Some drivers...

I was driving on a 2 lane hwy. and going just over the speed limit(100km/h). Some guy in a big 4x4 comes up behind me and is pratically right on my bumper. I speed up till I'm going about 110Km/h and this guy stays right on my bumper if not even closer. Normally I'd just pull over into the right lane but this guy was being an idiot. He did finally go in the right lane to pass me but slowed down right beside and appeared to screaming at me and frantically waving his finger at me. I just gave him the finger right back. He was pulling a jet ski on a little trailer. Maybe I should have just brake checked him when he was behind me or really slowed down. I've got no use for drivers like that. What would you have done? Dave

I"d have moved to the right lane and let him pass. I hate for someone to pass me on the right. There is an old saying concerning passing. It goes "left side right side, right side suicide. rw

I screw with those people, if they persistantly ride my bumper, i wait until the try and pass then speed up and match em. Hapens pretty often, my 82 F-100 doesnt accelerate like it use to.

It is great to have them move on away from me. That way I am not directly involved in the accident they will have.

There"s no cure for tailgaters. they don"t understand things like brake checks, slowing down, speeding up. Many will give you an angry response if you pull over to get them to pass. If you do get them passed you, watch, they"ll be on the bumper of the guy ahead of you in a very short time..... They"re idiots, and there"s no cure for idiots.

(driver ed teacher with 37 years experience.)

About fifteen years ago I pulled on to the Hwy making a left turn. It is a two lane with real wide shoulders, and you can see for 1/2 mile each direction. A car was speeding from behind me, and I know enough not to get in their way so I pulled on to the right shoulder and spit a few rocks doing so.

The car had three big college age dudes in the car, and they flipped me off. I had been shooting the pistol that afternoon, and the pistol was laying on the seat BESIDE ME. I leveled it at their face, and said the f-bomb word.

I did not pop off one, but I will bet they retink the finger flapping next time. The look on their faces ---priceless!

The only time I'd be doing 110 is in the tandem... 'cause that's where the 'puter shuts the fuel off.
If I was behind you and in a hurry, I'd be going by at the earliest oppertunity, left, right or otherwise.
My patience really wears thin for those who like to speed up when I try to pass. Those are the ones that I WILL tail gate... because I can just about guarantee you that I won't flinch first.

Also good to keep in mind that someone who deliberately slams on the brakes and gets hit by a tailgater... is probably going to wear the accident.
It's one thing if you had to stop and they hit you. It's another thing if you do so deliberately to scare someone...
I generally keep my distance except for those who choose to screw with me.

Rod

I am assuming your in Canada as you say Km/h. The law says here slower traffic keep right and you are not to pass on the right side.Maybe you need to be a little more courteous and drive on the right like most people. You probably didn't want to drive on the rougher side of the highway.That always ticks me off when I am driving a semi and someone does that to me. If your going to make a left hand turn that's a diffrent story.

Ray, I agree.. I drive a fair bit on several interstates.. Some drivers like to hang right on to the bumper of my dually. No traffic in the left lane but they will not pass.I can speed up to 75, and then down to 45, they just hang there. After 10 or 2 miles, I sometimes pull over on the shoulder, so they have to pass, I often see a ragged car, no tags, freaky-looking driver, etc. My theory is that some drivers like to hide behind a larger vehicle, thinking the police will not notice them.. Just a theory of mine..

I hate slow drives.They usually get upset if you pass them and sometimes try to block you.It's like they are trying to force you to drive slow also.It's usually some looser in a junk car that jealous of anyone in a nice vehicle.I went through a school zone last week 20 mph behind and old pickup.After we went past the 20 mph flashing lights this guy was still driving 20mph.When i went to pass him he floored it when i got beside him.I floored my truck to and got ahead of him about a truck link and pulled back in.He was really mad,at the next light he pulled up beside me in the wrong lane (opposite direction traffic) and started yelling.I just ignored him.

I pull into the slow lane and let them pass.Usually see them at the next light. My first car was a 1955 Ford Eairlane coupe. Fun and games,party party,new set of tires lasted two months.

Since I was doing the speed limit already I speeded up a little more and would have pulled into the left lane had he not been glued to my bumper. I thought maybe if I was doing 110 he'd be happy. It's not my problem if I'm going the speed limit and someone else is in a big hurry. 9 times out of 10 when that happens, you pull along side them at the next light. If I was going under the speed limit I could understand him being mad at me but I wasn't. A tap on the brake pedal to show your brake lights could be a good warning you don't like being tailgated. Tailgating is not a good practice, especially at hwy. speeds. I think you should give the person in front some space and enough time to move over for you. Dave

now your tellin 2 storyies wich lane were you in RIGHT OR LEFT it makes a diffrence you know

If I'm already over the speed limit, why? Had the guy not been right on my bumper I would have changed lanes to let him by. He was trying to intimidate me in his "big" truck but it didn't work. I gave him a taste of his own medicine. I could have slowed right down and held him up even more. Dave

Yep know what you mean! Spend 4 hours fighting Northeners on my way to Charlestron who think I should get out of their way because as one driver told me at the rest area "You are just a hick South Carolinian who doesnt know how to drive for sheet!" Funny thing is, he was the one riding my bumper for 20 some odd miles and I finally tapped the brakes at the right time and I guess it scared enough to have to follow me into the rest area, if you get my drift.

Not trying to start anything, but you were lucky that nothing happened. They could also have had a gun. In Wisconsin, that would land you in prison as it is a felony to deliberately point a gun at someome. All they have to do is get your licence number and your life will never be the same again,

If I'm in the mood to go, you don't ever see me at the next light...
If traffic is bad I usually just sit back anyway as there's nowhere to go anyhow... but if there's open road I pass and I'm long gone by the time you get to the next light.
I don't bother getting mad about anything; don't understand that. I also don't understand why so many people have to sit there and set the pace for everyone else...
If you want to take your time, fine. Drive in the slow lane...

Rod

I go my speed let them tailgate, then they pass and if they flip me off I just smile and wave! The ones that get me are the ones that have to pass really bad and then have to slow down to turn!

Or I could be passing you back while your ticket is getting written up. I've seen that a few times as well. It's not like it's the autobahn with no speed limit. Dave

My wife has observed that most who are in a hurry to get there just kill time after they do get there. I have noticed that no matter how fast I drive I am still 24 hours older at the end of the day.

10-12 yrs. ago when i was working had a young gal pull out of the same road every morning get right on my bumper all the way to work about 20 miles i got scared if i ever had to stop quick she would wind up under my 1 ton. one morning met 2 young state troopers srarted pointing over my shoulder. they turned around and pulled her over i went back to talk young trooper said we didn't know what you were pointing at we couldn't see her tell we went by that's to close

I drive vehicles with manual transmissions. All I do is down shift. No brake lites. They back off real quick

You said 2 lane highway, do you mean 2 lanes on each side or 2 lanes total? From the content of your email I assume 4 lanes total or a divided highway with 2 lanes on each side. If this is the case my driving practice is to stay in the right hand lane until I come up behind a vehicle that is going slower than I am. At which point I pull into the left lane (fast lane) and pass them then when I'm a safe distance in front of the vehicle I just passed, I pull back into the right hand lane.
I was always told this was the proper way to drive on a 2 lane hwy. It would also seem to be the courteous way to drive.

If you were talking about a hwy with 2 lanes total then this guy really was an idiot and I can not tolerate tailgaters! It serves no purpose other than trying to be intimidating and really gets under people's skin.

Please clarify.

Unlikely...

First time it happened to me that I got ticked off enough to do something I was drafting a semi in my 55 Chevy on I-26 on my way home from Charleston, SC for the weekend. It was something I did about every other weekend and I knew from experience that running with the trucks on the interstate was the fastest way to get from point A to point B and back especially since they always seemed to know where all of the cops were. Long story,short, the guy raced up and cut in between me and the truck, which wasn't cool to begin with, but was made even worse when he immediately braked hard and slowed down causing me to have to brake to nearly a stop to keep from hitting him. So, I changed lanes and went around him and resumed my place behind the truck. This happened four times before I got really steamed. The very next time I left more space between me and the truck for acceleration room and when the guy got at my back corner I down shifted and floored it. I could go from 4th back to third and bark the tires at 100 so it wasn't hard at all to do at 70 and get a massive speed boost. With the speed I got over in front of him and slowed to about 35. Everytime he tried to get past me for the next 10 miles or so I speed up and got back in front of him and slowed down and made sure he couldn't get past. He finally got off at an exit, whether he was tired of me playing with him or not I don't know. What I do know was that old 55 would run around 150 MPH (best I could tell from the tach as the speedo toppped out at 135)so not to many guys out there cared or maybe had the cajones to mess with me at top end.

The next time was on the way back up to Norfolk on I-85. That time the guy was riding the rear of my sisters Mustang so close I couldn't see his lights in the mirror. My foot never left the gas but shen I touched the brake enough to make the lights come on. From what I could see in the rear view he nearly ditched his car trying to slow down and still maintain control.

The way I see it too many drivers are passive to the extreem and that has it's place. Still people like the idiots we're talkin about are the ones that tend to get innocent people killed by being stupid..... Sooo,
personally I have no problems messing with them in hopes of maybe, just maybe teaching them a lesson before they kill some innocent kid that just got their license and has neither the skills nor any clue how to give them a taste of their own medicine.....Disclaimer... The times I've done this me and the idiot in question were usually the only cars around so, no, I don't do it unless I'm in a situation where I know the only people involved are me and the idiot in question...

150mph in a 55 Chevy? Sounds like quite the car!

135fan, If you drive in the left lane on a four lane highway and impede the traffic flow you can get a ticket here in the states. It makes no difference if you are driving the speed limit or not.
The way I am reading your post is that YOU blocked traffic flow BECAUSE YOU ARE THE speed monitor for all of the other drivers on the road. THEN you get mad because you got flipped off.
BE glad that is all you got.

If you show aggression to another driver here and they get your license# and report you, you get a ticket etc based on the severity. I was passing a string of trucks one morning driving about 100 mph (I was) and had a guy right on my bumper blowing and flashing lights. Soon as I got over, he started shaking his fist and mouthing something. I smiled and held up my handy like I was taking his picture. He went kinda blank and took off almost running over another car. Sure he had a miserable few weeks until he realized he wouldn't be contacted.
Someone was tailgating a lady with 3 kids in the car a few years ago. She got nervous and tried to get back in the right lane too soon and her and the kids were wiped out by a truck. Tailgater was charged with manslaughter as soon as they figured out they couldn't stick him with murder.

Dave

Only problem with that one is , If tailgating too closely tailgater wouldn't be able to see that "black dog " on the highway he hit his brakes for.
Very hard in court to prove there wasn't one.

I don't think any kind of aggressive driving should be tolerated.
Too many people forget that driving is a privilege.

I break the law by running 3 mile over posted speed limit on the big roads. I get pi$$ed at those that run past waving their half peace sign cause in driving too slow.

Me being a CDL driver till retirement , seen many interesting challenges in one day.

I did try to approach them in a professional manor. Let em be, cause new ones will come tomorrow.

It's also courteous to give someone a chance to move over. I speeded up and was going to change lanes but this guy didn't even give me time to check the other lane. I wanted to have a safe distance so I didn't cut someone off in the other lane. 4 lane divided hwy. but not a major hwy. only about 20 miles from the city to another town. If the guy hadn't have come up on me and practically pushed me out of the way, I would have changed lanes. He never even gave me a chance. I'm surprised he never honked. For most people in a big hurry, they just pass you. Instead this guy pulled beside me and was waving his finger like a flag in a wind storm. This confirmed to me that he was just an idiot in a hurry. I think I was justified in holding him up. Dave

It was a 55 2dr 210 series, handiman wagon with a 283 and a 4 speed Saginaw. Honestly we got lucky on the build and got way more power than we expected. I never had it dynoed but we had a friend give us a cam out of an old Vette and a set of power pack heads to go with it. Then it was topped with an Edelbrock intake and nothing more than a 450 Holley spread bore. I took it to the strip in Suffolk, VA once and ran in the low 13's in the quarter mile. It was my first legal drag racing so my light times sucked. I was hoping to cut a good light and maybe get into the high 12's but my LAST run I cut a great light but the result was I blew the spider gears in the origional rear. That resulted in a long, cold wait in near total darkness waiting for someone to go get a trailer.....None of us expected to break anything so we were stupid/over confident/cocky... and didn't bring one with us.... But the weak link of the OEM the rear got taken care of later.

The night I topped her out, or rather ran out of carb from what I could tell, Me and a buddy were headed down I-40 out of Hickory, on a long straight stretch, about 2 o'clock one morning. Some guy in a new 'sports car' was messing with me wanting to race so, since there was no one else in sight, I oblidged him. The last I remember was seeing his lights start to fall behind me as I pegged the speedo, and then watched the electric wipers start climbing up the windshield by themselves until they finally stopped about half way. Can't remember the calculations but I remember I was turning around 4500 RPM when I pegged the speedo and was turing around 6500 when I finally backed off so it worked out somewhere between 150 and 155. Either way it was the fastest I have ever been in a car, and Man What A Rush. Even so I never got it up that fast again since, to be honest, it scared me. To have a car that heavy feel like it's floating on air really increases your 'pucker factor'...Unlike my buddies Vette, that he had clocked at nearly 170, the old 55's just didn't have the ground effects to go that fast and retain enough of their grip on the road to do it too often or in any other way other than a straight line. OH well I guess we were all young and dumb once.....It's learing how dumb that we were that has allowed us to get older without killing ourselves...LOL

I was already speeding. I didn't even have time to check if it was safe to change lanes. That's why I speeded up even more. The guy stayed right on my a$$ so I stayed where I was. Is it so hard to accept that some drivers are just idiots and figure the roads are only for their use? I had a left turn coming up in about a mile. Speeding is illegal. I cannot see any judge siding with people breaking the law. Impeding traffic flow by driving too slow, yes but not when you're already over the speed limit. What do mean, be glad that's all I got? I could have slammed my brakes on for a second or just took my foot off the gas and p'd him off even more. Dave

135fan, what I ment by "be glad that"s all you got". He could have had a gun or just ran you off the road. Life is too short to risk it over a pi$$ing contest over who is right on the road rules.

He didn't know me. What if I had had a gun or something or slammed my breaks on? He probably would have jack knifed his little trailer and left a mangled jet ski on the hwy. I wanted to go in the other lane but wanted to do it safely. There was some other traffic. I think in his case it was kind of like someone on their way home after watching some drag racing or something. They figure they're drag racers on the way to where they're going. Dave

You keep saying you were going more than the speed limit however, if you are doing 90 mph and Im doing 96 mph.. that makes you slower traffic and in my state the law states slower traffic keep right.

Learn to drive. The left lane is for passing no matter what speed you are going. If you didn't have time to check after you passed someone, you weren't paying attention. I agree with others, I can't stand people who think they are the world's speed monitor. You deserved the finger.

The law breaking speeders will try to take that finger you are pointing and point it right back at you. Satan works that way and that's how the law breakers work. Like an unfaithful spouse they will reason why they are just and you aren't no matter the situation.

They will claim "you think you own the road". I say they are endangering my life and my families life if we are on the road with an idiot speed demon and in truth they think THEY own the road and that you should just stay out of their way. I never forget who the law breaker really is. They can try and blame me but I and God already know.

Why were you in the left lane? Unless you are passing get in the right lane - its the law in most states - basic driving rule in all states.

Had a buddy in the Navy. That had his brake lights hooked up to a switch. Anyone that got close got the lights turned on. Saw a lot of cars with a lot of smoke coming from the tires.

So let me get this straight....YOU were being an obnoxious road hawg, camping out in the passing lane and being a butthead by NOT getting out of the way, and you have the audacity to criticize the other guy? And then you post that on the internet, expecting someone to agree with you? You're a real piece of work, you know that....

I gently slow down for tailgaters. Usually, as soon as they finish their cell call, they'll either back away, or pass and go on about their business.

It's foolish to slam on the brakes to retaliate for the percieved injustice of someone tailgating you.

I agree with those who said you should have been in the driving lane. That guy would have passed you without notice, but instead you've been upset for several hours, and he's probably on some other board right now, griping about your driving habits.

Sometimes we take things too seriously. Myself included.

Cheer up - it's over.

Paul

I understand what Dave is saying about moving back over to right and because someone prevents you from safely doing this you stay in left lane. I drive truck and have for over 30 years with millions of (accident free & ticket free) miles under my belt "only by the grace of God". Many fools out there but why be another one by letting them bring you down to there level, just say oh well and go on. Why let someone make you mad and screw up your day. Trust me I do know how hard that is sometimes. Also I do have a question to the 150 MPH 55 driver. The friend you said you have or had is he imaginary too.

I can sympathize with your frustration and anger, I"ve been there many times myself. Sorry, but by staying in the left lane so long you were in the wrong much more than the other guy was.

At a mile before your turn you had plenty of time to have pulled into the right lane, let the other guy pass you and return to the left lane with plenty of time to make your turn. Instead you tried to teach "that other a__hole" a lesson and became one yourself. Leave the law enforcement to the police and worry about your own driving first.

A couple of months age I took the "Minnesota 55 and Alive" driver refresher course, only to get the 10% insurance discount. It was an eye opener. The coure used the "AARP Driver Safety Program" material. It"s very easy class to take and it"s informative. The three things that stuck out for me were:
1. Pay attention,
2. Know the laws and obay them, and
3. Be courtious just like we all expect the other guy to be too.

The class is available as a workbook or online to anyone at www.AARPDriverSafety.org for $20, $16 if you are a member. Your state may have a similar program or additional discounts.

Good luck and drive safely.

I almost always slow down for tailgaters. I figure that I'd better have enough space to stop for both of us, since they probably won't see stopped traffic ahead of me.

As to rude drivers gesturing at me, I have concluded that not making eye contact helps. If I don't know what I might be offended by, how can I be offended?

All in all, it's a no-win situation most of the time and a person just has to let it go.

Christopher

Weather you like or hate Michael Savage, I agree with his stand point on never getting into a battle with the finger on the road. You don't know the other guy's situation. His wife could have just left him, just got served papers on a tax lein on his house, and found out a couple days before he has terminal cancer. One gunshot is all it takes. It happened in Des Moines a couple years ago. A woman got shot in her car driving on I 235 by her soon to be ex husband. The EX just got sentenced to prison recently...

I read this before I went and drove a dump truck this morning.On my first load I was following another truck who knew the way.We always do that.They have different jobs,the boss tells one driver and there were 5 of us following.I was the second truck.Suddenly out of a side street, a woman driving a Ford Ranger cut right in front of me.Of course she had to drive right in front of me all the way across town,maybe 4 miles.She was doing an irritating 25 mph and the speed limit was 30.There is no room to pass,I have 60,000 pounds anyway and it would take a mile probably,not possible in town.Well by the time we got across town,the lead truck was about out of sight,the young guy wasnt looking back I guess,but I closed the gap to where just before the turn I caught him.
I got to thinking,I read somewhere that some kinds of tires,with the same numbers on the side of the tire can be an inch or 2 shorter,especially if you buy them at Wal Mart or some cheap place.I dont know how they getb away with doing stuff like that,but they do.I had a car to get inspected a while back,and if the inspector looks,if the tires have different numbers it wont pass.I had a 215 75 14 and a 205 75 14 on the other side,but they were the same height.I ended up buying 2 tires to get 2 with the same numbers,the same height.
Driving a big truck I constantly saw this.Car in the hammer lane going 5 mph slower than the rest of the traffic,probably with the cruise set.If you have put smaller tires on,and talking Kilometers,which is roughly half the speed as MPH you could easily be reading 10 kilometers fast.Plus unless you were driving a tractor/trailer or something that slows down slow,or if there was heavy traffic,you have no excuse for being in the hammer,passing,show off,lane a mile before a turn.Driving a tractor/trailer I see that all the time,especially a woman,driving 5 miles,in the hammer lane,and then slow to nearly a stop,to take a turn I can take at 110 mph in a REGULAR CAR.100 kilometers is only around 60 mph,I dont know or care what the speed limit is in Canada anyway.Its 70 mph in most places here unless you are in a city,and some states are 75 maybe even 80 on turnpikes.Driving a big,slow,truck,I have had lots of people give me gestures,some times funny,usually mean,but I seem to notice it was around cities usually.After driving through Chicago all morning I would be in a bad mood too.Maybe not mad enough to flip somebody off,but mad enough to make up a couple of cuss words to call them.

As others already told you,your best response to the finger is to not see it.I know it makes you mad.Ive been so mad before I had to pull over and do my log book and let an idiot go on down the road.

You dont ever want to cause a wreck.You were saying you thought you would slam on your brakes and brake check him.That is a real bad attitude to have on the highway,and it can get you or somebody else,killed.A woman did that a while back,slammed on her brakes in the hammer lane and caused a pileup in Virginia I think it was.Amazingly she wasnt hit,and left the scene,with people killed,big trucks overturned in the median.Witnesses got her license plate number and the cops got her.Prison time for her.20 years if I remember correctly.It was in a magazine called Truckers News a few years ago.

Hey just because somebody flipped you off,you dont brake check him!If the Highway Patrol sees you doing that and you probably will get a ticket at least,and maybe loose your license,and if you cause a wreck,your life is going to change,probably are going to jail.

You dont say what you were driving,but some cars, GM I think,came out of the factory with the speedometer set 5 MPH fast.Because they couldnt get good enough gas mileage to pass some rule the government set up,so they speeded up the speedometer to help gas mileage.It sure is irritating trying to make time and some guy is driving his Blazer down the Interstate,right next to a Yellow Freight with a governor set at 60,and the speed limit 70, and a mile of traffic piled up behind the dummy who doesnt know his vehicle is running slower than the speedometer says.Plus if you get in the passing lane ,you pass.They will write a ticket for obstructing traffic if there is a mile of cars behind you and the speed limit is 70 and everybody except you, are going 75.You go with the flow,as best you can.You dont block the passing lane,but people do it way too much nowdays.If the guy was in the right lane,and you couldnt get over,as long as nobody was behind you,then it would have been time to slow down and get behind the guy in a hurry.Usually they just want you to get out of the way so they can go.Exchanging fingers is a dumb thing to do.Even looking over there is asking for trouble.

One day my wife and I saw on the other side of the Interstate in Iowa,2 guys fighting in the median!Having a CB,Ive seen truck drivers get into an argument,pull over and get into a fight.Usually what happens is the big mouthed guy will try and back down when hes not on the radio.

Unless you were totally right,and knew it,you might have been going 10 or 15 kilometers slower than him,and when you speeded up,maybe by then he didnt care what you did,he was mad and you were making it worse by driving irratically.Thats irritating to cars behind you because they cant tell what you are doing,or going to do next.

You drive in the driving lane,like you are supposed to,if you need to pass you get in the passing lane and pass,if you need to turn,you figure a safe distance from your turn,ease over,slow when you need to, with your turn signal on,and you will have few people flipping you off.If thats not good enough for them,your best bet is to hope they go on down the road.Lots of people have guns and road rage is not a good idea to promote,either side of it.You might be bringing nothing to a gun or knife fight,that you got into over somebody flipping you off.Ridiculous!

That you even thought of Brake Checking him shows that you are not much better than he is,maybe worse.An old truck driving trick is to turn on your head lights and maybe the tailgater will think you are braking.Ive even had the brake lights wired to a toggle switch where I could switch it on any time.I really liked switching on my brake lights when somebody was following too close at night,and then speed up as much as I can.A lot of times they are drafting,which is dangerous.
You need a toggle switch that lights up when its on,so you arent driving down the road for hours with your brake lights on.Flip it on,speed up,flip it off after a little while so it looks as if you are braking.

It's nice to know that a professional driver and a driving instructor could understand what I was saying. The guy must have been doing at least 130km/h because the only way to get behind me was after a detour because of a new overpass. I was about 4 miles from the detour and there was no one behind me for those miles. I wasn't going to slam my brakes on. The guy wasn't tailgating me, he was closer than if I had been pulling a trailer! I had just passed cars in the right lane and saw him in my mirror. It was kind of scary that he came up so fast and was so close to hitting me. My first instinct was to speed up so I wouldn't be rear ended. I didn't want to cut someone off in the right lane and didn't have time to put my signal on and do a proper shoulder check. For people that can't understand, I guess you had to be there. Dave

You don't need to put a toggle switch on a car to get brake lights to work without actually braking. You just give the pedal a slight tap. That's all it take to flick your brake lights but you can still cause an accident by flicking your brake lights on. The other guy driving might slam his brakes when he sees your brake lights come on. Not a smart move. You may cause a deadly accident.

My Impala is right on the money for speed. I've checked it against my brother rice grinder Honda and also I wouldn't buy anything at Walmart, especially tires.

Half the drivers in the U.S. seem to think you can drive in the left lane and just stay there. That dosn't make it right. The left lane is for passing. If you have to pass a car on the right you risk him pulling over on you. I have driven a lot of miles (ex trucker) This seems to be the cause of a lot of road rage. As you found out.