Cars too close

[sammd]

What do you do when someone sits right on your bumper on the motorway? (assuming you're going at the speed limit). Move out their way or slow down to annoy them?

[sholay]

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.

[derekpara]

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.

[Toureman]

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.

[markja]

try getting eye contact in the rear veiw mirror and then blowing them a kiss. works on girls and boys.but not a**eholes!

[sammd]

To clarify - i do not hog the outer lanes when the inside lane is clear. I'm talking about when there's people in the inside lane going slower than the speed limit, then i'm doing 70 mph in the outside lane (assume there's 2 lanes) then a car comes up behind me but i can't move over coz the inside lane isn't clear. If you continue at 70 mph until it is clear they just sit on your behind but you shouldn't be forced to speed up to get out their way right?

[JudgeJ]

A few years ago a motorist was prosecuted for refusing to move from the outside lane of a three lane motorway to allow traffic to pass. His argument was that, as he was travelling at 70mph, nobody had any right to pass him and so he was entitled to stay where he was! The magistrates thought otherwise and he was fined and had penalty points added for careless driving.

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.

[tom hopkins]

as judgej says is correct. i sometimes flash my hazard lights to indicate to the idiot behind that they are to close(unless they are completely thick it usualy works)

[sammd]

Thanks all. I shall continue at 70mph and move in when possible to do so and they will just have to wait (although they scare me).

I've heard of some people purposely washing their windscreens so the water goes on the car behind, but again, this could cause an accident.

[Electrochem]

This website is worth a look.

www.middlelanemorons.com

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.

[madein1978]

Tailgaters are a pet hate of mine, I REALLY hate them, but I have developed a couple of strategies. Normally what I do is either speed up to 85-90 to lose them, but only if its safe, if that doesn't work I pull over, let them pass, then I pull out and tailgate them for a bit with my headlights on full beam, most of the time it works, they pull over and I get no more trouble, but there are the petulant ones that can dish it out but can't take it and start gesticulating and mouthing off, can be quite amusing!

[madein1978]

Not that I habitually hog lanes, you understand!

[Electrochem]

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.

[sammd]

I would like to clarify i do not hog the middle or outside lane doing 70 mph (which is the speed limit anyway!). When i'm in the inside lane and come up behind a car or lorry doing 50 - 60 mph and the middle or outside lane is clear i overtake them. It's usually when i'm overtaking them that some idiot comes shooting up at about 100 mph right behind me and i can't yet move into the inside lane because i'm overtaking. And yes, i get annoyed with people hogging the middle and outside lane too. I see some idiot on the road every day doing something stupid - racing, undertaking, cutting across roundabouts, etc.