Sometimes it's too tempting.

that would drip a few drops of oil into a carburetor (remember those?) and enveloping any tailgater in a dense cloud of foul, blue oil smoke. My folks always loved that idea but never did it, realizing the environmental costs were too high.

Later, I had a car that would belch smoke whenever I took my foot off the accelerator.

It worked. Few people tried to tailgate that thing.

the thick blue smoke was caused by worn rings and valves.

We called it the GM mosquito control option.

Those were the days..............

They make me really angry especially if the car ahead of me is the reason I can't go any faster.

Notice how all the cars ahead are stupid bastards and the one behind you is a maniac asshole. Never fails.

Here's a tidbit of knowledge for all of those tailgaters out there:

The *average* reaction time to go from accelerator to brake is 3/4th of a second. At 70 mph, that's about 200 feet before braking even starts. What chance does a tailgater have to stop in time if they are closer than that?

Do yourself a favor, back off a little and save at least two lives.

That is sound advice. I've had to give myself a stern talking to, after I've gotten raged-up, because I'm reacting to other drivers. I let them pass me if I can. I talk myself out of playing games to pay them back. It is not worth it. But I've been tempted.

60 MPH is 88 feet per second. Your point is good, but the math is a bit off.

it is moving forward even as it decelerates so that gives you a little more working space as well.

as you have pointed out.

3/4th of a second for 70 mph = about 76 feet.

sometimes I wish I chewed tobacco.

I can explain what happened to it for me. If I am in heavy traffic that is moving at 60 MPH, and I leave 6 car lengths in front of me, it will take about two seconds for someone to move into that space. This means that I no longer have 6 car lengths between me and the car in front of me. If I back off to get that 6 car lengths again, three guesses what happens and the first two don't count.

I do prefer a distance between me and the vehicle in front of me, but when that is not possible, it just is not possible. But that doesn't mean that I am tailgating. So I do leave some space between me and the car in front of me, and the closer to my rear end that a tailgater gets, the larger the space between me and the car in front of me. It only makes sense. If I know that he will not be able to stop in time if there is a reason to stop, I can at least be in a position to not have to spike my brakes too. Now if only these people would stop jumping into that space every time I leave the space.

A vehicle will jump into that space. It's a continuous. What I was referring to was what was actually taught during driver training these days. Clearly, leaving space between cars doesn't seem to be something that is stressed.

since many of these people who 1) tailgate or 2) jump in every space you leave are obviously old enough to have had the same drivers' education that I had. We have to look further to find the reasons, but I have my guess. I see too many people who are in too much of a hurry and who think that their time is more valuable than anyone else on the road (or at a store, etc.). They just don't think.

and swerving recklessly in and out of traffic, we all end up at the same place at about the same time. So what exactly did they gain? What they did was to put other drivers at risk for the sake of a minute or two.

and I continuously ease off the gas to back off to the proper distance when they do.

My husband and I have this discussion. His answer is the same as yours but somehow I manage to keep a safe distance most of the time. Tail gaiting is one of the biggest causes of auto crashes. It's worth the effort to keep that distance and I don't give a rat's ass who I piss off behind me.

Whenever the person in front of you passes something (pothole, painted line, asphalt patch, roadkill, manhole cover, etc) you should pass it at least 2 seconds later. Regardless of speed.


Good rule of thumb: 1 mph = 1½ feet per second. So 60 mph is also 90 feet per second. (it's really 1.467, but 1½ is easily close enough).


If the car in front of you slams on its brakes, you have 2 seconds before you get to the point on the pavement where he starts leaving skidmarks. If you can react in less than 2 seconds, you should be okay... in theory.

This assume you guys are traveling at reasonably equal speeds, of course.

it into practice.

70mph = 105 ft/s.

2 seconds of space = 210 feet.


Their car is 15 feet long

210 feet / 15 feet per car = 14 cars! OMG, there's plenty of room for me in there! Hey, everybody, come and join me!

I rarely tailgate, except when on a highway where the slowpoke drivers are supposed to be in the right lanes.

When I am a slowpoke, like looking for a house number or taking it easy on a country road, I always pull over to let the potential tailgater to pass. Costs me nothing, lets the other driver free. I am forever astonished how few slow drivers ever do this.

I remember being trapped on a road in New Hampshire behind a car doing 25. More than 30 cars were frustrated behind this jerk for 20+ miles. Would it have cost him/her anything to pull over and let other cars pass? As a mere gesture toward fellow humans.

Sometimes I think slowpoke drivers do this just out of anger at the world or with a missionic fervor to teach 'driving morality'.

Is the worst possible way to express your disapproval. It puts both cars at risk, and in my case, will not result in what you want.

the odd car out that insists on going 90, and they will tailgate in order to get you to move over. I'm not being a slowpoke at all, I'm traveling with the flow of traffic. If I move over to the right lane, now I have to contend with those doing 65-70.

...i applaud the sentiment. However, I would caution your friend to consider removing it; dog forbid he gets rear-ended it could be used as evidence against him.

I get SUPER freaky when people tailgate me, but if I am on a local road I simply pull over and let the a-hole pass me. When I am on a highway I just drive faster than everyone else

IF YOU CAN READ THIS,
YOU'RE TOO DAMN CLOSE!!!

Also another gem from another time: once, when I was a child and my family took its bi-annual summer trip from So. California to Kansas to visit relatives, I saw:

DIMMIT,
DAMMIT!

...as a reminder to the drivers of the cars following to lower their high beams. This was on Route 66, back when there was a Route 66.

Especially in Florida.

are cops, who damn well know better, tailgate.

They need reported!

The nice thing is that my brother is the Sheriff of the county I live in.

That brief flick of headlight, and consequently tail lights, has the tailgater backing off rather quickly.

Dude harassed me for several miles. Giving the finger isn't what it used to be. Gotta watch out for road rage these days.

If someone is being an asshole on the road, it's much safer to assume that they might also be an asshole with a gun. Escalating the tension is never a good idea.

pedal activates the brake lights. No braking takes place, but the lights come on. I use that a lot when I have a tailgater. It usually backs them off. Just press the pedal down 1/4 inch. Get someone to check to see if the brake lights come on. They will, I bet.

Make them think you *ARE* stopping by flicking the lights.

I've used it many times to ward off tailgaters with good success.

without having to resort to flicking lights, is turn on your windshield wipers and activate your windshield spray. If you are going around 40 MPH or more, the spray tends to get flicked onto the tailgater's windshield. This has almost always worked for me, to get them to back off. And it's a really non-aggressive way to do it. They don't think you are hitting your brake. You might just be cleaning off bird poop or bug debris.
Of course, this only works if it's not raining.

is on the left stalk behind my steering wheel.

The brake pedal is right by my foot, which knows where it is. There is about 3/4" of free travel before any braking happens. 1/4" turns on the brake lights. I can manage that without distracting myself in any way from my driving and without applying any braking at all.

Nope. It's safer for me to slightly depress the brake pedal than messing with the lights. In any case, my lights are on any time the engine is running on my car. The brake lights are on when I press the brake pedal.

I don't know about you, but I do know my own vehicle intimately.

as you stated are already on when you are driving, and do not produce the same light as a brake light does, you can turn the flashers on for a couple of seconds. Flasher buttons are usually very easy to get to, and they do employ the same light bulbs as the brake lights. Works like a charm without having to slow down even a tad----and you do have to slow down a little to use the brake just by taking your foot off the gas.

It can slightly depress the brake pedal without any slowing at all. My emergency flasher button is on the center of my dashboard, and gets very little use. I would have to look away from the road to locate it. My left foot knows where the brake pedal is, since I use it to back off tailgaters with some frequency. It works a treat.

I would like one that says "Do you trust my brakes and my tires that much?"

Liability is on the tailgater and their liability insurance. Dunno what the going rate is for a soft tissue damage injury, but it used to be somewhere around $30-$40,000.

Seems like a pretty expensive mistake to be making too many times.



Laura

In reverse lettering:

It's the long, skinny one on the right

and

With a picture of Obi-Wan
Use the gas, Luke

...Is that your nose up my ass?

that's my favorite.

Sometimes I wish I had a readerboard in the back window and I could type in a message.

In reality though, I am not rich so I tend to either use the middle lane at 60 mph or the far right lane at 55 mph, saving gas. I estimate that I earn about $10 per hour since a penny saved is a penny earned and it just takes a bit longer to get where I'm going.

Bumberstickers that read "terrorist on board" or "serial killer on board. How about a T shirt that reads "Dear Police- I am breaking the law right now- and there is nothing you can do about it".
Seems the 1st amendment gives the legal right to Americans to wear any words that arent intended as a threat of retaliation and do not have the effect of yelling "fire!" in crowded theater.

Dear Asshole: In your shriveled dick world, I am sure you think you are intimidating me into going faster by driving 3 inches behind me. I am already at or above the speed limit, I have no intention going faster, especially to feed your pathetic desperate need for control. In fact, just to piss you off, I might go even s-l-o-w-e-r, what are ya gonna do? Beat up a sweet old lady? I already believe most tailgaters are disgusting sadists. You want me become nervous and glance into the rear mirror....ooooohhhh....I must go faster. NOT.
I'm gonna ignore your pathetic ass, because that's what you hate the most.

Our bumper sticker says "are you following JESUS this close?"
I used to have a Darwin fish bumper sticker but the old jeep wouldnt give it up.

I wonder if there is a law against bumper stickers that exaggerate individual states of legal existence? Would there be a problem with having a bumper sticker that states you have an intention to break the law?
Something like a bumper sticker that says "I'm speeding", even though you are not speeding. After all- it is the written language and civil rights are not dependent on whether prosecutors get the joke.
When the words are removed from context they take on a meaning that requires re-contextualization to be viewed as intentional claims of self guilt.
I'm glad my loved ones and I are American citizens- I just wish so many right wing reactionary racist bigots didnt hate the fact that our liberties are unalienable to every American, regardless of socio-economic position. race, religion and sexual orientation.
I'm looking for a teabagger treason bumper sticker.