Crosswords4 mins ago
Cars too close
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For more on marking an answer as the "Best Answer", please visit our FAQ.I usually just tap the brakes so the lights come on. They usually get the message and back off.
I think if you're being tailgated, you're told to slow down anyway to leave room between yourself and the car in front so if you have to brake hard, there's more room to stop - and hence the idiot behind doesn't ram into you.
sammd, are you sitting in the middle or outside lane when left hand lanes are clear ? This could annoy some motorists enough to tailgate you. Wrong, I know because two wrongs don't make, etc etc.
Can't imagine anyone tailgating you when you are on the inside lane doing the legal limit - except certain HGV drivers who shall remain nameless ! Just a thought.
From reading your question it seems like you could be a middle or outside lane hogger as you are asking if the correct thing to do is move out of their way, the only thing you can do if you are doing 70mph is move to an inner lane and let them go!
If you slow down to annoy them you are then becoming a danger to all other cars behind you.
If you cannot move to the left lane then as sholay says ease off until you have doubled your safe distance to the vehicle in front of you.
Tapping the brake is dangerous and will not make any difference to the moron behind you.
Tailgating is a common problem on motorways and one which probably results in more accidents than almost anything else. Why people feel the need to do it I just do not know. It achieves nothing and is a recipe for disaster. There is no definitive answer, but in general you should try to drive in the inner most lane that you can (this is good discipline anyway) and also try to ensure that you do not tailgate the vehicle in front. This will reduce the risk of you having to brake fiercely with the result that the pillock behind collides with you. Of course this introduces the fresh problem that, in leaving a gap drivers moving in from the lane outside of yours will cut in and thus reduce the sensible gap that you have left.
There is no easy answer and I would certainly not advocate braking unnecessarily or slowing down to an unacceptable speed. You just have to accept that there are many, many people who, for reasons best known to themselves, drive as if there is nobody else around. For sensible people to react by driving badly themselves simply increases the risk of a collision.
This website is worth a look.
To sit in the middle lane doing 70mph is sheer stupidity. It often makes it very difficult for someone to carry out a safe overtake, as it is generally recognised that to overtake safely, you need to increase your speed to about 15mph above the vehicle you are overtaking. If I am on the inside lane of a motorway doing 65 and someone is in the middle/outside lane doing bang on 70, it is a real nuisance. I use the M6 Monday to Friday for work and it is becoming a real nuisance. I do not advocate anyone tailgating, but I understand their frustration.
I regret to say madein 1978 that yours is the sort of response that causes accidents and a practice that would get you into serious trouble with the police.
Why not just pull over and let them pass?
To respond as you suggest is foolish. The type of morons who tailgate are likely to slam their brakes on when you react like this, causing a serious accident, probably invoving other vehicles.
I have witnessed first hand this sort of behaviour and it always makes me laugh when I see mature people go on about my road space and try to get their own back.