How do you deal with tailgaters?

[Jimjimhim]

Narcisus said:

In my experience pull in and let them go at the earliest opportunity to be someone else's problem anything else risks stupendously mental behaviour from them. It's just not worth it.

Just ignoring the nutters doesn't always work they just get more and more wound up.

Edited by Narcisus on Sunday 23 June 15:46

And what if they do get more wound up? That's their issue.

[generationx]

Generally just ignore them. Sometimes just slow down a bit to piss them off further. It’s their stress, not mine.

[E-bmw]

Completely ignore & let them seethe more.

Worst case, if the road is busy, drop back to increase the gap above to enable slower braking if required by circumstances ahead.

[HocusPocus]

Draw the idiot right up close, then floor your smoky diesel to eject a thick black cloud.

Or maybe just chill.

[Super Sonic]

Chris Peacock said:

Brake check them while lobbing piss filled cans of redbull out the sunroof then floor it to teach them a lesson.

Ftty

[Super Sonic]

LesXRN said:

I find that a spray of the screenwash usually works, especially with the French. "Attention, eau savonneuse"

Ftty

[recordman]

If I get to a roundabout I'll do a 360 and this gets rid of them.

[sjc]

Debaser said:

It’s never an issue for me, I never seem to get tailgated.

Likewise,and I average circa 27-28k miles a year.Prob a couple of bad ones a year if that.

Edited by sjc on Sunday 23 June 17:35

[M4cruiser]

Another technique is to do a full circle of the next roundabout, back to your route. Signal right (late) on the approach, because they will try to squeeze through on your left, so don't signal until there's room for them to do that.

[Dog Star]

If on a motorway just drift slightly onto the white line in the right - don’t be obvious about it. Tgis kicks up tons of ste and gravel all over the tailgater. Since they’re usually in some flash new thing they back off quick - I suspect those who are in a lease car will be quite alarmed.

I like this solution as it’s non-confrontational. Brake testing etc is just going to end up with bother.

[jondude]

21TonyK said:

I am of an age now where I really couldn't give a fk what people behind want to do. If they behave like idiots then thats up to them as long as they don't drive into me.

Surely there was an opportunity for them to overtake?

That's also something I just cannot comprehend. There was but surprisingly often it is not taken, as in this example. I have no idea why at all, makes zero sense.

[kestral]

jondude said:

I have always just held a steady speed, sometimes pulled into a bus stop or layby.

However, on my drive home there is a new 20mph stretch on a previous 30, which has no escape routes for 2 miles or so. I have someone in a SUV being particularly silly, pretending to ram me, back off, then ram again. I have 22 mph on the sat nav and hold it.


Problem is I now realise I perhaps spend far too much time looking in the rear view mirror as up ahead an oncoming car is now heading straight for me as they have overtaken a cyclist - I see this late but manage to veer left and all is well.

I did not realise I was so fixated on the clown behind me.


But anyone care to share some tips for dealing with tailgaters and not least the very aggressive ones??

Slow down and let them go past.

[Monkeylegend]

I nearly always find that if I am driving in traffic and leave a decent gap between me and the car in front the car behind me does the same.

[Donbot]

In the car I ignore them.

On the motorbike I turn around and make brief eye contact. If that doesn't work I'll either overtake the vehicle in front (if there is one) or move over and let them past.

Far too many distracted idiots about to risk them punting me off.

[raspy]

I find that suddenly swerving your car (as if you are drunk) and zig zagging across the road gets tailgaters to back off immediately.

[xx99xx]

I usually get gradually slower so a) it makes it easier for them to overtake me and b) it winds them up a little bit more. It's mostly for b) though. That's if I'm bothered enough to acknowledge them being there. Usually I just ignore as it's not my problem.

[doogalman]

I will often just slow down.

[Narcisus]

Jimjimhim said:

Narcisus said:

In my experience pull in and let them go at the earliest opportunity to be someone else's problem anything else risks stupendously mental behaviour from them. It's just not worth it.

Just ignoring the nutters doesn't always work they just get more and more wound up.

Edited by Narcisus on Sunday 23 June 15:46

And what if they do get more wound up? That's their issue.

Until it becomes your issue when they do a daft overtake then slam the anchors on….

Is it really worth it ? You would risk your car getting smashed up or some nutter jumping out with a hammer ?

Tells me all I need to know

[cslwannabe]

Drive bang on the speed limit (assuming safe to do so). Had it on Friday, in a 30mph zone complete with speed camera signs. Maybe they knew better - it wasn’t an area I normally frequent and if I’m usually pretty disciplined about not speeding in 30/40/50 limits, so wasn’t going to be bullied otherwise. Luckily I didn’t need to perform any emergency stops while being tailgated by a Kia SUV (or whatever it was) as although my car is pretty old, it stops better than my last 3 daily cars (2x Golf Rs and an M135). I did wonder if they were going to the same place I was (an after school pickup), however they weren’t as it happens.

On a DC or motorway, just let them past when it’s convenient, even if it means lifting off momentarily. Give them free rein to tailgate someone else, so you don’t have to worry about them crashing into the back of you.

[glennjamin]

Generally don't let them bother me, If they continue and I get pissed with them I keep foot on throttle and jab the brakes with left foot. This does the trick maintaining the speed but they panic thinking I'm braking