[Closed] Tailgating

Well I certainly don't drive slowly but always keep a decent distance behind the car in front of me especially if using the handy, stress-free ACC system. I have front and rear cameras since someone went straight into the back of me. They were too close behind as the witness testified. The witness was an unmarked police car.

Have been know to do it alongside a lorry if on a duel carriageway.

I try to avoid duels when driving.

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.

This is what I do, works a treat 99% of the time.

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.

I'm talking about 200m of dual carriageway on a 50mph road.

I can't see any indication in the Highway Code that says the speed limit automatically rises by 10mph just because there's two lanes for a very short stretch.

I'm pretty sure the rural road I'm thinking of has them to let people overtake tractors.

Anyhoo, if you're happily driving along at 50 with a queue of cars behind you (not tailgating) and the first one goes to overtake and you suddenly decide you need to drive at 70 for 200m, then you're being a dick as far as I'm concerned.

Pull over at safest opportunity and let them past. Better they're in front and out of your way. Sometimes you get lucky and catch them up at the next lights/tractor.I it also forces them to slow down and sometimes in shock as they have to engage in an overtake that's not their decision.

I’m talking about 200m of dual carriageway on a 50mph road.

If the single carriage way is limited to 50mph, then at the start of the dual there should either be continuous repeaters (probably on the street lights, another indicator that a dual carriage way might be speed-limited) or a national speed limit applies sign, in which case the speed limit will be 70.

I can’t see any indication in the Highway Code that says the speed limit automatically rises by 10mph just because there’s two lanes for a very short stretch.

A dual carriage way is a road with a central reservation separating the opposing flows of traffic. It's nothing to do with how many lanes the road has.

I’m talking about 200m of dual carriageway on a 50mph road.

I can’t see any indication in the Highway Code that says the speed limit automatically rises by 10mph just because there’s two lanes for a very short stretch.

Do you mean like this?
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If so you're correct that the speed limit doesn't change, but it's also not a dual carriageway. A DC has to have a central reservation dividing the 2 different traffic directions. The above is just an overtaking lane to allow you to get past slow vehicles safely.

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.

I have been known to do this.

Along with leaving extra space in front

Life's far too short to get into a genitalia-measuring contest with an idiot, so why get in their way? I'd rather they crashed ahead of me than into me. I just try to get out of their way if I can, as they're often in a hurry to either crash or wind someone else up. If I can't avoid them, then establishing a decent braking distance from whatever's in front and driving considerately (as above - 30 is the max allowed, not the target) is probably the safest thing to do.

Do you mean like this?

If so you’re correct that the speed limit doesn’t change, but it’s also not a dual carriageway. A DC has to have a central reservation dividing the 2 different traffic directions. The above is just an overtaking lane to allow you to get past slow vehicles safely.

Yes, that's what I meant. I didn't realise that wasn't a dual carriageway!

Get a panel van. If they are really tailgating you can see them!

Yes, that’s what I meant. I didn’t realise that wasn’t a dual carriageway!

Yep, the dual bit just means there's 2 separated roads, one for each direction. You can have a single lane each way, still a dual carriageway. Or you can have 4/5 lanes each way.

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Yes, that’s what I meant. I didn’t realise that wasn’t a dual carriageway!

You really should go on a highway code refresher course. Get caught speeding 😉

Pull over at safest opportunity and let them past. Better they’re in front and out of your way. Sometimes you get lucky and catch them up at the next lights/tractor.I it also forces them to slow down and sometimes in shock as they have to engage in an overtake that’s not their decision.

+1 I do exactly this.

I'm not trusting my safety in the hands of some w*ker in a Nissan Juke 1 car length behind me. Anything in front of you [in a vehicle] you can control (ie - create a safe distance) - anything behind is totally out of your control

I find turning on the fog lights stops tailgaters very effectively.

As touched on above, driving my wife’s Fiat 500 seems to attract those that think by driving right up my chuff, that I’ll just pull over, even when keeping decent speed in traffic! I glean the impression that some drivers simply don’t like having a little car in front of them.

Most drivers just don't have an appreciation of what is a safe stopping distance. I've been in cars with folk who were in no hurry whatsoever, were not looking to overtake and yet still drive too bloody close to the car in front.

Interesting thread though. It's clear from a few posters that they regard driving as some sort of competition. Others are overly concerned with the concept of fairness which, to be fair, does seem to affect a large number of drivers.

According to a couple of lads at work I am not a good driver.
They drive as fast as the traffic flow will let them, whilst i get to 62mph smd click cruise on. Then settle back and relax.
So driving at 90% of the posted limited obviously means ypu are not a driving god.
I hate being tailgated. Its particularly bad around 0630 so if they race up behind me, do a loom move where they sit 1mtr further out so they are in my mirrors i indicate, if nothing is coming. Then pull over and let them under take
I then simply pull across after they have gone through. And resume my gentle relaxed cruise to work

I'm confused. Are you middle lane cruising at 62mph?

Tailgating has been around for years BMW developed an assistance system in 2009

Nothing wrong with driving a couple of mph below the limit. Especially on a road full of speed cameras or a road you're not familiar with.

As for speed limits. It is a speed LIMIT. If there is a queue behind you and you're already doing the limit then that's just called traffic.

I’m confused. Are you middle lane cruising at 62mph?

Nothing wrong with that if the left lane is going slower than you and 62mph is within the speed limit.

My preference is to try and encourage/let them to pass. They're bad drivers, more likely to have an accident, so I'd rather it didn't involve me.

There's often no rhyme or reason to their behaviour. People behave weirdly when they get in cars...

Can only think of one recent occurrence that a felt was bad enough to be borderline dangerous. Got to the next roundabout and just did a 360 lap of it so they could carry on their way. I ended up behind them for about another 5 miles. Wish I'd had a dash cam as it put my in prime spot to witness just how badly they were driving.

I think a lot of people don't realise that they're tailgating, they're just not very observant drivers or don't understand the risk it could pose. It's similar to how a lot of use have probably experienced when being badly overtaken by cars when out cycling, not all drivers hate cyclists they're just not thinking.

Also, driving a little Fiat definitely makes people drive differently. I drive my partner's car the same as I do my own but I get a lot more dodgy overtakes past me in her car.

Also, driving a little Fiat definitely makes people drive differently. I drive my partner’s car the same as I do my own but I get a lot more dodgy overtakes past me in her car.

Totally agree! I use to drive a Fiat 500 and was tailgated much more than while driving my Berlingo. The Fiat was faster to 60 too.

I think a lot of people don’t realise that they’re tailgating, they’re just not very observant drivers or don’t understand the risk it could pose.

This. I fail to understand the people who sit a car legth or two behind a van. They have no view ahead and if the van has to emergency stop for any reason they will be in the back of it before the brake lights have registered in what passes for a brain.

I also got annoyed recently in a queue of stop start traffic when every time we halted the car behind went so close my rear parking sensors were activating.

Haven’t read the whole thread but agree with the above. I reckon the vast majority don’t even realise they’re doing it or that what they’re doing is risky. I’ve pulled over to let these nuggets thru in the past then they don’t even go any faster than I was, difference is I’m now behind them at a decent distance.

There are however some roadmen that do it deliberately to intimidate.. almost exclusively middle aged blokes. I had it on the way to and back from work yesterday. Both massive pickup trucks with lots of plastic bits, lights, chrome, private reg, words like “barbarian” or “thunder” or some such in big letters on it.. you get the picture. This minority are just idiots and the further away from me they are the better.

The whole what car you drive aspect is definitely a thing. I used to get hustled all the time in my wife’s mini, much less in her 3 series that replaced it.

Having said that I think there is an inverse effect as well.. my current car is a Tesla M3P and it can be a bit of a dickhead magnet.. so even though it’s big/fast I do get some tailgating (again always blokes) trying to goad me into a race I think.

There's a deal of descriptions I don't understand in this thread. But,

I also got annoyed recently in a queue of stop start traffic when every time we halted the car behind went so close my rear parking sensors were activating.

Parking sensors only work with the car in reverse don't they? How does this happen?

There was some absolute helmet in a knackered 06 plate Transit Connect weaving in and out of traffic, tailgating and undertaking on the A40 round Gloucester this afternoon. The last thing he did before turning off was to drive right up the arse of an M5 in the left hand lane who was obeying the speed limit and sit there until veering across two busy lanes of traffic to turn right.

Both massive pickup trucks with lots of plastic bits, lights, chrome, private reg, words like “barbarian” or “thunder” or some such in big letters on it..

Anyone driving one of these trucks should have their licence revoked. Anyone with a BO55 reg should be banned from the roads for life.

I was taught to just pull over and let the "idiot" past, that way they're not your problem anymore. This is obviously easer on multi lane roads.

I've had an inkling for a while that some folk can't see s&&t! Especially worse in the winter when it's dark most the time and the weather conditions aren't the best.

Could account for lots of 'less than satisfactory' standards of driving that a lot of the above have witnessed.

I wish more cars were sold with an ethos of more relaxing, less stressful and more comfort. Instead of more sporty and better driving.

I've had my Citroen EC4 for about 2 months now and genuinely find myself feeling fresher and less stressed after commuting than my old Passat. The Passat was hardly a fast sporty car either.

People that pull over - do you think you are encouraging their asshole tailgating behaviour?

Surely if they see that method 'working' they're liable to repeat it?

People that pull over – do you think you are encouraging their asshole tailgating behaviour?

Surely if they see that method ‘working’ they’re liable to repeat it?

Have actually had a friend tell me the reason he tailgates is to let people know he wants to pass. I don't think the tone of my reply encouraged him to think more carefully about his choices though.

My dad was terrible for tailgating. He didn't do it to try and make the other people drive faster, he just didn't leave enough room. To make it worse, he use to complain if someone did it to him, but he couldn't see he was doing it himself. It was really scary being a passenger with him, I use to hate it. After been caught speeding and having to do a speed awareness course, it improved his driving massively and stopped his tailgating.

Not sure if any other van drivers find this, but i find when driving my van i get lots of car drivers that sit close behind and to the right, so they can see round the van. Often they will be sat right on the white line just to be able to see past the van. I don't seem to get this when driving a car. Even when they can't overtake, they still sit to the right. It's like they have to let me know they are behind.

There are some complete idiots on the road. Now I am glad that I don't drive half as much as I use to.

was taught to just pull over and let the “idiot” past,

I was taught not to worry about cars behind you - you can't do anything about them. If they are a pain, just dip the rear view mirror. And open up a bigger gap in front. I usually slow down gradually if I want to make a point. You can't overtake from a tailgating position unless you're in something silly fast from 30 like a Tesla anyway. A diesel pick up is not going to pass you from such a position!

After been caught speeding and having to do a speed awareness course, it improved his driving massively and stopped his tailgating.

Everyone should have to do a refresher driving course every 10 years at picture license renewal.

I also got annoyed recently in a queue of stop start traffic when every time we halted the car behind went so close my rear parking sensors were activating.

I would suggest getting those parking sensors checked. They should not be active unless in reverse. Otherwise they would be going off in all the time while queueing in traffic.

I think a lot of people don’t realise that they’re tailgating

Yeah, flip side to this is that there are people who think that the car behind with a 3 second gap between them is tailgating, i've had it a few times, usually older drivers who just want way too much space and go defensive to get it.

Reading this thread does show up some of the issues we do have on the roads, yes you have idiots who want to overtake, but again, the flip side is those who try to antagonise them with brake testing, slowing down, lane blocking, etc, all that does is make an angry driver even angrier and potentially do daft stuff, seen it a few times over the years, it never ends well.

Sometimes i watch the stuff on youtube on this channel https://www.youtube.com/c/UKDashCameras, it really shows both sides of the argument!

p.s, i'm an average driver, so not slating either side, i've done my share of bad driving and i do learn from it, never tailgated though as i can't see the benefit in losing your view and situational awareness on the road, plus it does scare me being too close to the car in front in case they brake suddenly.

R.E. The parking sensors.

Both of our cars do this when in neutral and engine running. Just one long beep. I assume it is so you know if someone small walks behind your car when you are manoeuvring or just about to put it in gear and reverse - where at short range there would be little reaction time.

Totally agree! I use to drive a Fiat 500 and was tailgated much more than while driving my Berlingo. The Fiat was faster to 60 too.

Sadly I think this is because of the number of SUVs about nowadays. They can see directly over a small car and so don't really even consider you to be there. Happens way more in my mx-5 than my partner's jazz with blacked out windows.

"R.E. The parking sensors.

Both of our cars do this when in neutral and engine running. Just one long beep. I assume it is so you know if someone small walks behind your car when you are manoeuvring or just about to put it in gear and reverse – where at short range there would be little reaction time."

In the days before these sorts of sensors were so common, Mrs Spekkie and I had an old friend who's grandchild crawled behind the their car as they were reversing out of their daughters driveway after lunch one Sunday. The child was killed and the family devastated. I'm sure everyone involved could have been paying more attention to what was going on, but sadly these things do sometimes happen. A sensor may well have saved a life.

Dry day 50 and above, windshield washers. Works everytime and avoids any potential brake check escalation.
Residential areas, reduce speed to "edumecate them"

Happens way more in my mx-5 than my partner’s jazz with blacked out windows.

Tailgating happens massively.more in the supermini we have than the landy.

But the real impatience starts if we dare take out the camper. Folk will literally go head on with other cars to get past it.

I drive at the speed limit. If someone tailgates me, I'll get out the way as soon as is safe.

I spend some time traveling between notts and Edinburgh. There is always at least one person who on this journey, who will tail gate me, zoooooom past and then sit behind the next car Infront, zooom past them and so on. The thing is you can see them doing this for 10 min in places. It looks a very stressful way to drive.

It doesn't really matter what I do or how fast I am going. Someone always wants to go faster..

Some family live in London. The rules there seem very different there.