Tailgating. Pull over or keep driving?

[Staffielove23]

I was driving on a country road this morning. It’s national speed limit so 60mph, and I drove at this speed for the straight bits slowing right down for the corners as it’s so bendy and I don’t want to end up over my line with a tractor oncoming or something like that. I had someone behind me, I think they must drive that road everyday, as they were getting right up my ass even on the bends. I mean I couldn’t even see their bumper and I had my kid in the back. So I indicated and pulled over to let them past as they were making me feel nervous. They lean on their horn and make some kind of hand gesture as they pass me. Was I being unreasonable to pull over?

I would have kept driving and slower.

No they were being a twat sadly, you were driving safely and normally and they are clearly massively unreasonable and rude. Not your problem and I would have pulled over too.

No, you did absolutely the right thing pulling over. I always say those arseholes are better in front of you than behind you. Bloody hate tailgaters.

I’d have slowed down on the straight bits, rather than speed up after the bends, so they could overtake, then you wouldn’t have to pull over. What if someone else came up and you were, unexpectedly, stopped in the road?

when someone tailgates me on roads like this; I like to speed up enough that they can’t overtake on the straights, then go a obvious ‘fuck you’ snail pace round the bends. So they’re stuck behind me for the whole duration of their painful journey.

You did the right thing

not sure if you’ve seen the advert where someone is tailgating on the motorway the car in front moves over they speed past gesturing and plow straight into the back of a lorry

Aye, I do that on familiar roads

However you probably did the safest thing OP. Being distracted by a knobbend isn't a good thing on tricky roads

When I say advert I mean like a warning advert obvs not an advertisement for shit driving

Life is too short to worry about crazy drivers. I'd let him past for an easy life, too.

..then they overtake out of frustration and anger, don't concentrate, hit an on coming car, which then crashes into your car...

This is an actual RL scenario, 2 people were killed, i found out about it when doing a 2 days driving course for my work, the instructor was the former Police investigating officer

When safe to do so, always get out the way of these w$nkers, i don't want to be involved in their accident.

You’re always better with an arsehole driver in front of you than on your bumper. If anyone ever winds down their windows as they go past to ask me (impolitely usually!) why I’ve stopped I tell them I’d rather let shit drivers over take. They love it! (not!)

It really depends on the road for me. In your circumstance, pulling over or allowing them to overtake when there was good road visibility was correct. They were a knob but were probably also getting frustrated when you sped up at the only points they could overtake. You should never feel pressured to drive at a speed beyond your abilities/experience of the road.

On a motorway/dual carriageway, I'd move to the inside as soon as it was safe to allow them past (which is what you should do on a motorway anyway). On a normal city/suburban road, when someone tailgates, I make sure I do exactly the speed limit (or just under) until they move back.

At least if you pull over then they can get on their way, and you can relax. I always put my lights on and drive super carefully. It sounds as if you were still driving fast so heaven knows what their problem was.

Once I had the prat behind me leaning on his horn for a mile or so between two villages because there were some cyclists in front of me and I couldn't overtake them. It really shook me up. I made a mental note of his registration number and funnily enough, on my way back, I saw the car parked up and left a note on his windscreen saying I was telling the police. (Which I did, but they wouldn't act because there was a passenger witness in his car.) But it made me feel better!

And don't feel bad about pulling over, the reaction wasn't about you pulling over, it was about not pulling over or allowing overtaking earlier.

DH drives for a living, has had his licence for 40 years, experienced and familiar with all types of roads. If we are out for drive he will stop and let people past as although he generally drives to the limit, he wants to relax and enjoy his drive without people riding up his arse.

I sometimes put my hazzard lights on in this situation to emphasise their shitty driving.
People that tailgate like this are just pond scum

I slow down altogether
if they want to overtake, let them

Why was the passenger relevant? Just curious. Do they just assume the driver and passenger will deny it?

Pull over. You will enjoy your drive much more without some idiot driving aggressively behind you.

On quiet country roads like you describe I would have done the same. I can't relax when someone is behind me for miles, even if they are driving safely at a distance.

However, there was an occasion on a Sunday morning when I was 5 seconds longer than necessary pulling off when the lights changed to green (very unlike me 😁)
The grumpy bloke behind me blared his horn and gestured completely unnecessarily.. and was duly forced to travel at 10mph behind me for half a mile as punishment.. checked all my doors were locked first though

Yes I know it was wrong, but it was worth it 😈

I will fess up to going on a speed awareness course (not for doing this!).

Part of the course was understanding circumstances of why people speed and what each of our individual triggers are. For a lot of people being tailgated/feeling pressurised to go faster is one of them. I think you did the right thing in pulling over in a safe place. Just ignore, hard as it is.

Driving ‘to’ the speed limit on country roads (or any road) doesn’t mean it’s safe to do so.

Pulling over is always the best plan. Yes they're in the wrong and a twat but life's too short to risk an accident or violence over something that can be avoided. Not today Satan! as the expression goes :)

Tailgaters are dangerous and quite happy to put you at risk. As soon as I get one I roll my window down then, as soon as I get to a straight bit of road with decent visibility I indicate left so they know I’m letting them by and slowly wave them past.

They’re all chuffed because, in their mind, they’ve bullied me and ‘won’. But I’m fantasising that I’m the evil truck driver from Duel 😎

Seriously though just get them and their madness as far away from you as possible.

Only idiots antagonise or play about on the road with a twat driver.

You did the right thing op, dont lower yourself to their level or play dangerous games.

Technically I believe the Highway Code advises that you slow down to increase the gap between you and any vehicle in front of you so that they can overtake... So I take great joy in slowing down ever so slightly or popping my hazard lights on to alert them to themselves as a hazard.

I would have done the same. Always better to have the idiots in front of you than behind.