Being tailgated (new driver)

Why do you think cars are fitted with rear view mirrors? Of course you don't only look in front of you when driving.

I've been driving for decades and have driven many different sizes and types of vehicles for many hundred thousands of miles. I'm currently driving one of three, and ride passenger to my v large DP in the same vehicles and I can tell you with fair certainty, it's not personal.

It's their behaviour, it's not linked to who you are. Ignore them, let them get on with it. Your goal is getting from A to B as calmly as possible. That means don't let them affect your concentration or rattle you into memorising numberplates or brake checking them, or engaging in any other bullshit, although the latter is very tempting. Don't play. Just carry on, think to yourself, see you at the next traffic lights, when they eventually roar past you. And you will. And on with your day.

You’re going to have to grow a thicker skin OP. Stop worrying about what’s going on behind you and concentrate on what’s in front of you.

Just pull over and let them pass, then they’re not your problem anymore.

I’m not suggesting you do this, but I used to press the clutch & pop the gearstick into reverse, so the reverse lights came on. Really freaks the fuckers out.

Your definitely paranoid. I don’t know what it is about people on this site and being so anti men. Not everything is “because your a woman”. Half the time they won’t even know. I’m a woman and I drive an SUV and whilst I wouldn’t tailgate, we have a 30 road where some drivers do 15 and it’s infuriating

I have a very “ladies” style and colour car, and I get this a lot. DH has a hulking great muddy land rover and he doesn’t; I noticed when he drives us.

I did use P plates and they actually helped. It means people think you may be erratic and endanger them.

Your thread reminded me to buy that bumper sticker that says I have a black box/insurance spy box fitted so I can’t speed.

I think you do often get more hassle in a smaller car. Not sure I have noticed more tailgating but when I was regularly switching between a large and small car I was getting cut up significantly more in the smaller car.

How I deal with tailgating depends on my mood . I sometimes pull over and let them pass, other times I just ignore and if I can see in the mirror take pleasure in seeing them get redder and redder.

haha. I was trying to find a similar one that said doing 60 in a 60, got beeped by Dave the van driver behind, so now we're both doing 40. 😂

Jokes aside, given the aggression from (mainly men) drivers, probably best to just ignore any impatient or angry drivers. Easier said than done I know.

But yeah, dashcam; shouldn't need it but there we are then! (TWATS!)

Chill out, girl racer. They're allowed on the road too and you don't have to like it.

The first thing my 1995 driving instructor drilled into me was “we won’t be impeding anybody else’s journey”. Today’s driving instructors seem to think it’s fine to take a learner who won’t go above 27mph on a NSL bypass rather than use the 30mph through road and work up to it. 🤯

You could drape a heavy coat around the passenger seat and wedge a man’s hat above it on the headrest…

or a cheap fluorescent gilet/tabard similarly.or on the rear seats.

I did once wonder about placing reflective bacofoil in the rear window after similar problems on a dark winter commute - but I don’t know the legality of that.

My father used to always say “Their hurry is not your worry”. I ignore them and let them pass if they want. But it definitely improved when I brought a bigger car.

Tbf round my way there's so many hyundai i20s going 10mph+ below the speed limit I do genuinely wonder if their speedometers underead massively. There's no logical reason why they can never actually do the speed limit

Are you definitely doing 30? Because I get tailgated on occasion but I can't say it's a frequent occcurance, especially not in a 30/40.

The only times it's really a problem are unknown country roads where I know I'm probably going a bit slowly, in which case I pull over or dual carriageways/motorways where the cars want to go 80+ and I just ignore them. I've never had someone shake their hand or throw their hands up

If they’re getting frustrated to that extent then they shouldn’t be driving. There is no excuse for driving dangerously - which tailgating is.

Driving 3mph under the speed limit is nothing. It’s the 40mph middle lane hoggers on motorways that need to be taken off the roads.

If your speedo says 29 then you’re actually driving at around 26-27, which is probably why people behind you are getting frustrated.

They absolutely do. You need to develop a thick skin and give zero fucks. Drive safely and be secure in the knowledge that you are within the law.

You would've, people see them as a target.

People definitely bully women in small cars, you're not imagining it.

Me too, that's what my driving instructor taught me to do back in 1983. He said "you can't control how close he drives, but you can control the speed" he didn't mention tapping the brakes, just very gradually allowing the car to slow down. That way I wouldn't miss any spots at the side of the road where I could pull over and let the loony blast past, and if there was nowhere safe to pull over at least if he did run into me it would do less damage when we were travelling at 15mph and not 60.

i love doing this. Always gives me a good chuckle which calms me down 😂

I hate it - they want to do 90 in a 70 and even though you are going at 70 and overtaking traffic in the L-hand lane, they still won’t back off. Pees me off because if I pull in to the L hand lane I get stuck behind people doing 55 -60 if I am lucky (and is their right to drive at that speed), but cannot get out again for all the dickheads doing 80-90.

I am of the mind that all cars should be delimited to 70mph and, ideally one day in the future, a system linked to the internal computers/GPs systems would prevent speeding on any roads whatsoever.

OK, you do you. I check my mirrors, obviously. I don’t check for tailgaters blaring their horns and gesticulating because I’m not going to crash into them. The hazards are on the road ahead.

If you were in the outside lane and there was room for you to the left then you were hogging the wrong lane, for which you should also have been pulled over.

I detest being tailgated and find it is either people who are just shit drivers driving to close or less frequent aggressive drivers.

I don’t have tailgaters very often tbh. I drive a huge SUV almost all the time in cruise control and it keeps a set distance from the car in front. I detest tailgating and I cannot see what it achieved other than very stressful experiences. I especially hate it when they can over take.

I think you might be sensitised to or potentially your driving is not quite refined yes. 29 in a 30 on you speedo is about 27. Could you also be accelerating slowly?

what type of car is it? Is it fiesta/polo size or Kia picanto size