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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

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Original poster

Tailgating, arrrggghhhh!!

48 replies

Hermya321 · 18/08/2010 17:03

I hate it, it drives me up the wall.

All the way home I was stuck behind a car that was stuck behind a lorry and every two seconds she kept having to break because she was too fricking close to the lorry.

I mean seriously!! It's not rocket science, just pull back and give other drivers some fricking room and then you won't have to keep breaking!!!

It's just idiotic and you know what, if you crash into the back of the car in front it'll be the ones who was tailgating that will be up in court on a due care charge and paying massive amounts of extra money on their insurence.

Absolute idiots the lot of them.

OP posts:

MummyWithA1Family · 19/08/2010 02:30

Sorry for the long post - I do tend to get carried away. I'm well known for my (as another lovely mumsnetter put it) 'epic novels'!

Hope nobody fell asleep

Original poster

Hermya321 · 19/08/2010 07:32

Oh Mummy I'm sorry about the points. Another tip I got taught was to flick on your fog lights especially the red one at the back. People normally back off quite quickly.

OP posts:

BongoWinslow · 19/08/2010 09:12

"excessively wash your windows until they pull back"

Excellent. Will try this tomorrow as yet again I got tailgated on the same stretch of road as I get tailgated every day. I did wind my window down and point at every 20mph sign but it made no difference. She sat right on my arse the whole way.

"I bought an LED scroller for my car..." - I want one!

Heracles · 19/08/2010 09:15

God I'd be awful with an LED scroller; I wouldn't be able to help myself from writing something "amusingly" offensive...

TonariNoTotoro · 19/08/2010 09:17

"excessively wash your windows until they pull back"

Yes, just don't do this with a biker :)

ccpccp · 19/08/2010 09:38

I hate tailgaters, but I hate nervous road captains even more.

Driving just doesnt suit some people.

DetectivePotato · 19/08/2010 09:40

I loathe this with a passion. And it seems to be getting more and more. The way people drive up my backside, you would think I am crawling along at 15 mph, which I am not. I always slow down and look repeatedly in my mirror until they get the message. I refuse to break the speed limit (more than I may be ) because of some ignorant ass hole.

DetectivePotato · 19/08/2010 09:42

Oh I like that window washing tip. Going to try that!

5inthebed · 19/08/2010 09:56

I'm getting tailgated a lot lately. The streets on my estate have all changed to 20mph, which I stick to. About 90% of the cars around here still go 30mph, so when they're behind me they're right up my backside. Good job I wear clean knickers every day .

When I was learning to drive (last year) my driving instructor used to turn around if I was being tailgated and pretend to take a photo on his phone of the other car, and he would take their reg. He had a little black book of the cars that tailgated.

aristocat · 19/08/2010 10:06

oh god - i enjoy slowing right down too the tailgaters soon get the message!

aendr · 19/08/2010 10:07

The trouble with window washing is the aggressive driver who then overtakes and deliberately pulls in really, really close in front and washes their window "to give you a taste of your own medicine." So you're braking or even having to steer to avoid them because otherwise you'll hit them and can't see.

kelly2525 · 19/08/2010 11:48

I once got stuck for miles behind a nun who looked older than jesus having a driving lesson, now that was annoying

swanandduck · 19/08/2010 13:40

I usually put on my hazard lights. It works with most people, apart from the exceptionally thick drivers.

MummyWithA1Family · 20/08/2010 02:37

I get your point Aendr but must say that's never happened to me.

Bongowinslow they're only £18.99 + £3.99 p&p from eBay, bargain!! Search for '12v Car Scrolling LED Light'.

Heracles I'm very tempted to put offensive messages too but when I checked with the police about the legality of it before I bought one I was told that it was ok as long as I didn't put anything that could be deemed as offensive or abusive. If you do you can be arrested. That put an end to my fun!! Although having said that there are some rather funny messages that are pre-programmed into it.

DinahRod · 20/08/2010 02:49

A pet hate of mine - had a nob BMW driver irked that I wasn't doing 90mph, as he probably was, not only tailgate me as I was overtaking a long line of lorries at 70mph, but then when I moved over, he then pulled in front of me and hit his brakes. Times like that I wish I drove a Hummer.

Catrinm · 20/08/2010 06:17

Tailgating is dangerous and irresponsible and I don't do it but it is annoying when people just sit in the overtaking lanes of a dual carrigeway or motorway doing 65 miles an hour..... pull over!!!!!!!

Also people who do exactly the same speed usually forty, on a single carrigeway regardless of the speed limit (can be 30, 40 or sixty) grrrrrrrrr X

ccpccp · 20/08/2010 09:10

DinahRod

The only time I've had that done to me is when I accidentally cut someone up on the motorway.

Did you pull out into the fast lane, forcing him to slam his brakes on?

Snobear4000 · 20/08/2010 09:14

Tailgating sucks. However I also agree with posters who say that excessively slow driving, or driving slow in the fast lane, is also dangerous.

My pet hate? People who arbitrarily change the road rules. Like, if I am approaching a T-intersection and have to give way to all traffic, and some idiot trying to be polite, stops their car on the other road, motioning me to go ahead.

If I do as they say, just as they change their mind, and we crash, the accident will technically be my fault.

And as for people not indicating, and driving over the middle of roundabouts...

DinahRod · 20/08/2010 10:57

Ccpccp, the BMW was way back when I pulled into the overtaking lane, and I am no slow driver, but guess he just didn't fancy slowing down at all - the sort that wait til the last minute to brake and then stay there. King of the road complex perhaps?

My dh is far more sanguine, when aggressively tailgated by a lorry going through the outside lane of the Dartford Tunnel just slowed down very gradually and once out of the tunnel just pulled away.

ccpccp · 20/08/2010 11:49

Sounds like he was just a tailgating twat!

BMW drivers are pretty bad, but in my experience VW Golf drivers are the worst.

IMoveTheStars · 20/08/2010 14:03

Oi ccpccp

MummyWithA1Family · 21/08/2010 00:01

Another thing that really gets my goat is when people have no trouble whatsoever using a large roundabout but come to one of those annoying painted roundabouts that you can't drive round properly and have to slightly drive over when turning right and they can't use them! Do people not understand the rules are the same whatever size of roundabout you're using ie GIVE WAY TO YOUR RIGHT!

MadameCheese · 21/08/2010 11:42

What is it about most BMW drivers that means they can't use their indicators. I must admit I get really annoyed with people who pull out onto a road, you have to slam on the anchors (it's usually a 60 limit). They then don't accelerate, proceed doing 40 then drive over the line, just in case they scratch their car on the passenger side. How is this safe!!!!

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