Poll - How do you handle tailgaters?

[catloverin_ks]

TAILGATERS! They suck.........
Normally if I am alone(no kids) I will slam on brakes enough to make the other person WAKE up, or possibly make them mad,lol. But then when kids are with me, I just slow way down~which usually makes them angry too.....hehe....

 

[catkiki]

Originally Posted by fatkitties

As a trucker's wife, I have to comment here. Now I know that some truckers are just big jerks, but most of them really aren't. Any time you are driving around a big truck, please just keep the "rule of thumb" in mind, that if you can't see the driver's face in his side view mirror, he probably cannot see you and has no idea you are there. I sat in the driver's seat of my hubby's truck once and I was amazed at how little you can see behind you up there. NEVER ride alongside a truck if you can help it, mostly because you'll be in big trouble if a tire blows. I'm very careful of how I drive around big trucks. I don't stop alongside them, and I keep at least one car length (in city traffic) between me and the rear of the truck, regardless of if I'm behind him or in another lane. I try at all costs to avoid passing on the right (there's little to no visiblity on the right), and when I do pass, I get it overwith as quickly as I can.
I'm not trying to jump on you, just taking the opportunity to educate those who may not know (and most people have never been in a big truck and have no idea what the view is like from up there) to make the streets and highways a little safer for everyone. I know that some truckers are jerks just like anyone else, but most of them are professionals just trying to do thier jobs and feed thier families.

Amber

The one that cut me off DID see me. It was night and he could see my headlights. I don't pass on the right if I can help it. I saw a sign on a truck once that said "passing side" with an arrow pointed left and "suicide" with one pointing right. I know most truckers are ok but the few that aren't give truckers a bad name. Where I live, we get the really bad pea soup fog Nov - Jan. Touley fog it is called. I get off work at 9pm and when driving home, I always get behind a truck. Their lights cut through anything.

 

[fatkitties]

yeah like I said, some of them are just big jerks. Luckily the ones that are big jerks usually find another line of work. I can about guarantee that if another trucker saw him do that, he got reamed on the CB for it. The good ones hate it when the bad ones make everyone look bad.

The sign on the back is dead on. Passing on the right is begging to be killed. So is going up on the right of a truck that's making a right turn. Lots of people see them start to go left and think they have the wrong turn signal on, but really they have to swing to the left to have enough room to get the trailer around the turn without hitting anything. Then some moron runs up on thier right to try to get around the corner and gets run over, and the driver never knew he was there. I rode from Ft Wayne, Indiana to Ft. Lauderdale, FL and back with hubby, and the cars scared the living daylights out of me. I could never drive a truck. I spent most of our trip hiding in the bunk! LOL! I'm surprised there aren't more accidents between cars and big trucks then there actually are (and the cars really are at fault most of the time) and I don't know how many near-misses we had, people passing on the right, cutting back in very closely even though we're on a 4 or 6 lane highway,following too closely, not signalling lane chagnes. Lots of people almost die every day on the road and don't even know it. Which has really opened my eyes and made me so super careful around trucks. Probably more cautious than necessary, but better to get there a few minutes later than not at all.

Amber

 

[sar]

Grrrr I hate tailgaters!!

We get them a lot round here, as we're in City Centre!

I usually just slow down so that they can pass me within the speed limit - but more often than not, they stay behind me and get angry!! Even if the other side of the road is free!!

So I will drive slower and slower and drive like a learner! (hands in the propper places etc!)

My thought is that if they want to make themselves ill driving with so much stress, then let them! I'm only too happy to help!

 

[vampirecat]

I like to think that i am a pretty laid back driver. After all non of us are perfect, everyone makes mistakes.

But tailgaters

. It is a dangerous and irresponsible habit/behaviour. I must confess that i do on occasion flash my tail lights at them, but more usually just slow down, and wave at them as they (eventually) go past

 

[fatkitties]

I drive through a busy downtown area a lot (4 lanes of one-way traffic) and what annoys me is when people pass me and end up slowing me down! The speed limit through that part of town is 35 miles per hour. BUT the stop lights are set at about 30 mph. If you go 35, you're going to get caught at probably 2 or 3 stoplights (not accounting for traffic). If you go 30, you can go clear through town and not have to stop once. So going 30mph gets you there faster than 35mph. But there's always a couple people who don't know this, get in a hurry and pass you, and then they haven't started moving as you get to the light, and you have to stop or slow way down while they get moving again. If they'd just stayed where they were, we could have all gotten through town without a problem. Usually takes them at least halfway through before they realize that if they slow down, they'll get to the light when it's green!

Amber