Being tailgated (new driver)

[AncientWasp]

Recently passed and got a hatchback as that's all I need. I stick to the speed limit but I'm finding a lot of people don't (I'm told some people memorise where the speed cameras are?) But what I'm getting annoyed at is almost always having someone (men) in SUVs or vans driving about an inch away from me, seen a few shaking their head, throwing their hands up etc.
I let them overtake where possible, but obviously not always safe. Is this something I just have to put up with? Highly doubt they'd be doing it if I were male and in an SUV.

I stick to speed limits and never speed. Tailgaters (always men) don’t bother me at all. In fact I enjoy the thought of them getting furious that I’m doing 40 in a 40…

I had to do a cross country drive last week, lots of country lanes. I’m a very confident driver but not on country roads I’ve not done before. It was so windy and bendy, no way I could stick to the 60 that was allowed, I was more 50. Yes it was likely annoying but I wasn’t putting my safety at risk

I get tailgated sometimes my car is typically a male driven car but also one that people want to race ( male and female).
I put my foot down if they are up my arse,
I have tailgated, I drive loads, motorways and dual carriageways and the amount of people who are in the wrong lane drives me insane ... no you don't have to be in the right hand lane if you are turning right in 3 miles, no the middle lane is not for tootling along in when the bloody 1st lane is empty!
There is no need to overtake when you are doing the same speed as the person in the other lane... I could go on!

What car are you driving? Do you not have a speed display.

Dickhead tailgating does happen. No matter what you do you will occasionally meet someone on a bad day. But if this is a regular occurrence it is likely you.

In a 30 you go 30. 25 in a 30 is insanely low and utterly frustrating.
You can do 33 in a 30 across the country and not get a ticket.

Its speed + 10% + 0,1,2 or 3 miles an hour depending on the county.

Saw a tailgater get their comeuppance once. Was on motorway going on holiday with DH driving. We were going quite fast in the outside lane and noticed a car tailgating the car behind us which then pulled over to let them past. The same car then proceeded to do the same to us so DH also pulled over. We watched as they did the same to the car which was then in front of them which also pulled over, then as the tailgating car went past a blue light appeared on the top of the car which had just pulled over, it pulled straight back out again - was an unmarked police car!! We were nearly crying with laughter. I don't know what the outcome was of course but presumably they got a ticking off at the very least.

If somebody tailgates me I just slow down a few mph. If they don’t back off I’ll go even slower. I don’t brake, just lift my foot off the accelerator a bit. 99% of the time it works. I find van drivers are definitely one of the worst

She says she’s doing 29, not 25

it happens to me daily on my commute, it’s not me, it’s that others want to break the speed limit. I can’t risk being done for speeding

You are only meant to be in that lane for overtaking anyway

I disagree. Pulling over is the only sensible thing to do. It’s a strategy that’s worked for me for 40 odd years.

In my younger years i used to instinctively speed up to try to appease them. You quickly find that it won't be enough for them no matter how fast you go, and they'll be an inch off your bumper regardless.

If a tailgater is really bothering me I just temporarily tilt the rear view mirror away so I can't see them, then I don't really care what they're getting up to back there. Tilt the mirror back again once they've fucked off.

I'm an experienced driver and find it very stressful on 40mph plus roads. I don’t get too bothered if it’s 20/30 limit but being tailgated at 60mph on an a-road you know is dangerous, with nowhere to pull over, is scary.

Agree with others re the dash cam, and well done for passing your test!

Arseholes are everywhere. Went out with DD tonight. She is a learner but fairly confident and is well versed at driving in all the variable 40/50 speed limits in our rural area. As she turned onto the dual carriageway a wanker drove past sounding his horn. However, as a young female driver she is going to have to learn to deal with it, cos Arseholes are everywhere.

Lol I thought they were all near me

It’s also what they advise on the speeding courses. If you’re distracted by them (which the OP is) and can pull over, it’s the right thing to do.

Never mind dashcams what about the 2x20mm cannon remote operated turrets from a Shackleton?

Update with voice operated controls

White Van 6 O'clock 200 rounds NOW!

There are plenty of 30mph roads which you can go down at 30mph (but no you shouldn't be aiming for more than that...), but you can can't assume it's safe for every tiny residential road with double parked cars. Maybe best not to generalise.

I detest being tailgated and find it is either people who are just shit drivers driving to close or less frequent aggressive drivers.

I don’t have tailgaters very often tbh. I drive a huge SUV almost all the time in cruise control and it keeps a set distance from the car in front. I detest tailgating and I cannot see what it achieved other than very stressful experiences. I especially hate it when they can over take.

I think you might be sensitised to or potentially your driving is not quite refined yes. 29 in a 30 on you speedo is about 27. Could you also be accelerating slowly?

what type of car is it? Is it fiesta/polo size or Kia picanto size

If you were in the outside lane and there was room for you to the left then you were hogging the wrong lane, for which you should also have been pulled over.

Hyundai i20

OK, you do you. I check my mirrors, obviously. I don’t check for tailgaters blaring their horns and gesticulating because I’m not going to crash into them. The hazards are on the road ahead.

I hate it - they want to do 90 in a 70 and even though you are going at 70 and overtaking traffic in the L-hand lane, they still won’t back off. Pees me off because if I pull in to the L hand lane I get stuck behind people doing 55 -60 if I am lucky (and is their right to drive at that speed), but cannot get out again for all the dickheads doing 80-90.

I am of the mind that all cars should be delimited to 70mph and, ideally one day in the future, a system linked to the internal computers/GPs systems would prevent speeding on any roads whatsoever.

i love doing this. Always gives me a good chuckle which calms me down 😂

Me too, that's what my driving instructor taught me to do back in 1983. He said "you can't control how close he drives, but you can control the speed" he didn't mention tapping the brakes, just very gradually allowing the car to slow down. That way I wouldn't miss any spots at the side of the road where I could pull over and let the loony blast past, and if there was nowhere safe to pull over at least if he did run into me it would do less damage when we were travelling at 15mph and not 60.