I used to do that, but sometimes it caused the other driver to get really angry. So now if someone tailgates, I allow my car to drift over the double solid or into the shoulder then I jerk the car over as if I just realized I was going out of the lane. I found this technique is really effect and the tailgater will keep some nice distance because they think you're going to wreck . I wouldn't let the police see me doing it, they probably wouldn't think it is cute.

 

They have a law for that?!

 

Yea, it got to be an organized crime sort of thing. There were teams of cars that would go out on the freeways. One car would get in front of the target car, the other would box it in so it couldn't swerve. The car in front would slam on the brakes, causing a crash. The law was that if you were the following car in a rear-end crash, you were always at fault.

The backer to the team had a connection with a doctor who would say the guy in the car that braked had serious neck injuries. With that they hit the insurance companies up for big $$.

When the insurance companies realized that it was a widespread scam they lobbied and got a law passed.

 

I used to tell my wife, if anybody's ever giving you a hard time, just drive the speedlimit, and smile and wave in the rear mirror. It happen once at a stop light when there were 2 lanes for turning left. The passenger from the 'enraged car' was so pissed that she jumped out of the car and game over to my wife's car and was threatening to get violent. Fortunately the light turned green and people had to move on. Needless to say my wife was less than impressed with my advice

 

As bad as the tailgaters are the people who insist on driving in the left lane at the exact speed of a slow-moving car next to them in the right lane.

Worse, are the ones talking on a cel and driving erratically in the left lane -- often 20 mph below the limit.

Then there are the ones who will drive 10 mph under the speed limit on a long one-lane-each-way artery road. Twenty cars will pile up behind them and they won't pull over or speed up. The law in California requires you to pull over if under the speed limit and five cars have backed up behind you.

 

I had a drunk approach my MINI full of kids and attempt to break out my window at a gas station last fall during the gas crisis enraged that I made it to the only open pump before he did but instead of a fight he got a formal introduction to my X26 along with a trip to county. Fortunately for him I pulled the TASER before the .45

 

That is the exact reason when I lived at Lake Norman and had a 45 minute commute, I never carried my handgun with me. Even with a concealed weapon permit, I left it at home cause I was afraid I'd do something stupid with the idiots. (I'm much calmer all these years later...lol)

 

Scary scenario, especially with the kids in the MINI. Good on you for a measured response.

I think this serves as a reminder that tough economic times combined with hot weather and high fuel prices contribute to short tempers and less-than-civilized behaviour. People don't usually need a reason to be rude. I cannot control other's behaviour, but I can remind myself to NOT be part of the problem.

 

...this happened to me today. There's a long, straight hill up to my university, where the limit is 60 km/h but most commuters do 90 km/h. I do 70 km/h, in the right lane, unless I'm passing a bus. Which is fine with the rest of the traffic because I'm in the right lane.

The hill begins gently, but after a wide left corner becomes significantly steeper.

So today, I'm at the bottom of the hill where the grade is gentle. That's when I notice a big black Ford F350 (lifted, of course) pulling a boat barrelling down at me in my rearview mirror. Once the traffic in the left lane cleared, he moved to that lane in order to pass me... just in time for the hill to get steeper. So he can't really pass and he's keeping neck and neck with me... even with a (considerable) line of traffic behind him honking, the dude still refuses to slow down and pull into the right lane (behind me). Stubborn.

In the end I had to accelerate (in the right lane) so that cars behind him could pass him on the right. I imagine he got quite a few birds flipped at him as the traffic passed.

 

By any chance was this "Mini-Van" mom Kate Gosselin?

As for handling tail gaters, I just move over to the open lane and then move back. Tapping the brakes is the worst thing you can do. This will just enrage the tailgater even more, especially if no one is in front of you. Also, the tailgater is usually a) in a hurry b) very angry or c)in a hurry and very angry.

 

Probably the best life lesson you can learn.... now, if I could just apply it all the time, I'd be a better person for it.

Mark

 

If there's no room for the tailgater to pass and I can't safely pull over, sometimes I'll tap the foglight on and off... But no, I'd never tap the brake--I mean what if it's the split second where the tailgater's not paying attention? Even if I were 100% in the clear fault-wise, there's risk of injury and the hassle of dealing with insurance.

 

Not to mention the possibility of having my mini damaged and that would definitely cause some problems.

Mark

 

I hear ya there !!

 

So, Mark, who won, you or the moped?

 

Since getting my Mini I've noticed people seem to take quite a bit offense to the little car. Maybe they hate it, or maybe they are jealous they can't have fun while driving? I've never driven a car that's attracted so much negative and positive attention.

Just the other day while driving home I made a left onto the main street and a car in the other direction had to let me know how unhappy that made them ("hey a$$****"). It was a perfectly safe turn, but apparently I made them mad by not allowing them to smash into me when they thought it was fun to speed up. Sickos!

 

I think part of it is that people simply notice the MINI more than other cars. I used to drive a grey Honda Civic and didn't realize how much people ignored that car until I drove a newly restored silver 1972 M-B 200SL around for a day. The MINI gets the same attention that 200SL got, which makes you a target for more abuse, too.

 

I get mad at TGers but I don't flip them off. I'm too afraid of a roadrager. What I do is act like I am unaware of them and bob my head like I'm listening to music. And grin.

 

I typically am doing over 100 on my way to work in the early mornings. I also tend to get around 130'ish for stretches. People do not like this type of behavior and get very upset when you pass them at double their speed. They also cannot stand a tiny car like a Mini passing them. I got used to it and just keep leaving them in the dust.

 

They probably get mad because you're an idiot for doing 130mph.

 

This is on the German Autobahn of course so it's perfectly legal.

 

OK... here's my most funny encounter with an aggressive driver. I was on a cloverleaf merging onto a 70mph stretch, but I was still in the lane that was shared between the on-ramp and the exit ramp. It had just started to rain. My left turn signal was on and I was building speed, but a 80-ish Cutlass which was slightly behind me was wanting to exit. Instead of falling in behind my accelerating car with his decelerating car, he had to pass me and cut sharply if front of me. At the same time after hitting my brakes to keep from hitting him, I was able to jump into the normal lane and floored it to get past the idiot.

He didn't realize how much momentum he stupidly carried into the ramp, how sharp the off-ramp curve was, how slick the wet ramp was, and how crappy his Cutlass brakes and handling were. I heard the hiss of tires not getting any traction and got to watch him through the rear view fly off of the ramp down into the grassy field. He got a little air and plowed some dirt and grass, but nothing too serious. I smiled all the way home.

 

Whenever I'm driving, I always make a 3sec. stop at stop signs, we have a few in our neighbor which is 10% of my morning commute. Having a car tailgating me just makes it that much more fun!! Going over Speed Bumps I almost come to a complete stop, then gently idle over them. These are local roads BTW, so it is a 25mph anyway. I love seeing the angry looks I get for making people go the Speed Limit!!

 

..Came upon this thread in the "New Posts" link... I've pulled some pretty bone-head moves when driving but since we're ranting about other people on the highway....

The one thing I don't get around the DC metro area is when I'm on 495, doing 5 over the speed limit in the middle lane or faster, some guy who is obviously going slower in the right lane just starts merging into the middle lane for no apparent reason. There are no cars behind him, in front of him, no exit ramps coming up. It's like the driver is doing really well in the slower lane but for some reason feels like its a good idea to do the same speed in the middle or center lanes when cars are passing him on the left.

I've obviously noticed this as I'm in that center lane and he starts merging 10 or 11 car lengths in front of me which then forces me to once again merge left so I can go around the guy and then back into the center. However, I've also noticed this as I'm the one chilling in the right most lane just driving at a relatively calm speed. A person doing the same speed 10 or 12 car lengths in front of me decides to merge left and do the exact same speed in the center lane. It even befuddles me even more when I maintain my speed and that person somehow starts slowing down a little and I pass them on the right. That type of mentality, I just don't get.

 

I hope you don't do that on the highway. When people are driving the speedlimit, you really can't say anything but when someone purposes drives in the left lane just because they are driving the speedlimit knowingly holding up other cars, well, that just makes me

My pet peeve is people who drive in the left lane and stay there. I don't care if I'm doing 85 in a 55, if I see someone come up behind me going faster, I move over NOW. I'm sure as hell not going to use the "well, I'm already breaking the speed limit so I'm not moving over" attitude.

For some reason, it seems that certain people feel it is there duty to uphold the law and make sure that everyone else stays within the speed limit. Those are the kind of people I have had run-ins with before.

It's all about courtesy and safety. You may be speeding but if you're being prudent and driving defensively, I see no reason why average american joe has to play police officer.

I read one time (and I don't remember the exact statistics) but drivers that drive the speed limit and up to 5mph faster are xxx amount of times more likely to cause an accident.

Fortunately for me, I don't fall into that category.


Mark