Why do people tailgate?

[Drago]

No, but a diagram might clear things up!

 

[Katherine]

I'm sure you are using your imagination.

 

[tyred]

He's led a sheltered life, bless him.

 

[ColinJ]

I don't drive so I have never experienced tailgating as a driver, but I have experienced it as a cyclist many times. The worst ever was at 40 mph downhill, with a driver accelerating his car to within a foot of my back wheel. I would almost certainly have been killed if anything had gone wrong.

What can one say ... aggressive idiots don't stop being aggressive idiots when they get behind the wheel of a car!

 

[ColinJ]

And idiots who are not brave enough to be aggressive face to face suddenly become very brave when protected by a metal cocoon!

 

[totallyfixed]

The kind of car I am driving is of no consequence, observing others it doesn't seem to matter. The bit I am failing to understand is [from experience] rational, intelligent, well mannered people change when they get behind the wheel. I have 2 theories, the first is that it is just a reflection of a selfish society in general, the other is that people have no excitement in their lives any more and driving their car like a maniac is some kind of substitute or adrenaline release if you like.
In an incident the year after our car accident, a car was behind me on an empty country road driving very aggressively and very close, I slowed down a bit but there wasn't really a safe place for [him] to pass but he went for it anyway, I had to brake to save him from himself. I sounded my horn and flashed my headlights, he gave me the finger to which I replied in kind. He then stopped suddenly and got out of the car, I thought, oh goody we can have a chat, I also got out of the car at which he changed his mind, got back in and quickly drove off. I only wanted to educate him.
If I drive at 30 mph in a 30 mph zone I inevitably end up with a queue of vehicles behind me generally all tailgating each other, I am a mobile speed bump. If people didn't tailgate there would be no "phantom" jams on the motorways, these are caused by brake lights from driving too close, sigh.

 

[Fnaar]

I show them the brake lights if they are tailgating me on the motorway... they can f off... I'm the one driving safely

 

[Fnaar]

Miss Goodbody says she often gets the finger if she shows her displeasure when being tailgated.

 

[NorthernDave]

If I'm doing the speed limit and someone is tailgating me then they have the problem. A simple touch on the brake pedal to put the brake lights on, whilst maintaining speed (not a brake test!) is usually sufficient to remind them to back off.
If they want to get past then that is up to them, and I will do what I can to accommodate them but I won't be bullied out of the way.
I bought a dashcam, which is always on just in case.

 

[Spinney]

If I'm doing the speed limit and someone is tailgating me then they have the problem. A simple touch on the brake pedal to put the brake lights on, whilst maintaining speed (not a brake test!) is usually sufficient to remind them to back off.
If they want to get past then that is up to them, and I will do what I can to accommodate them but I won't be bullied out of the way.
I bought a dashcam, which is always on just in case.

Does that film folks behind you, though?

 

[Oldbloke]

I was on the autoroutes in France earlier in the week. The outside lane was stuffed with cars going at 130 kmh. You could barely put a bus ticket between each of them. Utterly terrifying to watch. The UK may be bad, but over there they are barking.

It's rare that I don't get tailgated each time I drive, seems to be worse here in the northwest of France.
This happens on empty roads, many times I've pulled over to let some nutter past and they slow down too...then decide to overtake on the brow of a hill or a bend with no sight of the exit.

It's not restricted to certain groups, last week there was a woman in a people carrier full of young children sat about a metre from my rear at 90 kph.

 

[s7ephanie]

makes me want to slam my brake lights on !!!

 

[Dave 123]

I was driving into Hardwick from Toft earlier with a big old Jag up my arse. There was a car 30yds in front of me. The Jag unglued itself from my rear bumper and overtook but then sandwiched himself between me and the other car. He couldn't get past the other one, so I gave him a full demo of my lights, on, off, on, off etc. he didn't enjoy this apparently. Had he stayed behind me......

Once people get behind a wheel their car is their space and they think that nobody should stop them, their space then extends beyond their car.

 

[howard2107]

1. Because they think they are better drivers than they are and can read the road better than the average driver.
2. Because they want to intimidate you out of the way.
3. Because the they think they are more entitled to be on the roads and you are impeding their important and necessary fast progress.
4. They do not think it will end in an injury as cars are 'very safe these days'.

And because they are dickheads.

 

[NorthernDave]

Does that film folks behind you, though?

It's generally pointing forward, but it's no trouble to flick it round to look towards the rear if needed - I did that when I had 44-tonnes of idiot sitting on my back bumper in a 50mph stretch of the M62.

If i were that way inclined I could post footage of idiot drivers virtually everyday, but life's too short. It's there recording evidence if an incident genuinely happens, but if it's just idiocy then I just tend to forget it and move on.