To want to let people who drive up your arse hit you?

[Fattynotfitty]

Driving home from work, two occasions had cars driving so closely behind me that if I were to stop suddenly they would hit me no doubt about it. I drive to the speed limit occasionally slightly over and it was raining too!
Sometimes I really want to just slam on my brakes and let them hit me to show them how dangerous it is! ( Of course I wouldn't but am I being unreasonable to want to do it in theory!?) I find it so intimidating and off putting when I'm driving.

@burnthurst187 I wish i could install a large spike to stick out the back of my car to put them off haha.
I hate it so much more when my kids are in the car as they'd be the ones to be hit, so many people out there need their license taking away.

I read on mn a good trick is to wash your windows. The MNer wrote that it worked everytime and ime that is true.

@BeigeFoodLover

Oh I witnessed some brilliant karma in this situation. I was driving at (and sometimes slightly over!) the speed limit, guy right behind me, really agressive right up the back of my car. Got really cross when I dropped into 30 from 60 as per speed limit.. the eventually he overtook way over the speed limit.. just as he happened to pass two police with traffic guns.

I laughed for about an hour after.

Isn't it so satisfying! We were being tail-gated by some idiot on a narrow road, OH kept his speed at the limit until a straight stretch, slowed down and the idiot flew by, just round the bend from where the speed trap was set that day by the police! OH knew exactly where to slow down, he was responsible for liaising with the police about their days for speed traps! If you want to give a tail-gater a fright don't brake, drop down a gear to slow, no tell-tale lights.

@Lurkingforawhile

The advice from an instructor on a speed course was the pull over and let them past. You can't drive well if you're concentrating on them. I appreciate it's (a) not always possible and (b) not fair, but when I've done it I've felt much better afterwards. On my commute home I drive on a 50mph then 60mph rural road with nowhere to pull in and I hate the tail-gaters

I agree.

I counter it with a comparison of how we are both likely to be feeling.

Me : calm, carrying on my journey in peace
Them : het up, and probably getting wound up by the next driver they have come to.

@MitziK

I never knew that about bikes - does it also give you more grip on the road? I’ve never had the courage to get on a bike.

I passed my test way before modern braking systems and air bags etc. Hand cranked engines were still quite common. No seat belt rules.
We were taught to use engine braking to prevent brakes burning out. Brakes did regularly fail. Tail gating was considered worse than drink driving.
Things certainly do change.!

[quote Bargebill19]@MitziK

I never knew that about bikes - does it also give you more grip on the road? I’ve never had the courage to get on a bike.

I passed my test way before modern braking systems and air bags etc. Hand cranked engines were still quite common. No seat belt rules.
We were taught to use engine braking to prevent brakes burning out. Brakes did regularly fail. Tail gating was considered worse than drink driving.
Things certainly do change.![/quote]
It's a mixture of things - slowing down transfers the weight onto the front wheel, which means the rear wheel lifts - overly heavy braking, especially on wet surfaces, downhill or at speed, makes it more likely you'll end up over the handlebars or, as you have a natural reaction to want to turn away from impending doom, you sliding along the road if you fail to complete the 'I'm getting off now' move.

You've got to balance it, through, as not putting enough weight through the front wheel will lead to you lifting up. Which also puts you at risk of a stack.

Now bikes can be bought with ABS, it's not as much of an issue, just as it isn't with cars, but I learned the old school way, which was use your engine/weight to slow as much as possible and save your brakes for when you need a bit extra.

@MitziK

Thank you very informative!
I think that as part of learning to drive, people had to learn how and why other vehicle users act like they do.
Having driven/ been in tractors, hgvs, horse boxes etc they have given me a much better understating of what they can see and how they need to manoeuvre on our roads.
Shame I am too wary of getting on a motorbike you make it sound like a fun and challenging thing to do. A real driving experience.

I hate it when people drive so close, but you just have to keep your cool and drive safely, don't feel pressured to drive above the speed limit.

My ex used to get really annoyed at this, to the stage where he did keep braking - and he also used to speed up if someone pulled out on him when they should have waited. This annoyed me no end, because at the end of the day, they might have pulled out/been too close - but if we collided, the fact would remain that my ex was at fault because he specifically changed his speed purposefully. I used to end up yelling at him for doing it, because yeah, great, the person who was driving badly in the first place might have been taught a lesson, but we could be injured and our car would be badly damaged. We had one car at the time which was technically speaking mine, and he seemed happy enough to risk fucking crashing it basically on purpose.

People are dicks on the road, but you just have to rise above it and concentrate on getting to where you need to be safely, or you just run the risk of becoming the dangerous driver yourself.

[quote Bargebill19]@MitziK

Thank you very informative!
I think that as part of learning to drive, people had to learn how and why other vehicle users act like they do.
Having driven/ been in tractors, hgvs, horse boxes etc they have given me a much better understating of what they can see and how they need to manoeuvre on our roads.
Shame I am too wary of getting on a motorbike you make it sound like a fun and challenging thing to do. A real driving experience.[/quote]
To be honest, I still prefer four legged transport, even though your average Yamaha is less likely to throw a shit fit because OH MY GOD THERE'S A LEAF ON THAT TREE! WE'RE ALL GOING TO DIE! FLEEEEE!.

Someone rear ended me, on my motorbike. It really hurt. Don't play games like touching your brakes, or slowing down to antagonise people, or being gleeful about it being a 'limit not a target'. Just let them past if safe/possible and carry on with your journey. Why people dick around like this I don't know.

@Neron

Someone rear ended me, on my motorbike. It really hurt. Don't play games like touching your brakes, or slowing down to antagonise people, or being gleeful about it being a 'limit not a target'. Just let them past if safe/possible and carry on with your journey. Why people dick around like this I don't know.

You can't "let" them pass if they can't or won't. This is the situation being discussed.

God yes!!! I sometimes wish I had an old banger and i would certainly do this obviously without the whole family in the car

being gleeful about it being a 'limit not a target'
I did mention that upthread, but certainly not gleefully, and I didn't invent the phrase - it is a common safe driving mantra to avoid being bullied into speeding by entitled road bullies.

OP just flick you lights on and they think it’s the brake lights - works a treat

@BluebellsGreenbells

And at night?!

You can't "let" them pass if they can't or won't.
This is the situation being discussed

You can most certainly drive safely, at the speed limit, without engaging in dangerous games. There will come a time when either of you can pull over, or go a separate way etc.

What do you think the police would say, if you were caught to be antagonising the situation? Or the result of an accident when you were brake checking someone? People do fail tests for driving too slowly, and is classes as a serious fault/dangerous driving.

@notonmytime yes I understand, it is batted around a lot.

@Neron I don't condone people braking to be antagonistic and certainly the police would take a dim view.
I just hate speeding and do agree that the speed limits are just that, a limit, not something to be reached and then people seem to think that adding 5mph on top is reasonable.

I had this before in a 20mph zone. I was doing 20mph. A man in a car decided to get right up my arse, beeping etc. I slowed down to 15mph. He continued to be right behind me, shouting abuse at me. I then slowed down to 10mph and then 5mph. As he went whizzing past me, I was called a 'slag' and several other lovely names. He then went around a mini roundabout the wrong way and nearly took another car out!

[quote Bargebill19]@BluebellsGreenbells

And at night?![/quote]
That's when some people find their fog light switch.

@notonmytime I think it comes down to the way people react to things. You may not wish to drive the speed limit, but there will be people who do and get frustrated if behind you - as you do with them for the speeding.
It is more the actual game playing people do, as highlighted on this thread. Say I was being tailgated, and I purposely slowed down to anger them further - they are not going to just become rational and understanding. Chances are I'm putting myself more at risk of an accident because they are not thinking clearly, and neither am I, or concentrating.

And use it illegally? Plus as I hate people dazzlingly me, either from behind or oncoming traffic, it makes me just as idiotic as them. I would argue that dazzling someone behind you could, put you at greater risk of their bad driving.

Urgh I had one today, right up my arse. Everyone seems to be in such moods lately and the aggressive driving is getting ridiculous. So I just touched on my brakes as I have a fairly big car with 3 huge brake lights at the back. Not the ideal solution I know.

The worst is when they tailgate leaving a carpark or through a tollgate. They do it all the time here, especially the motor bikes. So they stick so close to your arse so they can get through without setting off the sensor to release the boom back down.

Next time someone tries it I am going to just stop once I am just through the boom.

@Bargebill19

And use it illegally? Plus as I hate people dazzlingly me, either from behind or oncoming traffic, it makes me just as idiotic as them. I would argue that dazzling someone behind you could, put you at greater risk of their bad driving.

Yup, that's what some people do. Just as slowing down to deliberately cause an obstruction to the flow of traffic does - don't know if they still are, but they used to be termed Road Captains, as they seemed to take it upon themselves to deliberately slow the rate of traffic.

I spent my time trying to anticipate and avoid them, the brake stampers, the completely vacant ones, those who could barely see over the top of their steering wheels, the ones who would veer as close to the middle as possible to prevent overtaking and the aggressive tailgaters equally. They were all dangers to other road users in different ways.

@isthismylifenow

Urgh I had one today, right up my arse. Everyone seems to be in such moods lately and the aggressive driving is getting ridiculous. So I just touched on my brakes as I have a fairly big car with 3 huge brake lights at the back. Not the ideal solution I know.

The worst is when they tailgate leaving a carpark or through a tollgate. They do it all the time here, especially the motor bikes. So they stick so close to your arse so they can get through without setting off the sensor to release the boom back down.

Next time someone tries it I am going to just stop once I am just through the boom.

Do you personally enjoy the sensation of whiplash?

I know I didn't.

The police round us have started driving on certain roads round us in unmarked cars and then pulling over the worst of the tailgaitors!

One case brought to light was tailgating and overtaking - this is in a 30 built up area.

I'm peeved the culprit only got 6 points... but at least they are trying to address the problem.