerous

This in spades.
Probably different if you are on a deserted highland A road, but here in congested southern englandshire where an empty road infront of you is rarer than a mooing steak, this is my first thought any time someone gleefully describes slowing down or deliberately annoying other road users behind them.

The speed that it’s legal to drive at is the speed which is safe. If you’re on a road outside a school at pick up time, with cars parked down both sides of the road and lots of people milling about, then it’s patently not safe to drive at 30mph. Nor is it really safe to do that on a regular, narrow residential road with cars parked up and down it and very narrow pavements. Context is everything here and 20mph in the right speed in those instances.

That's why those types of areas are 20 zones, with speed bumps, crossing wardens, etc, etc. It's not helped by the lack of any policing of the Road Traffic Act or the likes.

Have to be honest, i've never worried about tailgating in town, i don't even treat it as that, it's just impatient drivers who have no real thought of overtaking like you do on an A or B road.

could try sticking a fake camera in an obvious position in the rear window

could try sticking a fake camera in an obvious position in the rear window

also try adding a stick figure family, "powered by fairy dust", or "grandchildren on board" to make yourself appear to be a useless incompetent driver that others will keep their distance from.

Of course, the OP is about tailgating, what are your actions if someone tailgates you in this context. If your immediate reaction is “That’s their problem” then why aren’t you thinking; “I’ll just get out f this person’s way?”

The roads would be at a standstill if we stopped to let every tailgator past.

I have some long, straight open 30mph sections when coming to work. Had a tailgater this morning and it set me thinking - what speed would actually make them happy? 35? 40? More? None of those options would be sensible, so I just did the usual 30 and ignored them.

Even if they overtake it just gets them 200m further on to the next vehicle doing the limit. Then we all regroup at the traffic lights so utterly pointless.

A woman pointlessly overtook in the last bit of 30 a few weeks ago. Sure enough, I was back behind her again at the next lights and she then proceeded to stall twice when pulling away - I got a sheepish wave for being patient / not beeping 🙂

I just carry on doing what I do and judge to be safe for that road - within the legal limits.

I have to say, the longer we have 20 zones the fewer tailgaters I am seeing in both 20 and 30 zones.

A colleague was on a speed awareness course a few weeks ago. Apparently there was a woman who argued that the correct distance between cars wasn't 3 seconds but was 3 car lengths, regardless of speed.

There's a small Range Rover that regularly used to to close tailgate me every morning down a 30mph road (I'd be driving at 30.) She'd drop back significantly in the 40mph section, and then be back on my bumper for the next bit of 30 before she turned off. Interestingly, her reg - M155FOX or MI55FOX - doesn't seem to be registered.

I just slow down / dawdle a bit. Or if in the diesel and they don't get the message or overtake, dawdle for a bit then boot it so they get a nice cloud of soot. Then revert to more dawdling.

I just slow down until I judge the gap behind is appropriate for the speed we are going. That may be quite slow, but they probably overtake quickly anyway. Not my problem.

Though since getting the van it's not something I've noticed, perhaps due to the lack of rear mirror 🙂

(more likely people don't tend to tailgate battered old vans)

That’s why those types of areas are 20 zones

True, I just wish that we would introduce 20 as the standard for anywhere where the road or pavement was narrower than a given width. 30mph where the road is say 8m wide and the houses have a 5m front drive and a 2.5m pavement is quite a different to those where the road is say 4m wide and houses houses have a 1m or less border and pavement.

Brighton is the way to go; everywhere is 20mph regardless. Once you tune in to the fact that you barely save any time driving at 30 as opposed to 20 it's so much more relaxing.

Though since getting the van it’s not something I’ve noticed, perhaps due to the lack of rear mirror

This. If they want to run into my tow bar then it's up to them.

At 30 I just ignore it as I always leave a safe braking distance for myself regardless.

On an a road, if it's quiet then I'll encourage them to overtake at a safe place. Happy for them to crack on.

On a busy motorway where I can't do anything about it I'll do a backwards waving motion for the worst offenders. This is generally quite effective as most are doing it purely because they're not concentrating. I'd say at least 50% drop back and stay back. Doesn't work if you have blacked out windows...

My pet peeve is drivers who, quite rightly, trundle along at the speed limit but then accelerate massively when a little bit of dual carriageway comes along to stop you overtaking. That is dickish driving.

My pet peeve is drivers who, quite rightly, trundle along at the speed limit but then accelerate massively when a little bit of dual carriageway comes along to stop you overtaking. That is dickish driving.

Why would you need to overtake if they are driving at the speed limit?

Heh, was going to mention the van thing. In fact, the worst offenders are pretty much in the blind spots, so you really can't see them!

My pet peeve is drivers who, quite rightly, trundle along at the speed limit but then accelerate massively when a little bit of dual carriageway comes along to stop you overtaking. That is dickish driving.

Which probably equates to doing the speed limit in a 30/40 signed zone them upto 70, which is also doing the limit. Doesn't seen entirely unreasonable to me.

It's the tailgaters who are too close to the car in front when overtaking me on my bike that worry me most. I'm pretty sure they haven't looked at on-coming traffic, they have just seen the car in front go round me and they blindly follow.

No, the speed limit doesn’t change.

I’m happy to sit at the proper distance behind someone who wants to stick rigidly to the limit, but if I choose to overtake in a short dual carriageway section they can get stuffed if they’re only doing it because being overtaken somehow makes them feel emasculated.

No, the speed limit doesn’t change.

I’m happy to sit at the proper distance behind someone who wants to stick rigidly to the limit, but if I choose to overtake in a short dual carriageway section they can get stuffed if they’re only doing it because being overtaken somehow makes them feel emasculated.

So you're breaking the speed limit to overtake somebody who is driving at the speed limit, and then you're going to settle down in front of them at the speed limit having made an unnecessary overtake?

Get some stickers about having a black box fitted and a baby/dog on board and they'll be sure to drive more respectfully around you.

My pet peeve is drivers who, quite rightly, trundle along at the speed limit but then accelerate massively when a little bit of dual carriageway comes along to stop you overtaking. That is dickish driving

So:
- to speed up and overtake would be illegal.
- you don't want to drive any faster than they are travelling.

But you need to overtake?

Mmm, 'kay.

What, like you’ve never done that?

I saw a car in Tesco's car park yesterday with a sticker in the rear window that said:

'I brake for tailgaters'.

Nobber.

A nice long squirt on the windscreen washer will usually find it's way on to the tailgaters windscreen. After the 3rd blast or so they sometimes get the message.

Not sure what the rush is to get somewhere. So **** em.

Had this a couple of weeks ago. Mid-morning, A-road NSL. Quite curvy and oncoming traffic at the start so not many opportunities to overtake if you want to. I'm sat 2 cars back behind someone doing about 48, a little slower than the 54 I would cruise at with no-one infront of me but no big deal. Then suddenly this little white Seat Mii flys right up behind me, weaving left and right as though he's going to be past at the first sniff of a gap. His problem is that there's 3 of us that he'd need to be past in one go and he's only got a little 1l engine to do it with.
So, instead he sits what must be about 2m back from my bumper at nearly 50mph, closed than anyone I can rememberbefore. I give the slightest tap on the brake pedal, just enough to make the lights flash on and off without actually slowing maybe just to make him realise he's a bit close. Obviously it makes no difference. So, I then let it coast down to 40 and at that point a raise of my hand like a shrug as in "what are you playing at?" He seems to get the message a little and back of slightly. Withing a short distance I'm back behind 48mph car, now leaving a larger than normal gap so I wouldn't have to brake suddenly if anything happened in front. So now I'm thinking I'm leaving a big enough gap infront of me that he can easily nip past me, in to that space and not be my problem any more. Along come at least three long, clear straights. Prime opportunity to be past with loads of spare time and yet he just sits behind me, still uncomfortably close.
Carried on like that for the next few miles until we went our separate ways at a roundabout and he attached himself to the next unsuspecting driver.
I just don't understand some people. I wish I could have just ignored him, but he made me feel unsafe and in doing so distracted me from concentrating properly on normal driving. I tried to let him past but he wasn't interested. What else can you do in that situation? I'm not going to pull over and stop to let some inconsiderate man-child through just becuase they're incapable of overtaking when there are more than enough safe opportunities.

No, the speed limit doesn’t change.

If the road goes from a single to dual carriageway then the speed limit normally changes. 60mph (50mph in a van) on single and 70mph (60mph in a van) on a dual carriageway.

I ease off until I've got enough braking distance in front of me to accommodate them as well, then carry on at the speed I was doing before. If he wants to overtake, that's not my issue. I'm generally somewhere around the limit in town, and I'm damned if I'm going to pull over so that some little gobshite in a Seat can get another 50 yards further up the road.

 I’m not going to pull over and stop to let some inconsiderate man-child through just becuase they’re incapable of overtaking when there are more than enough safe opportunities.

Could I ask why not? It would have been the safe thing to do. What if you'd had to have braked suddenly? He'd probably have gone into the back of you. You seem to have the hump about his lack of skill, but just because you're in front of him, you're content to let him drive unsafely behind you?

I'd have wanted him in front where i could see him

I think it's easy to make the assumption that anyone sitting up your backside is there agressively because they want to overtake - more often I think they're just bad drivers who have a slim grasp on the basics of self preservation.

It's like being on the motorway in the rain - there'll always be a small car right behind a massive lorry, giving themselves zero visabiltiy of the road ahead. I've always just put it down to drivers too nervous to overtake, but weirdly thinking seeing nothing but spray and the back of a lorry is somehow safer...

Sure, so be courteous to those around you and drive at 30. Driving less than that to me suggests one of a few things; New driver, someone not paying attention, or someone for whom driving is still an all consuming business and hasn’t got the awareness to pay attention to everything that’s going on around them.

TBH, everything you've said up there has proven to be FAR more applicable to the tailgaters.

If your immediate reaction is “That’s their problem” then why aren’t you thinking; “I’ll just get out f this person’s way?”

because it is their problem. I'm not going to prevent them from passing. But at the same time, I'm not pulling off the road (and then trying to rejoin traffic) just to let them hoon past. (Unless I'm towing something, or driving something that is speed limited.

If the road goes from a single to dual carriageway then the speed limit normally changes. 60mph (50mph in a van) on single and 70mph (60mph in a van) on a dual carriageway

I don’t think that’s the case on the stretch of road I’m thinking of - there’s definitely no signs suggesting it. I may be wrong. However, that’s not why they’re accelerating, it’s because they can’t bear to be overtaken even though they don’t want to speed themselves.

Remove all your mirrors. Ignorance is bliss.

I don’t think that’s the case on the stretch of road I’m thinking of – there’s definitely no signs suggesting it. I may be wrong.

It's one of the basics of the highway code and the first thing you talk about on speed awareness courses.

t’s because they can’t bear to be overtaken even though they don’t want to speed themselves.

How do you know this, for certain?

But at the same time, I’m not pulling off the road (and then trying to rejoin traffic) just to let them hoon past.

Why not? They're much more of a danger to you when they're behind you, than they are in front. The biggest risk of someone tailgating you is that they drive into the back of you. Why not then take active steps yourself to remove that danger?

I don’t think that’s the case on the stretch of road I’m thinking of – there’s definitely no signs suggesting it.

If the road changes from single to dual carriageway and there's no speed limit signs, it definitely is the case. FFS, it's highway code 101. How long since you passed your test? You could do with a refresher.