Please or to access all these features

AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

When I am President, all tailgating drivers will be permanently stopped

68 replies

ReplacementBusService · 10/05/2025 08:01

They'll be given opportunity to change their ways first, maybe wear an electronic tag that gives a mild electric shock if they accidentally find themselves doing 90 right up someone's bumper. But, persistent offenders will eventually have to simply drive into the sea and that'll be that.

If anyone thinks I'm unreasonable, you can vote for a different political party like Tailgaters UK, but someone needs to sort this out 🦸

OP posts:
New posts on this thread. Refresh page
SinnerBoy · 15/05/2025 04:37

BethDuttonYeHaw · 10/05/2025 09:51

Please also ban drivers who fail to use their indicators

Surely that would be illegal discrimination against Audi, Mercedes and BMW drivers? Have some pity, even if they are fortunate enough to have indicators, the wrong one always comes on.

harvestqueen · 15/05/2025 01:40

Special extra punishment for tailgators at night with super-bright lights that can be seen from deep space.

blacksax · 14/05/2025 23:34

soupyspoon · 10/05/2025 10:49

This is a common cry on forums like this but in the many hours of driving I do a week I dont commonly see people sitting at 60ish in the middle lane, nor do I often see a long section of empty inside lane.

Nor me, and I do a fair amount of motorway driving. There are thousands more speeding drivers than there are lane hoggers.

Someone aggressively tailgated me on the way to work this morning along a country road, and I was doing the same speed as the car in front of me (and the lorry in front of that). What the tailgater thought they were going to achieve by driving right up my arse like that is beyond me.

GenderFluid90 · 14/05/2025 23:14

janeandmarysmum · 10/05/2025 14:03

I slow down when I've got someone driving up my back bumper, so perhaps that's on you??

I don't drive up their back bumper. Just because I find it annoying doesn't mean I tail gate 🤷🏼‍♀️

ReplacementBusService · 10/05/2025 23:45

BethDuttonYeHaw · 10/05/2025 09:51

Please also ban drivers who fail to use their indicators

Yes! They will have to go on two day reeducation courses that involve at least six solid hours of roundabout practice and seven of how to stop and park.

OP posts:
ReplacementBusService · 10/05/2025 23:40

Jc2001 · 10/05/2025 08:05

I wouldn't want someone how is driving at 90mph right up my bumper to get an electric shock 😨

Middle lane drivers though. Instant ban.

Oh, and anyone with a baby on board sticker. Definite indicator of a really bad driver.

Edited

That's a good point 😬 I'll rewrite the manifesto after a bit more thought. I understand if I've lost your vote, but you've definitely got mine re the baby on board

OP posts:
ReplacementBusService · 10/05/2025 23:38

SodOffbacktoaibu · 10/05/2025 08:05

I like it.

Though don't want the fuckers polluting the coast after driving into the sea.

I fantasize about a ray gun that comes out my car James Bond style and their car evaporates. Preferably like a cartoon where the driver is left sitting in the seat looking baffled.

I'm buying a hearse next so at least when they tailgate they're further away from me personally.

This is a brilliant planoff to Google costs on auto trader

OP posts:
SodOffbacktoaibu · 10/05/2025 21:51

AgnesX · 10/05/2025 21:40

More those noisy fuckers with the souped up engines and fat exhausts that rev at red lights 😒

Haha this is a bit outing but my ex husband souped up our car (won't say what but a classic). It was great fun to drive but so embarrassing because it was always going wrong so you had to rev it when idling to keep it going. He did something and made it loud ...boy racers would look across and it was little old me aged 35 at the time. I apologise for my misspent err middle youth 😆😬🙈

AgnesX · 10/05/2025 21:40

More those noisy fuckers with the souped up engines and fat exhausts that rev at red lights 😒

Redpeach · 10/05/2025 21:28

WibbleyPie · 10/05/2025 21:09

Can I add those that don't look further than the end of their bonnet and have no clue what's happening in front of them?
Like today when driving down a street with double parked cars so only wide enough for 2 small cars to pass, anything big and someone has to wait.
Van coming towards me so I make room and wait behind the parked cars to allow them through, guy behind me decides to overtake me amid a flurry of arm waving and beeping and comes nose to nose with the van.........And then has to reverse back behind me to allow the van through. I mean if he'd actually looked further down the road even when he started to overtake he'd have realised what was happening but nope, too busy being in a strop with me and gesturing out of his window to actually look at the situation in front of him.
And then we all had to wait while he sorted himself out.

What we need is wider, bigger roads, more space for cars

SodOffbacktoaibu · 10/05/2025 21:13

@WibbleyPie what an idiot.

This is like a Room 101 for driving now. Yep come on @ReplacementBusService President of driving crimes...sort it out 👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻🤪

WibbleyPie · 10/05/2025 21:09

Can I add those that don't look further than the end of their bonnet and have no clue what's happening in front of them?
Like today when driving down a street with double parked cars so only wide enough for 2 small cars to pass, anything big and someone has to wait.
Van coming towards me so I make room and wait behind the parked cars to allow them through, guy behind me decides to overtake me amid a flurry of arm waving and beeping and comes nose to nose with the van.........And then has to reverse back behind me to allow the van through. I mean if he'd actually looked further down the road even when he started to overtake he'd have realised what was happening but nope, too busy being in a strop with me and gesturing out of his window to actually look at the situation in front of him.
And then we all had to wait while he sorted himself out.

janeandmarysmum · 10/05/2025 14:03

GenderFluid90 · 10/05/2025 08:45

I'm annoyed at people who crawl along 20-30 mph in a 40 zone holding everyone up on way to work.

I slow down when I've got someone driving up my back bumper, so perhaps that's on you??

toffeeappleturnip · 10/05/2025 14:00

Somebody just tailgated me for 10 minutes today - on a 40 mph road, with 20 cars ahead of me, all going 40 too.

They overtook me then sat in front of me for the next 10 miles.

Just why why why the fuck why? What a bell end.

ZoggyStirdust · 10/05/2025 13:21

And just thought of another one

when 2 lanes merge into one, can we do something about the idiots who either don’t let you in at the merge point, or even worse, those that block the empty lane about a mile before the merge point!

you’re supposed to bloody drive to the bloody merge point and bloody merge there!!

SodOffbacktoaibu · 10/05/2025 13:16

@ZoggyStirdust M1 around Nottingham springs to mind, especially northbound for some reason. Definitely seen it on the M40. Granted M25 is not the same. It was a bloody carpark last time I was on it 🙄

ZoggyStirdust · 10/05/2025 13:13

soupyspoon · 10/05/2025 10:49

This is a common cry on forums like this but in the many hours of driving I do a week I dont commonly see people sitting at 60ish in the middle lane, nor do I often see a long section of empty inside lane.

There are stretches of motorway where this is very common. Even worse in the 4 lane segments where you see people sitting in lane 3 at 60 with no one else around them.

yep, something needs to be done. Down with that sort of thing. You’d get my vote

BunfightBetty · 10/05/2025 13:11

SodOffbacktoaibu · 10/05/2025 13:07

@BunfightBetty but that's not what middle lane hogging is.

@CarefulN0w some cars have no oomph on hills. Sadly I bought one without realising how bad it was.I usually drop a gear and accelerate but if I have to brake, it can be a bit delayed getting back up to speed. I miss my old Skoda. Ugly car but had some welly.

Sure, but what I’m saying is there are legitimate reasons, in some traffic conditions, to ‘sit’ in the middle lane for some miles, whereas there are posts that suggest that could never be the case.

You very rarely see actual ‘middle lane hogging’ in the south east. Because chance would be a fine thing, frankly! Rarer than rocking-horse shit to have the luxury of driving on a lightly-used multi-lane road!

SodOffbacktoaibu · 10/05/2025 13:09

soupyspoon · 10/05/2025 13:05

So how do you know they drive in that position for 20 miles?

You're being awkward. I can see them dawdling along in my rear view mirror. We all know there are people who do this. I don't know why you are arguing about it.

SodOffbacktoaibu · 10/05/2025 13:07

@BunfightBetty but that's not what middle lane hogging is.

@CarefulN0w some cars have no oomph on hills. Sadly I bought one without realising how bad it was.I usually drop a gear and accelerate but if I have to brake, it can be a bit delayed getting back up to speed. I miss my old Skoda. Ugly car but had some welly.

soupyspoon · 10/05/2025 13:05

SodOffbacktoaibu · 10/05/2025 12:29

Oh dear god. I don't stay behind them. People are willfully obtuse. We all know there are such things as middle lane hoggers who just stick to the middle lane for miles on end. When it's busy, you can get stuck behind them and caught in dangerous situations.

There's information films about it Fgs.

I am aware of how to deal with it thanks. It's still annoying.

So how do you know they drive in that position for 20 miles?

CarefulN0w · 10/05/2025 13:03

Can I add people who don’t realise that you need to accelerate (or set cc) to go up a hill? Wake up people.

GasPanic · 10/05/2025 12:57

ReplacementBusService · 10/05/2025 08:01

They'll be given opportunity to change their ways first, maybe wear an electronic tag that gives a mild electric shock if they accidentally find themselves doing 90 right up someone's bumper. But, persistent offenders will eventually have to simply drive into the sea and that'll be that.

If anyone thinks I'm unreasonable, you can vote for a different political party like Tailgaters UK, but someone needs to sort this out 🦸

If someone is on your back bumper doing 90, how fast are you going ?

Pull over and let the idiot past.

BunfightBetty · 10/05/2025 12:49

But yes, Op, I’d definitely vote for you! Hate tailgaters - selfish, dangerous bastards.

BunfightBetty · 10/05/2025 12:46

Aintnomountainlowenough · 10/05/2025 11:01

If they are on a 3 lane highway I’d probably call them construction traffic because your scenario is so unlikely.

A single motorway lane caters for approx 2000 car or car equivalents per hour - a truck is approximately 2 cars.

We put in other lanes because the road has more than that volume at peak then another lane because it has exceeded the capacity again. The three lane highway typically operates over a 1 lane capacity across most of the day. Car drivers should absolutely be driving in the middle lane across the day but no one should drive on a motorway at twenty miles an hour unless they are blocked from moving faster as the road approaches capacity which slows down traffic speeds. The Highway Code states that drivers should be in the near side lane unless they are overtaking but in a three plus highway those rules are simply not applicable nor appropriate.

Agree with this, certainly in busier areas. On any motorway or multi-lane road in the SE , the middle lane has to be used for purposes other than overtaking, down to the sheer weight of traffic on the road. If everyone tried to stick to the left hand lane for anything other than overtaking, traffic would come to a standstill.

Maybe it would be possible between, say, 2 and 4am, but even then, often there are quite a few cars on the roads. It may be different in parts of the country where the traffic volume is lower (do any of those still exist?!).