I have had the car a week so far (490 miles racked up so far ) and one thing that is unnerving is that when people (usually pickup trucks, vans, and SUV's) pull up behind me it seems like they are WAYYYY to close.

When I stop at a stop light all I see in the mirror is the HUGE grill. I am used to sedans so maybe it is just that the rear of the Mini is well... the rear of the Mini that they just seem so close to my butt. Does anyone else feel this way?

 

no, SUV drivers (especially the dumb ones in Fords ) tend to do that...
they think they can stomp on our cars.

 

It all an optical illusion in most cases. Next time get out and look for yourself, most times they are not that close.

Steve

 

agreed. You gotta remember... the rear window is almost as far back as the rear bumper, and many larger vehicles will have their hood line above your plane of vision.

But also, even if they aren't any closer to your Mini than your previous cars, they might not be able to see your brake lights, so drive carefully.

 

i've noticed that they seem really close when at stop lights but as soon as the light turns green i take off and leave them all behind so it doesn't bother me so much then!

 

for some reason picturing this made me

 

I have to say it's an illusion. In old sedan cars, you have the distance from the rear window to the bumper (trunk space). In a mini, the rear window and the bumper are in the same location. So often times, you only get to see the grill.
If you parallel park, you'll notice this. You think there's not much space but there's a ton of space in the back for you to park.

 

Well,all that may be an ilusion but there is one thing that is really wrong.The trird brake light on the S is covered by the rear wing which can only be seen by cars.If you ever get your self on an 18 wheeler or any high vehicle you cant see the third brake light from a truck drivers view unless you are 60-80 feet away.The light should be mounted on the wing instead of the roof.
Even thought the Mini is a very strong car or maybe the strongest car out there for its size,its drivers should never forget that there isnt a trunk behind the rear seats and should always keep an eye on the rear view mirror for fast tailgaters.In my 25 years of driving I have avoided at least twice getting rear ended by others.Watch you back!!!

Another note on those driving Chile Red Mini's.When the sun is behind you,other drivers behind you cant see your brake lights as the reflection of red blends with the body.Follow a red mini and see that.

 

Thats why I got this in my "CHMSL" http://www.comagination.com/bflasher.htm





"CHMSL" = center high-mounted stop lamp

 

I have to see how that works in real life,I am wondering if it makes things better or worsh.Are the drivers behind you see it more or just wonder what is wrong withis car?

 

As the "CHMSL" is very bright and it only flashes 7/9 times in 10sec then it stays on...... it get's their attantion faster because of the flashing light....
on the other hand you can always flick your rear fog light on and off aswell

 

It's definately an illusion, their just as close as they've always been, you just have less car back there now. However, they are too close. In Europe, like the US, it's illegal to tailgate. But in Europe the police actually enforce this law, which cuts back on tailgaters over there. I'd rather see tailgaters get tickets than speeders. Tailgating is much more dangerous than say going 68 in a 55. (However I'm biased on this, as I tend speed)

 

Everyone seems to tailgate.
They have no idea how far it will take them to stop, let alone their reaction time(especially when on the phone... duh).
You should have 1 car length for every 10mph you are driving.
So when driving 60, there should be about 100ft separating cars....
NOT!

But things do seem closer than they appear.
I was stopped next to a building w/ mirrored windows. The guy behind seems extreeeemly close in my Rearview, but when i looked over at the mirrored windows, he was like 6ft behind me.

 

I just randomly swerve alot...then people are afraid of me...big truck or not they don't want thier Ford Exessive getting hurt

 

coopercrazy - That's OLD school formula. The correct formula is maintain a three second count behind the vehicle in front of you. That way your distance increases with speed appropriately and it's just easier to count instead of looking at your speed, calculating the distance you should be then estimating that distance by sight/feel... blech!

In some defensive driving schools they want to you stay four seconds behind. Either way it's tough in bumper to bumper traffic b/c people will start cutting in front of you. The solution to that is leave yourself an out, keep your eyes moving and assume that everyone is definitely out to smash your MINI.

Be smart and safe.

 

I got a ticket once for tailgating. Actually, it was for "Following to closely" or something like that. It was a slow speed, like about 40. State recommends something like 10 car lengths per 10 mph so thats like 40 car lengths? Yeah right. Very subjective, just the cop was bored I think.

 

I thankfully have not run into this problem here.:smile:

 

GR8, I hear ya... but it gives you an idea of how far to be back.
At 70mph no one should be 30ft off your tail.
We can stop alot faster than others on the road too.

I've tapped my brakes to get'em to back off, but can get some road rage going.

You can always let them pass, but the next one will do the same.

What needs to be put into motion is better driving schools.
With emergency braking situations, so drivers know what it takes to stop a 2 ton vehicle. Then maybe they'll give a bit more room. Then again, maybe not.

And I'm all on top of my Rear mirror. Gotta know whats goin on all around you.

But to answer the original question... all cars get tailgated, not just MINIS.

 

YEAH, you might want to bring the foot long Defender flashlight for a closer look, and the pepper spray just to ward off any two-legged wild life that could be along the roadside as well..

P.S. Prior to this inspection it might also be a good time to check on that CCW renewal, you just need to be SAFE out there. Some folks consider the exiting of the vehicle to be an open provocation, including many law enforcement agencies, imagine that...

 

I've been pulled for "following too close."

I guess the cop wasn't using radar on the person who was going a good 10-15 mph over the speed limit, saw the cop SLAMMED their brakes dropped down from 65-70 mph to 40 in a 55. I was going 57 behind him, and while i was braking and freaked out they slowed down so quickly, cop pulled out behind me, and i got the blue light special.

It was 12:10 at night, and the first thing out that cops mouth was "how old are you?" :impatient Wonder if he pulled me over for following too closely, or like everyone else, thought i was out past curfew. I was 18, btw Didn't even get a warning.

 

He said he was STOPPED at a light where does all this tailgating talk come from?


Im a little sensitive about this because I came upon a lady once stopped to make a left turn, waiting for trafic to clear on a two lane road. I saw her, was not supprised at all by the stopped vehichle, as I came to a stop she started flipping out! :impatient traffic had passed and she was still sitting there! arrrghh! I laid on the horn and after about 30 sec she got out of her car and started yelling me for "tailgating" I said "WHAT are you talking about you silly !$!%%!^ you are STOPPED! Undetered she persisted until I threatened bodily harm if she did get back in her car and get the @%@%@ out of my way.....ugh.....I then had to go around her on the shoulder.....

So who cares how close someone is stopped behind you! In fact I get more agitated with people who leave carlengths open at stoplights, especially left turn lanes, that contribute to traffic congestion

 

Defensive driving school will teach you that the safe distance to stop behind someone is an entire car length. This allows you time to check your rear view mirror for anyone coming up behind you that does not notice there is a stopped car in front of them. As they slam on their brakes it gives you the added room to make the choice of two options.

Option One - pull forward quickly enough without hitting the vehicle in front of you so the extra room allows the other vehicle to come to a full stop.
Option Two - It gives you enough room to turn out of the lane that vehicle is coming up behind you. Better the vehicle in front of you getting hit than you.

Should that vehicle behind you come to a safe "normal" stop in the first place you can then pull up to the vehicle in front of you with enough room to steer around them (for example if they stall it gives you a way out). Making that distance any closer will guarantee you problems.

The key here is to always leave yourself an "out". As in out of harms way. The object of driving on public roads is not to be first but to be alive when we all get to where we're going and that takes everyones cooperation in safety.

 

--Yes I feel that people sedans or suvs/trucks always come right up to my rear bumper. I don't think it's an optical illusion as much as the backs of our cars are flat like a bus. So when people come up on at a stop behind us they put their front snouts right on our tushies.

I KNOW that some of the people that do that are just trying to annoy me. So I do one of two things. I drive the speed limit (makes them crazy) or I dust them and hit Mach 5. I like the first option better. It usually ticks them off and they end up moving over to the slow lane and getting blocked in. Aside from the fringe benefits they teach you to do that in Motorcycle Safety Foundation classes. When someone is tailgating you just slow down. If you speed up the tailgater will likely speed up too. Giving you less time to react to dangers on the road ahead and a higher chance that the both of you will get into an accident together. If you go slow you'll be safer and if they go around you, you'll be even more safer.

But yes the way they treat us on the road is the exact same response I get in parking lots. Either people love the car, or they hate it and the driver along with it. They think we're rich yuppies with exotic cars (tailgaters). Or they love the car (people who slow down to get a better look). It's sad but we DO have to watch out for ourselves. Drive defensively and be safe out there.

--pyratio

 

'round here there's a lot of boulevard and parkway driving... but what gets tedious for me is sooo many people just cruise at 30-35mph where it's clearly marked 45mph, and I mean side by side 'rolling roadblock' style, and apparently wouldn't let anybody pass them for nothing! aaarggh!:impatient

Have you ever pulled up behind 2 or 3 side-by-side minivans & suvs thinking there must be a ton of traffic only to discover there's nothing in front of those vehicles but open road?? OMG I want my own personal interstate system!!

 

right, and make sure you keep a glass breaker in your glove compartment in case you crash into water and in REALITY if everyone did this the roads would need to by 5 times wider because about 15 cars would take up the entire city block in line at a light. there would be about 3 cars in the average left turn lane Your commute time would triple!