Contour Enthusiasts Group Archives Forums General Common Interests Road Rage

Had a bad experience the last time I had a tailgater. This pickup truck was following me and I tapped my breaks and he got closer!!!!! He was on my friggin bumper and we were in heavy traffic on a biway with no where for him to go. Traffic was moving along between 25 and 30 MPH. Traffic begins slowing down in front of me so I downshift into first and I hear his wheels lock up and his ass end started going sideways.

So there is a LONG line of cars in front of me and there is a little separator lane in the middle. This guy passes me and just flys down the "center" lane passing everyone with oncoming traffic beeping and swerving!!!!!

Oh man what I would have given to have a cop coming from the opposite direction or one of the cars being passed being a cop.

People that get that freaked out about driving need to seek counseling.

SPEEDDEMON, what law? CC??? What?

I disagree. You damn right I'm gonna let the guy/girl know that I don't like him on my ass. There is no excuse for tailgating. I can understand in situations where there is some one in the fast lane on a highway that simply won't pull over. Its the passing lane, if you're not passing anyone, pull over! I'm the first one to admit I drive too fast, but I do not tailgate even when I'm aggravated at the driver. I always leave more than enough space to the point that people behind me get aggravated that I'm not up on the persons ass in front of me to somehow "make them" go faster. But I digress.

And as far as having law enforcement deal with tailgaters, I think not. There is never a cop around when you need them. There is no way police can handle the tailgate problem.

When it gets ridiculous, i.e. TOO close, I usually wave them back which of course they do not comply. I have never had n e 1 get aggravated at me and start swearing though. I have gotten out of my car at a stop light twice and "calmly" asked the driver to stop tailgating me, they were both women, of which they just gave me surprised looks! They probably thought I was going to get physical. If I ever run into a crazed man(iac) I probably might get myself into trouble.

I knew I was going to get rebuttals for my comments on letting law enforcement handle tailgaters and on it not being fine to tap the brakes so with that in mind....

I know people who've been ticketed for tailgating. I also know people who've been ticketed for causing people behind them to have to put their brakes on. So, law enforcement does handle these situations. Here in California, the Highway Patrol is especially interested in semis that tailgate.

As to tapping your brakes, personally I think people use their brakes too much. There's a little thing called the catapillar or inchworm effect. Ever heard of it? It is caused by someone putting on their brakes, for whatever reason, and then everyone else sees the brake lights and they slow down until finally, way in the back everyone is stopped. And for what? So you inch ahead until like magic the road clears and everyone speeds off and you wonder why did you have to stop? So now some people are hot and then they tailgate and push and I get out of the way. It's a vicious cycle and I want to slap everyone of these people for being idiots. So you tap your brakes and it starts all over again. :rolleyes: I've driven the same 80 - 100 miles a day to work for 19 years and I've seen it all. And it isn't going to get any better until people realize that with the volume of traffic on the roads these days, they're going to get where they are going when they get there and not a moment sooner so just sit back and enjoy the ride.

Karl

One time I had a guy on my but all the way from salem OH , He was riding me pretty heavy so I tapped my brakes and this old fat guy behind me whipped off his hat and started flipping me off
I got pretty mad and started to speed up and he responded by speeding up as well. I then started ignoring him and went to make a turn, I noticed he had his turn signal on as well ...So I continued to proceed strait ahead . He followed. This went on for about 10 miles and finally I shot onto a back road and lost his big ass lincoln through the corners in speeds excess of 90 MPH. Once I lost site I cut a U-Ey and chased his butt down. In an obviouse rage to see that I was not terrified by his retarded game of cat and mouse he pulled over and exited the vehical. I pulled behind him and he started slithering twards my drivers door. I slowly backed away and he would hesitate as to go back to his car and then continue walking when I stoped. I did this till he was almost 100 ft away from his lincoln ..I then flipped him off and spit gravle at him as I took off down the rd.
Ya know at first I felt awfull about what I did but ya know ..I drove 15 miles out of my way just because I was concerned about the guy behind me trying to kill me for something that he was to blame for and Ill be damned I think to this day If I ever saw him I would not hesitate to clock him one in the jaw for threatening me. What an ass

I Think it's funny when some people keep riding your ass and then instead of slamming on the brakes you take a gear and leave them behind.

I've never (in 7 months tho) ever had a serious indcident with tailgating...only the usual people that are never satisfied, on 2 lane low traffic streets aka tons of cops, that i only go 5 mph over the limit. My solution:
Slow down gradually say if you were going 30 in a 25 just let off the brake till your going 20 maybe if that dont backoff or go around you illegaly...then i dunno call 911 or the cops main number and tell them to come get you "Hello officer ive got some redneck in a jacked up pickup truck following me very close could you please come and give him a ticket" :p

I know im going to get alot of criticism for this since im only 16 (17 next month) and that i dont know how to drive well thats because i dont know how to drive...

Xoom

What makes me mad is when it's there fault for almost causing a problem then they start the road rage.

The story
Took this girl on a date to the movies. on the way home on the interstate I notice merging traffic. So I go to the left lane to let the traffic. Then this 80's blazer with alot of skin cancer cuts to the fast lane forcing me in the grass medium, I keep my cool stay on the gas and continue past him. well when I was past him I cut back on to the interstate (I didn't cut him off) well he Decides to talegate with his brights (5% tint does come in handy sometimes) but I don't like this guy behind me. so I floor it and leave him behind with no problem.

who knows what this guy was thinken in the next happening
Comeing home from an away game doing 75 in a 97 villager (driving some freinds) and empty interstate. I come upon a jeep gran Cherokee going slower then me so I proceed to pass when he speeds up. and gets ahead of me, no biggy but he slows down again. And this happens for about 5 times, I decided that was it got into the left lane and take it up to 85 and was ahead of him almost 5 miles before I slowed back down. low and be hold he pulls up behind me with his brights on and stays there. We were getting close to sioux city so there are cops around so I take it down to 70 still faster then his original speed. I adventually got sick of it so I pulled in the fast lane when there was no one but him around and hit the brakes hard letting him rocket ahead of me and take the right lane and exit after about 1/2 mile

HA! I tried that one before. I was on an expressway outbound from Buffalo (don't know why they call it expressway, it has more potholes than the road around my house) in the process of passing another car. I was going about 70 when this Jetta came from behind at around 85-90, and he came to about 3 ft from my rear bumper. I got a glance at him and dropped into 3rd and took it all the way up to 125 putting a 1/4 mile gap between him and me. Then I just slowed back down to my original pace. That guy passed me and looked very surprised (probably stunned at the massive amount of hydrocarbon I sprayed on his car). :p

Just put it this way: there are too many drivers out there that shouldn't be driving.