Safe Speed Forums

I am sure that this subject has been done to death in the months previous to this and if it has not, it should have been....

TAILGAITING

Sometimes it seems to me that the vehicle that does it is being driven by someone that is hypnotised by the rear-end of the vehicle in front.

I see all types of vehicles do this with the white-van-man being the worst offender followed closely behind by the boy-racer that has far too much power at his foot for the immature greymatter in his head.

It seems strange when I talk about this in open conversation where all - to a man or woman - will deplore such behaviour until they get behind a wheel at which point the mesmerism kicks in and the magnetic-attraction of the rear number plate cannot be resisted.

I wonder if any of you see this scenario in your own life on the road ?

I also wonder if you are the type to be fizzing when a nutcase has caught his braces or her bra-strap on your rear bumper and after you have escaped suddenly you become this nutcase when the punter in front is just not going fast enough for you ?

I always examine my driving to see if I am doing anything wrong but the "perfect" driver only blames everybody-else for what goes wrong on the road.

Which type are you I wonder ?

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Regards

Papaumau

http://www.rip-off.co.uk/index1.htm
http://www.network54.com/hide/forum/100558

You really don't have the first clue about this stuff do you?

I believe you are here to provoke argument and to waste our time.

I have altered your user status to "Troll Alert!" because time is valuable.

Being on Troll Alert status does not restrict your access or posting rights, but will hopefully serve as a warning to those considering a reply.

Feel free to prove me wrong by participating in reasoned debate and I'll take you off "Troll Alert!" status pronto. I don't hold out much hope.

In the meantime: PLEASE DON'T FEED THE TROLLS!

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Paul Smith
Our scrap speed cameras petition got over 28,000 sigs
The Safe Speed campaign demands a return to intelligent road safety

Actually, I agree. Tailgating is a very relative term, and what distance constitutes tailgating various from person to person. I've been a passenger in cars where the driver has complained about someone tailgating them, whilst themselves only driving 0.5 secs from the car in front.

I guess what distance you can get away with depends on your car, too. My car is quite aged and the brakes aren't much cop, so I always leave at least 2-3 seconds gap, but with a modern car it has a much shorter stopping distance so you can probably get away with being closer.

White Vans - usually talivan twits


Way I get rid of persistent tailgater? Keep them with me until I get to my favourite speed cam - and if I can I pull in safely and let him accelerate and get pinged! One way of making PC Gatso earn his crust!

But find I do not get tailgated that much anyway as I drive according to road conditions and speed dictated by lollipops. Usually increase space and alter position so that impatient little oik can pass me if he wants to! And if I reach a n increased limit change - find he is not as good as I am at acceleration and overtakes! You must be doing something wrong in you driving after all - you complacent little Maorimensch you!


WildCat (still posing as Mad husband who is still at 19th hole! (and who will probably get into trouble for hacking into his computer! )

Only a fool breaks the two second rule! (Or someone who's about to overtake.)

I try to always be conscious of the gap between myself and the car in front, and have yet to find myself 'mesmerised' by them. I'll often check that I'm leaving a two second gap (see if you can say 'only a fool breaks the two second rule' before passing a point that the car in front passed), and if I'm not then I'll make a conscious effort to drop back.

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-mike[F]
Caught in the rush of the crowd, lost in a wall of sound..

To an extent I find myself agreeing with Papaumau (see, Papaumau, it can happen). I've been a passenger with someone who hates tailgaters but often drives too close. I've given the lecture to little effect, so I try to avoid being a passenger with that person. I'm just a little bit more comfortable that way. Is he a hypocrite who claims he hates people just like him, or is he just someone who doesn't like aggressive drivers but is not as concientious as he should be about the 2 second rule?
It all depends a bit on your definition of tailgater. Obviously tailgating invloves driving to close to the vehicle ahead, but to me tailgating suggests something more aggressive - driving very close with the intention of intimidating the other driver into moving over or increasing speed themselves. In other words, if driving too close through simple failure to maintain a 2 second gap is negligence, tailgating is perhaps reckless endangerment. Possibly in the event of an accident it would be the difference between driving without due care & attention, and dangerous driving. Of course, that involves proving intent which is always going to be harder in court, so I can imagine that the due care charge probably gets more use.
Wild Cat, Psycho Puss or whoever's at Mad Moggie's PC at the moment - probably a very satisfying way of dealing with tailgaters that. In all honesty though I think I'll stick to going round roundabouts one extra time and stuff like that. Did have one time though when some berk in one of those not-quite-WRC Scoobies got frustrated with me sticking to the limit and decided to show me how fast he could go. I'd been behaving myself because I'd spotted a marked car behind Scoobie, and Scoobie clearly hadn't noticed him. Once Scoobie was past blues and twos came on behind me, so being the helpful fella I am I moved over and let him past. Caught up with plod having a chat with Scoobie half a mile later and laughed all the way home.

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Make everything as simple as possible, but not simpler - Einstein

So satisfying when that happens, Liebchen!

Psycho Puss? (The nerd has used that one in the past - our road safety nerd by the way lives in Germany and we keep calling him lots of rude names - because he plays for the other team! )

Have always driven with the "only fool breaks two-second rule" - hammered into me when learning how to drive in Germany ) Always leave enough space to see tyres and tarmac when I stop too! (But on that 'orrid occasion - got shunted forwards despite handbrake and neutral - but had I been closer at time of impact - would not be here now - hacking into my husband's PC whilst he is out )
He will go spare when he finds out what I have been up to this afternoon! We did agree not to intrude upon each other!

Papamau - if you read this site Liebchen - you find that our esteemed host has covered dealing with tailgater from hell quite extensively. There is some good advice there if you care to read it!

Cannot make up my mind about you! Nor can the Mad Doc! You use provocative language at times - you may not see it that way - but we fastened on one clause in particular yesterday and it was just unfortunate that the youngest heard us talking and made that comment (one that my hubby has used when talking about his work! ) - and our eyes just met and he typed it! Sorry if this did offend

Incidentally not one of the Wild and Wacky Pussycats have ever tailgated in their lives. You never know if person from will react to hazard and emergency brake. You keep good position so that you can see the road ahead and the developing hazard potential. If you are too close - you do not see the hazard. To us - it is that simple!

In all honesty - do not get tailgated that often - possibly because I observe the road conditions and if someone is getting too close I have done something about it before they become the nuisance. This is pull over, make space for them to pass if possible - and then if the person is just the oik from hell - drive to nearest Gatso, pull over if safe, and as he was too close - he fails to observe the Gatso and PING! It is SO satisfying when I see the flashy flashy!

WildCat (posing as Mad Husband who ist still on golf course and who will get into bother when he gets back!)

To Gatsobait.....

You have raised a very important point there when you define tailgaiters into two types.

I wholeheartedly agree with you there !

The aggressive type is the type that get's pulled out of his window in a road-rage event when the usually mild-mannered advanced-driver in front loses the rag by this type of attack. I also agree that these types of tailgaiter deserve everything that they get as far as the law is concerned.

The other type of tailgaiter is the "mesmerised" one who seems to be unable to extract him or herself from the rear-end of the vehicle in front. As has been said, if you pull this type when you are sitting beside them as a passenger, ( the driver's nightmare....being a passenger in the front ), you will get the answer that they cannnot see anything wrong with what they are doing. If you point out the two second rule they just go "DOhghhhhh". While this type is not a deliberate tailgaiter they are just as frustrating to get stuck in front of and they too contribute to the stress of driving today.

_________________
Regards

Papaumau

http://www.rip-off.co.uk/index1.htm
http://www.network54.com/hide/forum/100558

A lucky guess. With a Mad Moggie and a Wild Cat about, there just had to be a Psycho Puss or a Frenzied Feline around somewhere too.
A doctor on a golf course. Whoda thought it?

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Make everything as simple as possible, but not simpler - Einstein

Absolutely not. The 2 second gap does not have much to do with stopping distance - it has everything to do with time to react. I see it primarily as 1 second for unavoidable inattention (mirror, speedo etc) and one second for reaction.

Braking performance is pretty self similar across a very wide range of vehicles both old and new. While it might be true that a brand new sports car with sticky tyres might be able to stop in 2/3rd the distance of a 1965 Ford Anglia, most vehicles are much closer than you might think.

Since braking performance is similar, the vehicle in front will not be able to slow down much more quickly than you can.

You can still select a safe speed that allows you to stop within the distance that you know to be clear even when there is a vehicle in that space - so long as you can see and plan past the vehicle. This is especially important when preparing to overtake when a transient close(r) following position is required.

As far as tailgating is concerned there are plenty of techniques that drivers can and should use to protect their own rear. See this page:

http://www.safespeed.org.uk/tailgate.html

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Paul Smith
Our scrap speed cameras petition got over 28,000 sigs
The Safe Speed campaign demands a return to intelligent road safety

I'm with Paul Smith on this one, Papaumau. He comes across as a reasonable host and you come across as a person who uses terms that you do not fully understand. For example, the term 'debate'. This usually involves refuting your opponent's views with something that is not merely opinion, or as you like to put it 'common sense'. A reasonable man would expect a little bit more in the way of 'evidence'.

Now, on topic. Surely there is tailgating and there's tailgating. Driving too close to the car in front in a fully saturated fast lane of the motorway is most likely to have dire consequences, while on a slower road when there is no protracted que it may be less likely to result in injury. Whatever the circumstances it is still wrong and must be discouraged but IMO it would be very hard to achieve good results with enforcement alone. Education must be the key. Incidentally, this point is already very well made on Safespeed website proper.

regards,
arthurdent

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DO NOT PANIC

There is a Stray Cat straying somewhere and a Frenzied Feline as well as an Alley Cat and a Top Cat!

We have a Biting Point (dentist as day job! ) a Blown Gasket lurking on PH but not seen him yet! as well as one who is Sick of the Scam Farce, another who is Scamera Shy and one who professes to be a Speeder? If Only!!! he could! The silks stick mainly to Pepipoo where they are more useful! And have no idea what nick they use! Those are the ones I actually know about - there are others - and we keep changing the nerd's name to suit how we feel about him at the time


Tailgating Papamau - if my guys see it - they pull! If you live in area where you suffer from this type of driver - have word with your local cop shop and see if they can manage to get at least prezel in Panda out on road to observe! Or at least read the relevant page on this site - where I agree with the advice given! Then urge the driver you have had misfortune to travel with to read this site - and for his next Xmas present - copy of "Roadcraft?" Or at least pint out of Paul's page on subject - and have courtesy to inform him so that he can charge copyright! He needs the donation so that he can wind up Brunny a bit more!

What WOULD we do without emoticons ?

Sorry...I digress....

While I think that it is a really nice idea to imagine a traffic car pulling a tailgaiter I have to admit that I have NEVER actually seen this phenomenon.

The only time I see a traffic cop is when they are organising a roadshunt somewhere or chasing joyriding perps for fun.

I have also seen them booking speeders....QUITE RIGHTLY !

Having said this I think that intervening in a tailgaiting incident is probably about the last thing a busy traffic cop might feel the need to get involved with. ( A bit like the ordinary plod who hates going to family squabbles ).

I would like to suggest that if you were to look back through the copshop statistics that you would not find many taigaiting incidents recorded...I might be wrong though.....ME...WRONG ?.....NEVER !

_________________
Regards

Papaumau

http://www.rip-off.co.uk/index1.htm
http://www.network54.com/hide/forum/100558