People who tailgate...

[Rageaholic]

when I am already going the speed limit (or going as fast as I can thanks to busy traffic). They act like they're going to rear end me if I don't go faster. And if I have to slow down for any reason, I risk being rear ended.

I get it, you're an impatient driver. So am I (I scream at traffic lights when they take too long), but at least I don't do anything dangerous or stupid.

[RecoveringKinkoid]

Gradually slow down until a rear impact won't do a whole lot of damage. If they don't adjust their distance for their speed, adjust their speed for their distance.

The onus is not on you to not get hit. It's on them to not hit you. People who tailgate are people who really don't understand how car insurance works. They really don't understand how physics work, either.

They cannot control your speed no matter what they do, short of literally physically PUSHING your car with theirs. So tailgating is pointless. If one is not driving the lead car, and not pushing it, and not sitting in the passenger seat with a sawed off shotgun, then one has absolutely no control of that car.

Don't cause an accident, of course, by slamming on brakes or anything foolish like that. You're trying to avoid being in a bad accident. If someone putting you at that kid of risk, remove as much risk from the equation as you can, i.e. force the guy to gradually slow down. One of two things will happen.

1. You will no longer be at risk from a high speed reckless driver, just a low speed one.

2. It makes it easier for the asshole to pass you. If he opts for that, let him.

Either outcome results in you not having to worry about someone rear ending you at a high rate of speed. I should mention they almost NEVER pass, evenb when they can...they mostly aren't trying to get anywhere. They're trying to be a bully and a douchebag to a total stranger. Passing is no fun. They'd really rather poke behind you and fume and beat on the dashboard. That's their choice. So be prepared for that.

[AdminAssistant]

Don't cause an accident, of course, by slamming on brakes or anything foolish like that. You're trying to avoid being in a bad accident. If someone putting you at that kid of risk, remove as much risk from the equation as you can, i.e. force the guy to gradually slow down. One of two things will happen.

1. You will no longer be at risk from a high speed reckless driver, just a low speed one.

2. It makes it easier for the asshole to pass you. If he opts for that, let him.

I'd like to emphasize these two things. There have been many times (freakin' Kansas) that I've been stuck behind a painfully slow driver, but I was not tailgating, just frustrated and looking for an opportunity to pass. But driver in front of me was either doing that slam-on-the-brakes bullshit or deliberately blocking me because they think that they should control and enforce the speed limit by forcing people to drive at their speed.

Also, there should be a very special level in Hell for assholes who drive slow in the fast lane.

[RecoveringKinkoid]

Yeah, I should probably point out that a lot of people who pass you in this situation will be frustrated that their infantile little bullying game is not playing out the way they'd hoped and may very well slam on brakes in front of you.

So the instant they are clear of your back bumper and it's safe to do so, dramatically slow down. The asshole will shoot around you faster than he intended, leaving a wide margin of safety between you and him. If he now slams on brakes, it won't effect you much, you now have plenty of room to react.

Do not return the favor, although it will be tempting. Your goal is not to be the bigger asshole, it's to not die in a fiery crash.

[Andara Bledin]

I figure that my job after getting such a douchenozzle off my tail is to watch and laugh in (well-deserved) smug superiority.

That, and try to remember their idiocy so that I can post it up for shared ridicule over on CS.

^-.-^

[DrFaroohk]

"I have a button underneath my dash that disengages my brake lights. Any time I see a Mercedes behind me I flip that switch and cash a check..."

Who said that!?

[LadyBarbossa]

This is doubly infuriating when they insist on doing this at night with their bright lights turned on.

[blas87]

My biggest peeve is when someone ahead of me is holding us up, and we can't pass or maybe I just don't feel safe doing it right now, because some fucking ASSHOLE is screaming up my bumper, trying to punish me for the fact that I can't move.

[mikoyan29]

I'm with Blas.

Pet Peeve #1: I'm behind a string of cars and suddenly Mr. IMportant screams up behind me and decides that he wants to hear what is on the radio so he gets close enough to hear it. I'm sorry Mr. Important but I have not figured out the way that matter can be in the same place.

Pet Peeve #2: There is finally a clearing where I can get over so Mr. Important can tailgate the car ahead of me. Mr. Important decides to take his sweet old time to pass.

Pet Peeve #3: There are me and a bunch of air particles on the road. Mr. Important has to roar up behind me and tailgate me for a minute or so before passing me. I think this one bugs me the most because there is absolutely no reason to tailgate since the lane to the left is clear and he can pass way before he even gets up to me.

Pet Peeve #4: Same at Pet Peeve #1 with the added pleasure of Mr. Important flashing his brights.....because you know, I want to slame into the cars to the right.

[LewisLegion]

I remember one buttmunch. Roars up behind me in a much smaller car (so he can't really see around me and isn't bothering to TRY) and does his 'OMG I'm an asshole drive FASTER' dance in his seat while tailgating me. He's doing all sorts of happy hand-gestures, you know the ones. The 'throw hands in the air' frustrated signal, the 'flapping your hands' MOVE signal and the all time, uh...number One

I completely ignore him, which is only making him madder. Now...keep in mind, we're on a two lane road...one lane east and one west, with a solid yellow between them for most of the way (it gets really curvy in spots, very few straight aways with visibility).

Finally we get a broken yellow line and he whips to my left and roars past in the opposing lane and....sees the six miles of traffic in front of me moving at exactly the same speed that I am. Starts his pissy dance again and crams his car into the space ahead of me and behind the car in front of me. I say 'crams' because he very nearly missed us both (there really wasn't room for him to do this safely.

So now he's directly in front of me, and I continue to follow safely and ignore him as he keeps flashing his tail lights and slamming on his brakes (apparently, in an effort to get me to rear-end him as punishment for not moving all the traffic and getting out of his way). He doesn't seem to understand the concept of a safe distance and can't seem to get it through his head that I'm maintaining one, so no matter how hard he hits his brakes or tries to cause an accident, I have enough reaction time to avoid it easily.

Finally we reach town and he turns on his signal to turn into a parking lot, and slows waaaay down to make the turn. I mean, slows down to the point that he STOPS, then creeps in inches until he's finally out of the lane, taking forty times longer than necessary. I am in no hurry, so I simply watch this in amusement. As soon as he's out of the lane, even more pissed that I'm not reacting in any way, he hits the gas and zips off, and I go on my merry.

You gotta wonder how miserable are people that they feel like they have to act like that?

[Rageaholic]

My biggest peeve is when someone ahead of me is holding us up, and we can't pass or maybe I just don't feel safe doing it right now, because some fucking ASSHOLE is screaming up my bumper, trying to punish me for the fact that I can't move.

Yeah that's what usually happens to me. Just yesterday, I was behind someone going 10 MPH under the limit and had some guy tailgating me, making it scary to make the right turn ahead. I was trying to keep my distance, but at this point, there wasn't much distance left!

Pet Peeve #2: There is finally a clearing where I can get over so Mr. Important can tailgate the car ahead of me. Mr. Important decides to take his sweet old time to pass.

I've had a variation of that happen yesterday. Only it wasn't Mr Important who was taking his sweet time to pass. It was the moron in the other lane. Wouldn't get out of my blind spot. I eventually just sped up and passed both assholes to change lanes (I needed to change anyway).

[bara]

I get tailgated EVERYTIME I go to a big city, I live in whats basically a speed bump compared to a city just an hour away. I get tailgated here as well, just seems way worse in a big city.
Had a guy lay on his horn because I had the audacity to not turn left in a 40 foot gap in a 35 zone, I never assume that people are doing the posted speed limit. This guy held his horn for about 4 seconds, at that point the left turn arrow lit up and I went. I KNEW the turn arrow was about to light up anyway.

So much rage over 4 entire seconds. And of course he was right on my bumper right up till we got on the free way and he passed me. Post limit was 65, id say he was doing 85 by the time he was out of LOS.