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I hate tailgaters. What do you do?

6K views 107 replies 32 participants last post by  shinfo 
#1 ·
I'm a fairly decent law abiding citizen. I go maybe 6 or 7 over the speed limit when I'm feeling the need for speed in day to day traffic. But there's a whole slew of soccer moms out there in their little beige vans that want to go a lot faster than that.


What are you guys doing when these morons ride 8 feet behind your RR's integrated tail light?
 
#27 ·
The amount if testosterone fuel stupid in this thread is staggering; but knowing people involved it's not surprising.



^^This. Being in the right or in the wrong means nothing if you're dead and you WILL lose in any sort of size battle to another vehicle. If you ride like an ******* (either riding aggressively or parking in the fast lane) or even if you ride "normally" you will piss somebody off and get tailgates at some point. Find your nearest safe spot to move over, grow the **** up and let them by then continue on your merry way.

No need to flip anyone off, no need to teach anyone how to drive, no need to have any aggression towards anyone and no need for a situation you'll lose. And no need to accelerate to 125moh to "get away" from them. That's immaturity. And stupid. Cops love that, FYI.
 
#3 ·
Switch lanes. Pull over..

In the end its do you wanna chance a mini van up your ass or swallow your pride and be beaten by a said van?
 
#4 ·
Depends but I usually slow down and watch them in my mirror. When i see them speed up i do the same then i put on my hazards and swerve all over the lane. Swerving side to side usually makes traffic slow down to a stop ;)
 
#8 ·
Normally I don't get tailgaters... I'm usually going faster than most vehicles...

What I do get is a lot of lonely drivers on the left lane that will not move their cars to the right lane allowing me to overtake according to the law...

That gets my nerves...

I even once saw a guy giving me the "no no" finger thru the rear glass...
 
#9 · (Edited)
Normally I don't get tailgaters... I'm usually going faster than most vehicles...
Yep. ABP. Always be passing. Honestly I don't look at my speedo much at all in traffic. I just make sure I'm moving at a creeping pace faster than the cars. That's so that I'm not hanging in among them & less likely to have them coming up my ass. Of course there's always the some moron who thinks he's in GTA blowing in & out around people 20-30mph above the flow of traffic. Gotta keep an eye on your 6 for those. If you do get someone behind that wants to go faster then you then just get over & let them by. You'd want someone to do the same for you.

I even once saw a guy giving me the "no no" finger thru the rear glass...
Yeah, they're funny. People who at whatever speed they're moving at feel that they are somehow the appointed speed regulators of the road. If the speed limit is 55 and they're doing 57 they'll park in the left lane & refuse to move over for anyone. It usually results in a whole stream of vehicles underpassing them on the right then getting back in the left lane. I'm sure they're probably clucking to themselves thinking everyone else is wrong.
 
#13 · (Edited)
I see that all the time. When I'm in my dodge pickup, its an irritation. When I'm on a bike, I have to use every ounce of my willpower to keep myself focused and resist giving them that big middle finger. I wish cops would pull those people over. They're putting me in an extremely dangerous position.
 
#14 ·
When I'm on 2 lane country roads, I usually just throttle it out and speed up pretty hard and fast. However on the highway, like someone said previously, I move over and get behind them. In the end, if a soccer mom b!tch rear ends you and kills you, it don't matter if it was her fault or not. I'd rather just avoid it.


I still sport the middle finger though. Idk why, it just makes me feel warm and cozy inside.
 
#15 ·
Stop driving in the left lane when people want to pass you.
Or speed up. Usually speaking, people tailgate because your driving wrong.
 
#16 ·
I completely disagree, that was a beyond stupid comment. The people tailgating are the ones driving wrong. Tailgating is not the "punishment" or "key" to fixing people's driving. It's people who think that tailgating is a way of telling people they're driving wrong that end up getting shot after messing with a lunatic driver.

You're idea of driving right and wrong is different from almost everyone's. Law enforcement are the only people who are supposed to fix people's driving. Not you tailgating people and putting your life and way more importantly there's at risk.
 
#17 ·
I'm a fairly decent law abiding citizen. I go maybe 6 or 7 over the speed limit when I'm feeling the need for speed in day to day traffic. But there's a whole slew of soccer moms out there in their little beige vans that want to go a lot faster than that.


What are you guys doing when these morons ride 8 feet behind your RR's integrated tail light?
Stop driving in the left lane when people want to pass you.
Or speed up. Usually speaking, people tailgate because your driving wrong.
No chit, really? Ur an idiot.
 
#18 ·
#22 ·
I wasn't referring to someone driving slow in the left lane. That's common sense which I thought was kind of a established fact. Didn't realize I needed to restate it. Oh well.

Regardless, tailgating does not make the person in front drive faster. It usually has the opposite effect. It's stupid. What is the benefit of tailgating? Think about that, which might be hard for some of yall. But there is no benefit whatsoever.
 
#28 ·
+1 on the "just pull aside and let them pass"
No point in playing games with big heavy steel boxes when sat astride a little engine.
Sure you can shoot off, breaking the speed limit to get away from them, but I don't let anyone force me to do something I don't want to do... Who knows, you might speed past an unmarked cop, or slam into the back of a car that randomly pulls out because he didn't see you.

More often than not, when I get tailgated I just end up catching the car again at some point, and I filter past them smiling to myself :D
Smugness FTW
 
#30 ·
I twist the throttle. Problem solved. If it is a two lane road, I will move into the other lane, let them pass and meet them at the next set of lights.
 
#34 ·
I've wanted to quite often, but I never do. I usually end up just waving my arm and motioning them to get back. I'm usually always on single lane roads (the interstate is a deathtrap) so my options are quite limited, especially if I don't have a decent shoulder to pull off on.
 
#38 ·
This thread was aids but now it's back on topic.
I don't usually get tailgaters so I haven't had to deal with one. I'm usually going just barely (<5mph) faster than the rest of the traffic. If I notice someone closing in from behind I'll match their pace. Try to keep them at a comfortable following distance. Usually if you're going the same speed as the car directly behind you, any cop would pull them over before you. They are being more dangerous. Obviously only do this to a certain point; you don't want to be doing 30 over... If you find yourself going uncomfortably fast to keep them at bay, just turn into someone's driveway and let them by.
This is on a 2-lane road with no passing zones. I avoid highways as much as possible. Those are almost as bad as tailgaters.
 
#44 · (Edited)
Usually if you're going the same speed as the car directly behind you, any cop would pull them over before you. They are being more dangerous.

That didn't prove true for me a couple winters ago. I was traveling about 10 over with an SUV right on my tail. I sped up to get to a gap in traffic where I could get over. We passed a cop on the opposite side of the interstate going the opposite way. He came across the median, actually pulled ahead of the tailgater and I, turned on his lights, stopped traffic, and motioned the tailgater and I to the shoulder, then sent the rest on their way. I got one ticket. He got two (an extra for tailgating).


My point is, I don't think going faster is ever a solution. At least it won't work as an excuse to the cop that pulls you over.
 
#39 · (Edited)
I think the thing to keep in mind here is your relative vulnerability out there. The image I like to imagine is that motorcyclists are like the earliest small mammals in among herds of big dumb dinosaurs. Awareness, speed, agility, and a more evolved thought process will keep you safe and alive. Asserting your rights or right of way with these big dumb beasts is a good way to lose at the Darwin games. Tailgaters are really easy to manage.

1. Through lane positioning and speed keep yourself from having them on your ass. You don't have to ride mental yourself. Keep with and slightly ahead of the flow of traffic. Have your threats coming slowly to you in front rather than behind. When you have open road ahead of you pull out of the left lane. It's always possible that a real moron will be bombing up the road 20-30mph faster than traffic. If you're not in the left lane then they wont be on your ass. Keep aware of developments on your 6. If there is one of those homocide missiles coming up behind you, you should be aware of it before it's on your ass. Be aware, maintain distance between yourself and all vehicles in all directions around you.

2. If someone does end up on your ass just move over & let them pass. It's so much easier than any lessons you think you're going to be teaching out there. Remember. You're a small furry mammal & they're big dumb lizards. They're not going to even understand what you're trying to communicate & likely will just get angry. Big, dumb, & angry. Not anything I want to be engaged in at such a disadvantage. Move over & let them be someone else's problem. If you can't get right over to let them pass then at least put on your blinker. They'll then at least know you've seen them and will let them pass as soon as possible. Usually that chills them out a touch. It's not right but sometimes people tailgate when someone is slower up ahead & they end up on their ass as a way to make there presence known. Pressure for the person to move over.

3. When it's you that is the faster person, don't tailgate yourself. When you get up to a slower vehicle in front drop back & give decent following distance. Give them a moment or two to see that you're there and get over. If they stay put don't crowd them to pressure them. Put on your blinker as if you were to pass on the right. Many times they'll see that blinker and get over themselves. If they still don't seem to respond to you (who may now have people on your own ass behind this guy) give them a quick on/off flash of the high beams to get over. I understand in europe this is a more universally recognized polite way to signal that you're coming through. Some here in the states may take it as a sign of aggression so make sure to keep your following distance. Sometimes people will react to that by being stubborn and standing their ground by tapping the brakes as a brake check to tell you "I'm not moving over" or they'll unambiguously flip you off. Keep your cool. Don't react emotionally to others' emotionalism. That's called escalation. If you're lucky and they're reasonable but inattentive they'll take the quick high beam flash as a "please move over" and they'll comply. As a last resort if you have someone holding you up and you feel you need to get past (faster traffic pilling up behind you and tailgating you) then signal as before then judiciously pass them on the right. I know technically it's illegal and variously enforced but better to do it and get yourself back to a state of managing distance between yourself & other vehicles than to get boxed in and tailgated yourself. If you do plan to pass on the right plan it correctly. Don't take your time. Don't hang out in their blind spot or along side them. They may not be aware of you in the former and take the latter as being confrontational. See the space you want to get to ahead of them and drop a gear/throttle up to pass quickly and put distance between you and them. As for any possible tailgaters make sure you know where they are at all times. If you're going to move over to let them pass or to pass someone in front of you make sure you signal well before you move over and check that they didn't decide to pass you on the right just before you moved over. You don't want to move over just to get rear ended. Lastly, don't use your horn. That's almost always taken as aggression unless it's really an emergency situation (like someone moving into your lane).

4. Keep your emotions out of it. Slower vehicles ahead of you and faster ones behind are not opponents to beat or people that you need to teach a lesson. They're just obstacles/threats to manage. Keep cool and manage your space around other vehicles whether that means letting them by or leaving them behind.

I use the above guidelines in my road riding. I rarely encounter anyone tailgating me and I'm not riding more than 5-10mph faster than prevailing traffic unless I'm passing. I maintain my awareness and distance in all directions. I signal and don't get aggressive with other drivers. Some people are assholes and more are idiots. We move among them everyday. Still, I don't know the last time I lifted my left hand to flip someone off. Long time ago when I was less mature and less experienced. Nowadays if I ever lift my left to signal another driver it's usually as a friendly wave of thanks for someone who moved over for me or the result of some other courtesy. There are some unrepentant retards out there but most drivers will do the right thing if given the chance. I don't count on it or their courtesy but you can ride in a way that makes it possible.
 
#55 · (Edited)
For OP......

My personal solution to tailgaters is to avoid traffic.....

Riding these bikes as commute tools is dumb.

Riding these bikes in heavy traffic is dumber.

Riding these bikes anyplace but to an open empty road is dumbest.

Why are you doing this, don't you get that these moto's are not fashion accessories,or lifestyle statements..........?

You're invisible to cagers, a beacon to LEO's, and a target for every crazy hater, when riding a sportbike......
 
#62 ·
Most interstate highways in the U.S. are 2 lanes each way and the left is only for passing...problem is mostly within cities when there are sometimes 4 lanes each way and people are afraid of speeding tickets, which is fair to an extent, but again is rather selfish.
 
#64 ·
People really don't realize. A simple act of tailgating a car is TYPICALLY not life or death. However, as motorcyclists, our life can be taken so easily by a simple act of aggression such as tailgating. Sure, it would be their fault for rear ending, but does that even matter if you're dead?


This thread has really gotten me thinking and reconsidering my mindset. Props to the OP for bringing this up.
 
#67 ·
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