Bloke I know has just admitted to me that he ‘brake checked’ a driver that was tailgating him, to the degree that he was driven into by said tailgater. This sorry event it seems was the culmination of a rod rage type incident. Bloke is a bit of a pillock for sure, and I have no particular loyalty to him. Just curious as to where the technical blame would lie for this? I’m in two minds as the ‘brake checking’ action was deliberate and premeditated, but the tailgater should be able to stop in this situation; it proves that he/she was too close and driving irresponsibly.

Police were called by both parties, weren’t interested in taking action against either party.

Thoughts?

If you run into the back of someone, it’s your fault.

It’s a bit naughty but tailgating, especially at speed is naughtier.

I’ve done it 🙂 – not proud but if I’m overtaking and at the speed limit, the car storming up to have a very close look at the back of my van can bloody wait till I pull back in.

I think the danger of brake checking is that if you keep doing it to a tailgater, they’ll assume you’re just doing it to piss them off (which you kind of are really) and after a few times they’ll just not brake when you do the little press to switch the lights on but not slow your vehicle down. And one time when they decide not to brake might be the time when you really have.

Tailgating is just the driving equivalent of someone walking through a crowd saying “get out of my way. GET OUT OF MY WAY!” They can **** off.

I’d argue that cougar.

I was brake checked immediately after an over take where he almost got my bumper.

As sion as he cut in i was slowing but there was zero time to make a gap for me to all the brakes on.

Sometimes its nit your fault to be the victim.

And its also dangerous driving to deliberately cause an accident usit not?

Happens too often now, try driving at or near the speed limit and see how long it is before being tailgated. It doesn’t usually take long.

I like to chill out and tend to drive on cruise control, if someone is tailgating I start knocking off speed (not braking). Some get the hint and either overtake or back off others are just too impatient and continue with their aggressive behaviour.

https://www.rac.co.uk/drive/advice/driving-advice/tailgating-whos-in-the-right/

I am too old to care now, if someone is in a hurry let them go, rather someone travelling/wanting to travel faster than me be in front than behind

I wash my windscreen for a very long time. Some get the hint and back off.

I prefer to drop a gear and floor it whilst putting my fog lights on to get rid of a tailgater and make a point.

Cougar, that’s the general presumption but it is rebuttable – I had someone deliberately try to cause me to smash into the back of them in a presumed ‘cash for crash’ attempt – no working brake lights, swerved in front of me on the Brum ring road and hauled anchors on.

Thankfully I noticed and was able to stop, simply kissing their rear bumper with the front of my car. I notified my insurers and they sent an investigator out to check the condition of my car  the same day as they suspected a potential scam and wanted to gather evidence, so they were prepared to fight any claim.

Tintim +1

i used to have a chip and gps from work in the car so cruise control at the speed limit was the norm.

if someone tailgates I slow to increase the distance to the car in front for more stopping room. If it is night and they put the lights on full I cancel the cruise and slow right down until they overtake or back off.

when I get tailgated (which is constantly due to me sticking to speed limits) I slow down to increase distance between me and the car infront like it says to do in the highway code.

Fair enough.  I guess if someone cuts in front of you and then drops anchor there’s not a lot you can do.

I guess if someone cuts in front of you and then drops anchor there’s not a lot you can do.

Emergency bombers/shoes?

when I get tailgated (which is constantly due to me sticking to speed limits) I slow down to increase distance between me and the car infront like it says to do in the highway code.

This is me, I was coming back from seeing my dad near the end in hospital last summer, and had some twunt right up my back side because I was doing 31 in a 30 zone past a park where there is quite often a speed camera van. I just kept slowing down until they got the message, quite prepared to royally kick off if it came to it.

I got down to about 15 mph before they got the message.

Think I’ve mentioned it on here before but I seen a fantastic instance of a tailgater getting both barrels off the car in front.. little white van pushing a rangey sport along the road. Both get to a roundabout in the other lane to me and hit traffic, cue an absolute monster of a man extricate himself from the range rover as if it was a reliant robin walk up to the drivers window and scream “stay the **** AWAY from the back of my car!!!”. The bloke in the van just cowered down in his seat before proceeding with a safe stopping distance of about 1/4 mile. Brilliant

If you run into the back of someone, it’s your fault.

Generally yes, especially when it comes to Insurance matters.

The Police / High Code and whoever else who cares will tell you that you should leave enough room between you and the vehicle in front to allow for reaction times and also have enough common sense to make some allowance for your vehicle, so if you’re driving a Morris Minor with all round drums brakes on crossply tyres, don’t sit on the arse of a McLaren P1 and cry when it stops in front of you.

In reality the Police will take a very, very dim view of ‘brake testing’ yeah tailgating is dangerous and annoying, but they’ll consider brake testing a far worse offence, you’re basically trying to cause an accident, but at the same time hoping you won’t – it’s incredibly stupid and one of those things you’d never, ever, consider doing to another human being if you weren’t in your metal and plastic bubble with it’s dehumanising forcefield. It’s incredibly hard to prove though, brake tester only has to say “I saw a cat run out” or whatever and unless there’s CCTV evidence showing the driver looking in his mirror and acting the prick, they’ll get away with it.

I guess if someone cuts in front of you and then drops anchor there’s not a lot you can do.

You can prevent this from happening by leaving less than a car length gap between you and the car in front.

rod rage type incident.

Like that time he caught Jane in bed with Freddy?

You can prevent this from happening by leaving less than a car length gap between you and the car in front.

Not particularly easy when the safe stopping distance is more than that.

As above WRT tailgaters, I just ease off and increase the distance between me and the car in front since I’m going to have to do the thinking and braking for both of us.

Don’t brake check that’s silly but I will slow down and exaggerate manuvering.

Not sure if they expect your goinnto get out their way or what . That’s the last thing I’m going to do if you start tailgating me –by tailgate I mean you diasapeared from my.side mirrors and are only visible in my rear view camera which only shows 3ft directly down behind the van.

You can prevent this from happening by leaving less than a car length gap between you and the car in front.

Dammit, 54mins too slow. 😆

Only course of action with someone travelling too close is to slow down to increase the braking distance that you will both need.

Doing slightly above the limit on a motorway, keeping a safe distance from a car in front (going same speed), car comes up behind, right on my rear. Not as though I could go anywhere, so I gave him a free window wash or three !

Isn’t running into the back of someone a case of “assumed liability”? i.e. It’s assumed to be your fault unless you can prove otherwise.

Dashcam’s are useful for this…

“Police believe this to be a ‘decoy rear end shunt’ with two cars involved. Watch the video carefully. When the lorry driver pulls in to the left hand lane the Mercedes closes the gap between itself and the car in front. The VW Golf makes a sudden turn causing the Merc to brake hard. The Golf is used as a decoy to give the Merc the excuse of having to stop quickly.”

I just slow down.  Brake checking could cause an accident where my car is also damaged, needs to be off the road , repaired, time wasted with insurance companies etc,. etc,

Tailgaters, just leave plenty of stopping distance to the person in front and if it’s a multi lane road move over left and let them through. Let them road rage and crash with someone else.

What is weird is the difference in tailgating I get when driving our different cars. Much more tailgating with our old Honda – shows how much other drivers look at your car and precieve what sort of driver you are.

Slowed down to 30 as the limit dropped from 40 a few years ago. Guy in white van right up my rear bumper shouting and swearing at me. I passed the cars on the inside at about 1mph more than them. Once passed them I pulled into the inner lane, he proceeded to pull along side me shouting and screaming and then sped off at about 50/60 in cloud of black smoke still remonstrating (could see him gesticulating). Shame he was doing so in the rear view mirror and didn’t look forwards,

Oh hello Mr Camera Van.

Gotcha!

I second the just slow down and / or let them overtake approach. Unless I’m in a really shitty mood and then I’ll slow right down and give them the intermittent 10 yard stare in the rearview mirror.

I had a funny one a few years ago. In a really foul mood on my way to work and had a guy tailgating me all the way down the Silk Road in Macclesfield. Came to the lights by Bonis Hall Lane in a long traffic queue. I got out of my car, walked around to the boot, opened it and yelled “Do you want to **** get in” to the tailgating buffoon. I heard his doors lock as he shook his head and looked worried.

Put me in a better mood and I had a pleasant drive with the car behind me at a sensible distance. Along with s driver who was trying his best to avoid any eye contact with the angry man in the Zafira 😀

I seem to recall that someone who brake checked was found liable for the collision, or at least partially at fault. Not worked in claims for a long time, so case law may have moved on

3 second rule for leaving space inbetween car in front

Never saw the point of brake checking, I just lift off the accelerator for as long as necessary…which (very rarely) has resulted in a slow crawl before a safe gap is achieved.

Two second rule, you mean.

Had a guy tailgating me last night on the M8, it wasn’t like I was dawdling but I couldn’t even see his lights, he was so close. I chipped it down on the cruise to 65 then when was past the traffic pulled in and sped back up where I was before. He went past me at about 110. I’m sure the patrol care that chased him could say more accurately. Tosser.

If you run into the back of someone, it’s your fault.

Not at all according to our incident and insurers  last year. Get your camera evidence out or expect to go 50/50.

Someone I used to work with got a ban for brake checking – he did a dodgy overtake, car behind flashed him, so he brake checked them and caused an collision between the two cars behind, witnessed and tracked down = a ban in those circumstances.

Had a guy tailgating me last night on the M8, it wasn’t like I was dawdling but I couldn’t even see his lights, he was so close. I chipped it down on the cruise to 65 then when was past the traffic pulled in and sped back up where I was before. He went past me at about 110.

Wasn’t this guy was it ?

Just because someone is close behind you doesn’t mean you should get away with being the primary cause for the accident.  Braking for no reason than to try and catch out a poor driver behind you is not really the safest driving you could do.

In my younger, stupider days I’ve brake checked tail gaters but these days I just slow down till they get the message or overtake.

On the motorway in the “fast” lane overtaking if I’m in the works van and get tail gated I’ll drift over the rumble strip and start flicking the detritus at the new Audi/bmw/rep mobile till they back off.

So maybe age hasn’t made me any wiser…….

if someone is tailgating I start knocking off speed (not braking)

This. Down to walking pace if necessary.

I got stuck for an hour because of that moron in the smashed blue car. I hope he is sore this morning!

A long time ago (when I was young and naive!) I was being tailgated on a 2 lane stretch of the A1 in Northumberland. I was overtaking vehicles at a decent speed but a prick in a cavalier or vectra sat about 3 feet off my bumper. I gradually eased off the speed until he got the message. He didn’t get the message and, egged on by my mate in the car, I matched speed with the wagon in the inside lane. There was nothing else behind us and I think we did about 10 miles at the same speed as the wagon, the driver of which was giving us the thumbs up and laughing away the whole time.

In hindsight it was stupid to provoke the tailgater bloke as when we did eventually pull in he had a head like a beetroot and probably went on to drive like a total dick until he calmed down 🙁