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.

Do you personally enjoy the sensation of whiplash?

I don't think they'll feel much. It'll be the biker they are planning on doing it to

[quote Neron]@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.[/quote]
@Neron You have clearly confused me with another poster. At no point in this thread did I ever join in with those advocating slamming on brakes or even slowing down. Address your anti-braking comments to the posters (many of them, but not me) who actually said that.

I do find it quite distracting and dangerous to try to keep my car at exactly 30mph all the time, so sometimes I prefer to go 27-28 mph perhaps as the police don't like 32mph and will likely send you on a speed awareness course if you are doing this.

Plus the biggest difference in doing slightly under the speed limit versus speeding is only one of these behaviours is illegal.

I always pull over when I can and let them go, but if there's nowhere for me to do so and they are clearly not getting the message, I will touch the brakes to 'warn' them. There's a massive difference between implying 'please move over to let me pass, even if I am greatly exceeding the limit' and 'even though there's nowhere for you to go, you literally need to disappear because I am so important and you are worth nothing'.

I have a big, heavy estate - 17 years old, so market value negligible - with a solid towball that would just love to make friends with their radiator if they decided to introduce them....

@WeBuiltThisBuffetOnSausageRoll

Well said.

@notonmytime my apologies, I think you are taking my comments personally. I haven't accused you of joining in, nor directing anti braking comments to you.

I think it is accepted that if you @ someone, it is going to be taken personally.

Anyone who thinks that going 2-3 miles below the speed limit is just as dangerous as speeding, is deluding themselves.

Then I am sorry. I thought we were having a discussion on the doing under the speed limit/speeding - which is down to how individuals view it so neither necessarily in the wrong.
What I did say, was It is more the actual game playing people do, as highlighted on this thread which I meant was wrong.

I always slow down. I feel it's very unsafe to drive at reasonable speed with someone so close so I slow down. Every single time. If I had to do an emergency break, the shock would be less violent. Sometimes they even get the message.

I am not a really slow driver, but I have noticed that it depends on the actual car I drive.

I always think of their poor partners and children. Angry people end up creating so much unhappiness around them.

People driving BMW's or Audi's are very good at driving "up your arse", in my experience. And usually male.......

you say that, but female drivers with chelsea tractors seem to be catching up on the fashion too.

It's even more shocking when they have kids in the car. They must feel invincible because they suddenly have a bigger car.

Just pull over and let them pass, you can go on about how in the right you are from the grave. Letting some idiot driver who you perceive to be driving too close crash into the back of you in honestly insane, why would u even think it. Do you like being smug or in the right?? Also deliberately slowing down to antagonise an already stupid driver is equally as stupid, why would you put yourself at risk (another poster not you OP). Even minor accidents can cause serious internal damage. I can’t believe 90% of people think yanbu.

^A poll of AA members, for example, revealed that tailgating is considered the most irritating habit of other drivers. It is very tempting, when faced with this behaviour, to slow down even more to prove your point. The problem is, not only is this likely to prompt rage from the tailgater, it can cause problems for other drivers. (Remember, driving too slowly can be just as dangerous as driving too quickly!) You then become the problem, and a potential source of other drivers' road rage.

Even minor road rage puts your safety at risk. When you're angry, you lose focus on the task at hand (driving). Replaying something that just happened in your head and stewing over it will only distract you from what's continuing to unfold on the road. If something does get you really riled up, we advise that you find a safe place to pull over and give yourself time to cool off before continuing your journey.^

Italics fail the above is from the AA

Yes happens to me a lot. But brake checking can get you in to trouble so I just hope they overtake

I wonder what the stopping distance is at 40mph , fairly sure its a lot more than a metre, even taking into account the enhanced braking systems of newer vehicles ?

@frumpety

I wonder what the stopping distance is at 40mph , fairly sure its a lot more than a metre, even taking into account the enhanced braking systems of newer vehicles ?

36 m

I hate drivers like that too, just bullies trying to intimidate. X

@Snackasaurus

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!

Surely this is exactly why you shouldn't play silly buggers and antagonise these people. Just ignore them or let them past, but playing games is a sure way to get someone killed.

@Nikori and why exactly do you think I slowed down?! So he could get past me as there was no traffic coming in the other direction!

you can always use the 2 second rule to gauge your own breaking distance, and add more for wet conditions.

The point about tapping your brakes to alert the tailgater that you're slowing down is that they don't care how close to you they are. If you use your engine to slow down they won't even notice. It's dangerous. PP mentioned that they were annoyed when people keep breaking - there is a good chance that they think you're too close.

@CraftyGin 36 metres includes 12 metres of thinking time , people who tailgate probably need at least double that

@Brefugee the 2 second rule that equates to a car length for every 5mph you are travelling ? So at 40mph that would be the equivalent of 8 car lengths ?