To want to slam on my breaks purposefully so tailgaters crash into the back of me?

[hmmSleep]

Why do they feel the need to drive intimidatingly and dangerously close. I'm not driving too slow, I'm not going to speed up, I'm not going to pull over, if anything I'm going to slow down to piss them off make the situation less hazardess.

I would ensure I was wearing protective gear and nobody else was at risk, then the next time someone drove right up my backside I would slam my breaks on emergency stop style. I could do with my car being written off anyway.

Obviously I'm not actually going to do this, but I really want to!

But Viva, I don't suppose your gimmer had the faintest idea you (and the rest of the convoy) were even there

But I'm not talking about people driving 40 in a 60 zone, I'm talking about when I'm driving 60 in a 60 zone, quite often there isn't anywhere safe to pull over, and I don't see why I should feel intimidated into doing so by some idiot's aggresive driving. I am more than happy for them to overtake when it is safe to do so.

I also find slow drivers irritating, but wouldn't resort to dangerous driving to bully them, wait until it's safe, which I know can take an annoyingly long time, then overtake.

What I find really bizarre is when you get a 'bum sniffer' (I'm adopting that phrase), then they do get a really good opportunity to overtake, but don't, they just carry on driving right up your arse, weird!

Bikers are always white lining, weaving in and out of traffic, overtaking on corners. And then they complain that car drivers dont 'see' them.

(of course there are a lot of safe bikers out there too)

Tailgaiters - just let them overtake and get on with their journey. Self appointed road captains who impede other drivers are likely to cause as many accidents as they prevent. Particularly the ones who have a queue of cars behind them, nose to tail, and still wont pull over or wave drivers past.

tailgating is dangerous driving

flicking your lights/break lights in order to make them panic and slam their breaks on is ALSO dangerous driving

My DH tends to put his hazard lights on rather than his break lights. It sometimes gets the message across.

Slamming brakes on is dangerous...putting your lights on isn't because you are not suddenly changing speed.

hazard or any lights if used to suggest that you are braking is dangerous

If your intent is to scare them then they might brake suddenly and that is dangerous

I agree Talker2010, but can't think of a safer way (when there isn't the opportunity to pull over) to get them to back off, and it really does make me feel very unsafe having a car drive so close, there are so many legitimate reasons I might have to break suddenly.

How can the person behind know whether it is genuine or not? They should be keeping their distance in the first place. Hazards are a warning of a hazard ie. you need to be aware of what is in front of you.

Slowing down is also a good idea so that you can increase the stopping distance in front of you if the tail gater slams into the back of you and knocks you forward.

I agree that tailgating is horrendous (and scary)

I tend to go for slowing and, where poss pulling over ... I prefer to be nowehere near crap drivers

Whenever I am tailgated, or indeed have lights flashed at me, I know that the person behind wants me to go slowly. They beleive, I am sure, that I am driving unsafely and they are trying to communicate a friendly warning.

The more flashing, the closer the tailgating, clearly the slower they wish me to go.

At some point I will be going so slowly they can safely overtake me. And I smile and wave my thank yous at them.

lol, yanbu.

i don't drive but i make dh slow right down to 20mph when we get a tailgater as i love pissing them off want to make sure they don't kill the dc if they smash into the back of us.

pre dc we had a right boy racer up our backsides on a dual carriageway. dh pulled up alongside a slow moving lorry and stayed there for miles (it was an emptyish road so no one was inconvenienced) we pissed ourselves laughing the whole time and he was jumping up and down in his seat he was so angry, making it even funnier

cat I'm in you hat there.

I flick my fogs on.
They back off thinking I'm braking.

YANBU for dreaming of doing it. I've been taking driving lessons (have my license in the US but I need to take the test to obtain a UK one) and I'm amazed at home many people just crawl right up in my boot when we're stopped on a hill. It's quite obvious I'm a learner- I'm in a car festooned with phone numbers and advertisements for the driving instructor. Why assume I am that good with the clutch that I won't just roll back into you? sheesh.

Also, I'm happy to pull over to allow someone to pass, but there needs to be room for that, and on the country roads around here there often isn't.

i spend alot of time on the road, so get this alot!

i will touch on the brakes, slowly brake, use the windscreen wiper, put the hazards on etc when it happens i have a right to warn the driver that they are dangerously close to me and my passengers. it's rarely safe to pull over to let an idiot pass, and frankly if people often did it would be expected.

YANBU - but touch the brakes lightly to give them a warning, you don't actually want someone to crash into the back of you, it is not nice. This is what my driving instructor told me to do when I was learning - yes, I was tailgated all the time as a learner because driving bang on 30 is obviously unacceptable . Now don't get me started on the 20mph zone outside my house.

Ha ha ha - happens to me a lot as I have molto points on the licence so drive a few below the limit at all times!
Try flipping your rear-view mirror into night-time glare mode so you can only just see them and then don't look at the any more. Basically, let them get on with it and perhaps slow down just another notch, especially if they can't overtake!
Makes me laugh now!

Although, the time that someone then overtook me through red lights (as their only opportunity to break free of my tyranny) did make me wonder what nutters we have on our roads!

YANBU! This is one of my pet hates. Round here there are lots of windy lanes, so it can be frustrating when you get stuck behind a crawler. However, there is no excuse for tailgating. I drive normally, possibly on the fast side. As I drive a little suzuki swift I get this a lot because they seem to automatically assume (whatever speed I am doing) that I am a pootling old driving-miss-daisy. I just drive slower to annoy them to be on the safe side, I also break a few times gently to encourage them to back off. Good idea about the rear wiper.

I don't blame you for wanting to do that. Tailgating is so dangerous.

On a related note, I grew up in a very snowy part of Canada where teenagers love to 'car hop' in winter - grab onto a car's rear bumper and drag themselves behind. My friend's mother always used to slowly start reversing onto them. Always worked a treat :)

hate them

should be legal - no - mandatory to thump them on the nose when they stop at traffic lights
and there is special circle of hell for the tossers who tailgate and wont pass on a straight. i do try to pull in to let them pass, as i think they are bound to have a horrible accident sooner or later i dont want to be part of it. always hope i'm not first on the scene either

PMSL YANBU I have had similar dreams I slow to a crawl then put my hazards on!

hate them too. I live in a rural area and drive along one of the UK's top 5 most dangerous roads about 4/5 times a week. I am still stunned by the inmpatient tossers who drive right behind you, and overtake in stupid places. Everytime they do it I can't help thinking that I kind of hope they have an accident (that doesn't involve anyone else). I don;t really mean it, but I guess I just want them to have a near miss and realise that they are driving BADLY and dangerously.