Tailgating vehicles on the road.

[Hover Fly]

the vehicle in front putting on their brakes to demonstrate what happens when the car behind is too close... they go into the back of the car in front.

...or maybe some type of James Bond gadget in the boot... if a car starts pestering you from behind, fire a huge gt metal bar into their engine

Back in the days when I had ready access to such things, I often thought of rigging up a smoke grenade under the boot with a run of bowden cable from just besides the handbrake to the grenade's pin.

 

[MontyVeda]

Better still momentarily switch on your lights they give the impression of braking without contributing to any gap closure.

good thinking that man!

 

[Archie_tect]

Just buy yourselves a Cadbury Caramel and relax more....

 

[swansonj]

Maybe they are not impatient at all. Just drafting off the car in front. Save a buck.

I had to drive on work today. I did extensive stretches at greater than 80 mpg average by choosing a large, slab like lorry that was doing a constant 60 mph, and tucking in behind it as close as I dared. It's particularly useful uphill, I find, on gradients where the fuel consumption would normally go down to 30 or 40 mpg I can still get 50 behind a lorry. But I only do it on fast, relatively empty roads, and even then I do not get too close - probably too close to stop if the lorry hits something solid, but not too close to be able to stop if the lorry merely stops under its own braking.

This has probably got nothing whatever to do with the OP.

 

[Sara_H]

If I'm being tailgated I tend to slow right down, that way, if the tosser does rear end me, the slower the better.

 

[Silver Fox]

Just pull over when it's safe to do so and let them blast away at their own speed. As for dabbing brakes to send a message when another car is right up your chuff, not the best thing to do unless of course you want to end up in or cause a collision.

 

[Night Train]

I have found that slowing down to increase my own 'safety buffer' brings on the flashing head lights and rude gestures. I still do it though.

Also not all tailgaters are wanting to drive faster, they seem to just want to tailgate. Even slowing right down on a dual carriageway I have found some drivers will rather tailgate me then use the empty lane 2 to over take.

I have found idiots and bottom orifices tend to tailgate a lot, though that could be an over generalisation....

 

[Archie_tect]

Just let them go, it's not worth the stress and then you're not concentrating properly on the road ahead. It's simpler to pull over and let the nutter past- people can't legally undertake and staying out in the overtaking lane, while deliberately braking and/or slowing down for the sake of it is obstructive unless the lane ahead is similarly obstructed by traffic. A policeman wouldn't be able to decide whether you or the tailgater caused an accident if witnesses saw you doing things like that.

 

[gavgav]

Tailgaters don't fluster me one bit in my car,i stick to what i'm doing or slow down more till they get the message to sod off my boot !

Spot on Skud, they have 2 choices with me, either overtake or sit there, as I am not going any faster for them!!! I find the odd bit of left foot breaking tends to be a deterrent as well, keeping the same speed but just pressing the brake enought to bring the brake lights on, without actually slowing down

 

[machew]

There was a problem with my first car, it enabled you to move the gear stick across the reversing gear gate when going forwards. If there was a car tailgating me, a quick flash of the reversing lights when doing 30mph soon got a bit of space behind

 

[Boris Bajic]

On A-Model Citroens (2CV, Dyane, Ami etc) the brakelight switch was mounted on a metal bracket on the pedal box.

I bent mine round until it completed the circuit as soon as I brushed the pedal.

It was jolly useful at dissuading tailgaters, although I suspect it was also puerile and unsporting behaviour.

 

[BigonaBianchi]

Tailgating is dam dangerous...in a car or on a bike. Why people do it is beyond me. On the m25 it's impossible to leave space though as as soon as you hang back somebody fills the gap.

Sometimes it's fun to tap my.breaks and watch.them.turn green in my rear view mirror.

 

[BigonaBianchi]

" I would like to devise some sort of pole that can be extended out of the front, with some powerfull electro magnets. Could latch onto the back of a big lorry, knock into neutral, switch engine off, and have a snooze.
"


...and wake up In hull!!!!

 

[BigonaBianchi]

[QUOTE 2403572, member: 9609"]Good point - would need ability to hack into lorries sat nav before choosing which lorry.

On a more serious point. I would imagine, when we progress to cars that can drive themselves, vehicles will be able to communicate with each other and will form themselves into long trains all tailgating each other for efficiency. Not linked together but enginge and braking management keeping a small but very precise distances apart -[/quote]

I think they are called trains

 

[Maz]

The RoSPA ADA recommends slowing down to increase your own safety buffer up ahead, and taking the first opportunity to allow the following vehicle to pass, e.g. by going twice round a roundabout. This is also gratifyingly irritating for the following vehicle (but RoSPA didn't say that bit).

And if they follow you twice round the roundabout, it's time to start worrying.