Poll - How do you handle tailgaters?

Today I had a maniac tailgater behind me and that is one of my biggest pet peeves. Just wondering how you all handle it.

I personally just take my foot off of the gas and gradually slow down.

If I'm going above the speed limit and someone decides to tailgate I slow down, waayy down. There's no way I'm going to move out of the carpool lane during rush hour.

Depends on if my daughter is in the car or not. If it's just me, i will SLAM on my breaks and pray for a new car. If my daughter is in the car, i just slow down to the point where it makes them mad, and they go around me.

-Jade

I just keep going and yell at them in my car. I HATE tailgaters, especially when you're in traffic. Yeah, like riding on my rear end is going to make the guy 6 cars ahead of me go any faster. Jerks. But any more I read to darn many stories of road rage where these arses are shooting at people who make them angry, so I now refrain from doing the brake thing. OK, usually I do...but sometimes I will brake a little early for my turn...

I especially love pizza deliverers on rural roads...
I once had one tailgate me going 45 in a 25. And that wasn't fast enough?!? I don't think the tip changes all that much, man.

Originally Posted by valanhb

like riding on my rear end is going to make the guy 6 cars ahead of me go any faster.

Jerks.

Click to expand...

I know! Isn't that the truth.

Today, I was actually doing this person a favor. I was going through a small town where the local police LOVE to give tickets. I used to live there, so I know the drill.... don't go 1 mile over the limit. Well, she should thank me for her not getting a ticket. I was keeping her at the speed limit as well.

If I have a tailgater or a ticked off driver behind me (you know, the kind that honks their horn if you come to a complete stop at a stop sign), I deal with them by driving the exact speed limit and coming to a full stop for 2 seconds at each stop sign. It makes them nuts and they usually either pass me or turn off onto another street to get away from me.

No way would I ever slam on my brakes if I were being tailgated. Tailgating is aggressive and the last thing I'd want to do is give a tailgater such an opportunity to actually hurt me or damage my car. Besides, slamming on brakes can cause accidents even without a tailgater and accidents are definitely not a good thing!

I set my cruise control and just keep on going like they aren't there. Then when they pass me I say "It's your ticket, go get it!" and hope like heck I get to see them get pulled over. I never do, though :-(
I usually talk to the other drivers around me, LOL! When someone's tailgating I'll tell them "If you hit my car, my insurance company is going to make you soooorrrrrrryyyyy!"
I am beginning to hate driving with a passion. A few weeks ago I was on my way to work. I was not quite a half mile out of a town, and a minivan decided that they just positively could not be behind the semi (who was probably going to turn off on the truck route in town) another second. So she passed him, and came within a few feet of hitting me head on! I slammed on the brakes and came to almost a complete stop to avoid the accident. If I hadn't, I might not be here to talk about it. Everyone is in such a freaking hurry. The funny thing is that frequently, someone passes me, and then I catch up to them at the stop light. Yup, passing and wasting all that gas got them SO far ahead of me!

Amber

I take my foot off the accelerator and slow down.

If I can I move over to the right lane and let them go by. It isn't worth my life to get into a traffic collision.

Most of the time I ignore them, since it normally happens when I'm on a 3 lane highway and I'm passing in the passing lane and they want to pass faster than me. Which I understand because I hate people in the passing land going slower than me, .

However, if they pretty much have no reason, I pump my brakes and scare them. I'll then weave in and out of traffic to lose them (even in bad traffic I can weave). I've learned from serveral bad drivers how to drive. I live in the centre of the city (major, backed up highway intersections galore) and so the only way to deal with city drivers is to become one.

If it's on the freeway, I take my foot on the gas pedal and then let myself slow so I'm next to another car and take the same speed as the other car so the tailgater can't pass either of us... If it's normal street I take my foot off the gas pedal.

Ooo...I'm evil to them. Actually if I'm in the mood...since its a common thing where I live (I swear, I don't think some people would KNOW what to do if there wasn't another person on the road).

This is what I do:
1) Lightly tap the brakes. Somedays I slam the brakes and then take off right as their slamming theirs.

2) I slow down and wait until they try to pass me. Then I speed up. Somedays I only do this twice to them, other days I will keep it up until we hit traffic.

I tap on the brakes. Sometimes people (for some reason, especially guys in pickup trucks—don't ask me why) do it on purpose, but I think sometimes people just aren't paying attention and don't realize how close they are. A little tap on the brakes lets them know to back off.

I am a tailgater .. it's one of my only vices. I'm really quiet and docile in person and never really let any frustration out, but on the road I can be quite aggressive and I'm so sorry. I don't consider myself unsafe (i don't go overboard like some), it's just a natural tendency toward being a jerk

Tailgating makes me NUTS!!!! If someone is tailgating me, I'll become an INSTANT old person driver, driving 10 miles UNDER the speed limit, if not more just to get them off my a**. Works everytime. That and the loud thumping music are my two personal road rages, they will make me crazy!!!!!!

They drive me nuts too! When someone tailgates DH he likes to tap on the brake. Sometimes, if conditions are right, and I'm in the passenger seat I will blatently stare at them as they pass. I mean stare them down! I've seen a few people get a little nervous when I do that!

The thing that stinks about tapping the breaks, nowadays you do something like that and you get SHOT! Even that urban legend where someone coming toward you with their lights off, you DON'T flash yours, just let them pass. It's not really an urban legend anyway, I've heard of it happening with gangs and stuff. I NEVER do that! Of course, I'm being a hypocrite cuz I do slow down in front of tailgaters, but I can't be good all the time...

I take my foot of the gas pedal too..

One of my pet peeves is 18 wheeler trucks. Just as I am passing the truck on the left, they change lanes right in front of me. When I am merging, they either speed up or slow down to where I almost have to stop to merge in.