Tailgating vehicles on the road.

[Linford]

Why?

What is there to gain other than trying to intimidate the other driver to get out the way/speed up?

IfI had a pound for every cyclist I've seen drafting another one on the road...

 

[DWiggy]

I once tailgated a tractor pulling a trailer full of hay barrels, ended up going down the road averaging 30mph

 

[screenman]

I live in the tailgating county of the UK, people driving up close behind tractors on a 7 mile long straight road what is that about, I carefully overtook a string of 6 cars last week on this road, all without breaking the speed limit.

 

[Linford]

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.

This works well until the lorry straddles something lying in the road (like a lump of concrete) and you don't. Even at a speed and distance which you might consider reasonable, your response time to seeing something appear in the road between the back wheels of the vehicle in front will most likely be less than your reaction time....as I found to my cost on my motorbike about 10 yearsa ago

 

[tyred]

Tailgaters often lack the necessary skill/nerve/imagination/engine power to overtake even when the coast is clear.

It is also the cause of long trains of cars behind a slow vehicle as they sit so close to whatever is in front but won't take overtaking opportunities and therefore make it awkward for anyone else to overtake because there is nowhere to go unless you can safely overtake both vehicles at once.

In short, they are poor drivers.

 

[GrasB]

Tailgaters often lack the necessary skill/nerve/imagination/engine power to overtake even when the coast is clear.

It is also the cause of long trains of cars behind a slow vehicle as they sit so close to whatever is in front but won't take overtaking opportunities and therefore make it awkward for anyone else to overtake because there is nowhere to go unless you can safely overtake both vehicles at once.

This is when having under you right foot >300bhp helps.

 

[jugglingphil]

Other than impatient drivers, I think a lot of drivers just look at the car in front (no further). So they drive as fast as they can up to boot of car in front and wait for it to move then repeat all the way home.
Obviously nothing to be gained except the increased possibility of crashing.

 

[simon the viking]

And be careful if you are the one tailgating a very slow car, sometimes dodgy people drive very slowly in cheap cars they have bought and insured specially... They then slam brakes on.. you hit them... they go to a doctor and claim whiplash. It DOES happen someone once admitted to me they had done it twice a couple of years apart and got a few grand each time... It took me all my time not to punch him

 

[tyred]

This is when having under you right foot >300bhp helps.

Some of us have to make do 60bhp

 

[compo]

And be careful if you are the one tailgating a very slow car, sometimes dodgy people drive very slowly in cheap cars they have bought and insured specially... They then slam brakes on.. you hit them... they go to a doctor and claim whiplash. It DOES happen someone once admitted to me they had done it twice a couple of years apart and got a few grand each time... It took me all my time not to punch him

I got an X reg Skoda that is coming towards the end of it's life. Why didn't I think of that?

 

[GrasB]

Some of us have to make do 60bhp

60bhp in a Fiat 'cento is still fairly rapid, especially if you happened to have dropped in a 1242cc Mk1 Punto engine with a '866' cam. 60bhp in a modern family hatchback however is a slothful beastie.

 

[tyred]

60bhp in a Fiat 'cento is still fairly rapid, especially if you happened to have dropped in a 1242cc Mk1 Punto engine with a '866' cam. 60bhp in a modern family hatchback however is a slothful beastie.

Peugeot 205 1124cc in my case. It's a very light car by modern standards and not slow if you keep the revs up.

Any time I drive a similar modern small engined petrol car, I am amazed at how sluggish they seem compared to mine, it's down to excessive weight I guess.

 

[snailracer]

This is when having under you right foot >300bhp helps.

Some of us have to make do 60bhp

The way to overtake is to pull out early so you have time to build up speed as you pass the car in front. Pulling out early also gives a better view of oncoming traffic, and you can always pull in and brake if oncoming traffic appears, because braking is always more rapid than accelerating.

 

[tyred]

The way to overtake is to pull out early so you have time to build up to speed to overtake the car in front. Pulling out early also gives a better view of oncoming traffic, and you can always pull in and brake if oncoming traffic appears, because braking is always more rapid than accelerating.

I agree 100% but for so many people, the overtaking procedure seems to have become sit so close the car in front that you can't see past it, haven't room to accelerate so spend the entire journey stuck there, then reach your destination whining about being held up by a slow driver.

 

[Maz]

Sometimes I think tailgaters are 'on tow'!