Tailgating

[Spadger2]

It seems to be a national sport these days and why is it nearly always young women who are the main players?
I'm mystified,you'd think with the stricter driving tests these days drivers would be more aware of the dangers?
It's not just car drivers either,I've witnessed some pretty stupid tailgating by motorcyclists on occasion,though those seem to be men.

[2112]

Yes, I see it on the way into and out of work. Its definitely getting worse too.

[Malfos]

One time driving the car whilst on holiday, I was being followed by a car which would not drop back, or overtake, despite me giving him plenty of options to do so ( he was towing a caravan). He was too close to my bumper for several miles, and was annoying me. I saw an off road lay by coming up,it turned out to be the sort that goes off the road for an extended distance, before rejoining the road, quite a bit further on. It was pot holed, and had a very rough, bumpy, dry surface. I indicated left,  quite close to the lay by, and turned off the road, sharply, in an attempt to shake off my tailgater, but was pursued at close quarters by the car/caravan combo which was bouncing up and down over the potholes, throwing up clouds of dust. I slowed and moved to the left of the wide lay by, and the car driver  then came past, turning his head to glare at me with a dirty,  accusing look, for presumably leading him off the road, where he did not want to go. He then carried on and rejoined the road.

[Upt North]

I've been driving a bit more just lately whilst Er'Indoors motor is off the road for repair, the tailgating tossers are everywhere.
If I'm driving on crap and ice covered roads I try to keep my speed down for a healthy safety margin.......just in case. I might be doing 50 in a 60 etc on a twisty crappy potholed country road. At that speed I may even be able to miss the pheasants and deer.
But yes, they just sit up your arris lights blazing and when you invite them to pass with a courteous indication, they do nowt, just sit there, complete muppets.
I think it's time to accept that most folks driving really haven't got a clue and have little or no interest in the job at hand. I'm obviously perfect.
Upt.

[Phild]

M42 through the roadworks….. with an HGV touching my bumper all the way…. every time I make the journey.

Yes, I am travelling at 50mph.🤷‍♂️

[NeilM]

I noticed this starting to happen more and more often a couple of years ago, mostly while on the bike and for a while I thought it was just happening to me.

It now happens so often it is staggering.

Last year I was tailgated by a nurse in a 20 mph zone in Bath, she eventually turned into an NHS site. A bloke caught me up in the arse end of nowhere up near Dartmoor, I was doing 60, he wanted to go MUCH faster in his Fiat Panda! I happily encouraged him pass and no more than a mile later I caught up with him in a village where he turned right onto a petrol station forecourt and parked up ... he must have REALLY needed some fags, or shopping or something. Also, on the way into Marlborough, when I was following an HGV (with no chance to pass), a bloke my age (mid 60's) in a VW Golf got so close I could watch his face getting angrier and angrier. He ended up pounding the steering wheel when we stopped at traffic lights.

In the car I don't like it, but as I have a large towbar on the back, I know what the consequences of any 'contact' will be. On the bike it scares the stuffing out of me.... because I know what the consequences of any 'contact' will be.

Malfos. Love the caravan story... and of course that he followed you into a lay-by he didn't want to go into was YOUR FAULT. 

[Joe Rocket]

Considering nearly all UK motorway traffic is used to bumper to bumper travel, town centres and retail parks are similarly concertinaed it's no surprise that most are used to reading where the registration plate was made for the vehicle in front. That doesn't excuse push habits of impatient drivers or just the 'why are you in my world?' attitudes.

Tailgating is a specific offence here in France, especially for lorries. I've used my hazard flashers to warn folk if I'm sure they're too close and often they pull back. Is it still the case that hazard flashers are only a stationary warning in the UK, I.e. not to be used in motion?

I too liked the caravan tale but that is a phenomenon of literally following the bloke in front, a sort of hypnosis! 

[Rusty Nuts]

We don't have hazard lights here, Joe. We have "I know I shouldn't park here but I'm not going to be long, I'm lazy and entitled and can't be arsed to park properly" lights.

[Sea-Strom]

Think yourself lucky if you live in England! Here in Wales with 20mph everywhere and half the drivers doing about 17mph, tailgating has become a national necessity. 30 mph in town....wow what a luxury. My advice if you don't like it, is ride your bike whenever you can to get round the slow brigade and to escape the boy racers up your behind ( ). A few taps on the footbrake usually gets the message to behind. Personally I enjoy the cut and thrust of town traffic and on the open road unless I'm up for a race, a left indicator to show I ain't playing, and they'll be gone.
But most of the time on the bikes, I'm 

[pichulec]

I have to admit I do tailgate sometimes but only if I am intended to overtake. Usually I am the one at the front and nobody is able to tailgate me as long as is doing speed limit or a 10mph over. I tend to overtake everything in my way (on the bike of course, car is different story). Hate to be behind someone as it is creating more danger for me than when I am in the front (sudden braking or weird manoeuvres). Guilty 

[Brockett]

Tailgating in the fog so as to know how far away is the car in front and being able to clearly see if it's brake lights illuminate. Hands up if you've never done that. Hmmm I thought so.

[Rusty Nuts]

Yeah, that's how I ended up in some stranger's drive.