Tailgaters

[varminter]

Look, I know it's been posted before but what the fuck do you do about these bastards. Ok, yes I hear the "take off at 150kph" comments but I can't afford the fine and it shits me to go that fast, so far 130 is the fastest I've been. Anyway, where was I, oh yes, on way back from Taupo on Saturday (Rerewhakaaitu actually) and this shite was about one car length from me, almost impossible to see in my mirrors he was that close, I gave the prick plenty of room to pass and eventually he went on to do the same to the next person. And while I'm raving, WTF goes on with numpties who wait until nearly the end of the passing lane THEN pass and bloody near clip you. Must take the shotgun next time. Mutter, mutter.

[mattian]

I've tried everything..... flashing the brake light, slowing down.... weaving from left to right of my lane to block line of sight (that sometime forces them to drop back) I've even given them the dreaded Wave back.... which is often responded to with a rude gesture. Its just one of those things that you have to find your own way of dealing with it. Don't let it rattle you.... just stay calm. Now I just slow right down then take off and put a big gap between us.... if I can, I will put another car between us.

I had a particularly intimidating experience tonight, riding in the rain in the dark. Had a car following me waaaayyy too closely. Its not ideal but, its going to happen often, like I said before, you just have to find your way of dealing with it.

[YellowDog]

Just one of the many hazzards of being on two wheels.

Agree that it's pretty annoying.

[dogsnbikes]

As said can't do alot about it

just keep riding at your own pace and be alert to potential dangers

which it sounds like your already doing

[StoneY]

As said can't do alot about it

just keep riding at your own pace and be alert to potential dangers

which it sounds like your already doing

Yep you cant do other than ya did- do your thing- let the wanker go-:mellow:

Peace

[Maha]

If you are happy to ride at say 110-120 then stick to it. A short burst of around 140-150 (not sustained) will easily put 200mts between you and the car. Im with Dogs here, in that 'just keep riding at your own pace and be alert to potential dangers'. If it happens again you have a couple safe options.

The ones above or....
Pull over and let em' go.

[NighthawkNZ]

I have only done this once but ended up following one tail-gater to where they stopped next, dressed in full leathers and helmet still on, I came up to the prat who was driving, and said, "The next time, I see you tail gate anyone like that, not just a motorcyclist, I will follow again but I won't be yelling at you I will be arrested as you will be on the deck with a broken nose, and severe cuts and bruises because I have head butted you with the bridge of the visor across your nose... and while you are going down to the deck I will kicking the living shit out of you, making sure breaking every bone in your useless body... while I am doing I will be saying, This is what it would feel like if you were on the bike and to be run over because of some fuckwit tailgater could not stop in time... my arrest will be worth it because your useless corpse won't be on the road again where you could harm any one else"

The guy turned white as I walked away... and his misses was well, looking shit scared... will he tailgate any else again, not that day at lease... but most likely again the following day as people don't learn and are complete fuckwits

But I only have done that once... and I also had about 20 other bikers with me...:innocent:

The best thing is to let them pass you...

[CookMySock]

Split off the car in front of you. Generally I make a point of riding just a few km/h faster than the surrounding traffic. I find this gives me more command of the road, and allows me to take charge of situations as, or before they develop.

In the end, they can't really hurt you by following closely. I know it feels funny, but it doesn't really effect you. Ignore it.

Steve

[NighthawkNZ]

In the end, they can't really hurt you by following closely.

Only if nothing goes wrong and you don't need to stop in a hurry... you may be able to stop but they most likely are going to stop on top of you

[pzkpfw]

You need one of these, with length adjusted to correct following distance.

http://www.spacewar.com/images/ale-50-towed-decoys-bg.jpg

[CookMySock]

Only if nothing goes wrong and you don't need to stop in a hurry... you may be able to stop but they most likely are going to stop on top of youYou will usually find that people who follow very closely aren't looking at you - they are looking way ahead where you are looking, so usually they spot hazards ahead when you do.

Also, usually you don't have to stop - you can split past the hazard and ditch the tailgater in the process - this is my favourite trick - often leaving said tailgater fuming... haha! Get a motorbike!

I'm not saying its not dangerous or irritating - I'm just saying that often the riders' reaction to it causes more problems than it solves, and that things we imagine to be bad can cause our feelings to rise, to the point where we were safer if we had ignored it.


Steve

[slofox]

If it's bad enough, I will pull left and stop to let dorkface past...works every time...

[NighthawkNZ]

You will usually find that people who follow very closely aren't looking at you - they are looking way ahead where you are looking, so usually they spot hazards ahead when you do.


Wrong... I have seen tailgates squabbling with the person in the passenger seat, or yelling at the kids to shut up, even trying to change music or Cd, including chatting on the fucken cell phone... so you statement does not stand up... from experience most tailgaters are hardly looking at the road let along looking ahead...So, wrong...

[Elysium]

Hard to ignore a tailgater at night when their high beem lights are reflecting off your mirrors and into your eyes. :mad:

[ready4whatever]

bag of road spikes hidden between the tank and ya fairing

[MaxB]

I lot of it just laziness at night I'm sure. They want you to light up the road in front and just sit on your tailight, braking when you do.

Then if you pull over to let them by and rely on their driving ability you end up catching them up almost straight away.

And then there are those beyond help. Tonight I was cut off by a Previa full of people. In the following 3 km I watched as the driver blew through a stop sign, went on a red light and did 80 kmh though a 30kmh roadworks tailgating other drivers. When I caught up at a busy junction a sign on the tailgate read "Mayflower Chrisian Fellowship." Maybe they will meet their maker a bit sooner than they thought?

[CookMySock]

Wrong... I have seen tailgates squabbling with the person in the passenger seat, or yelling at the kids to shut up, even trying to change music or Cd, including chatting on the fucken cell phone... so you statement does not stand up... from experience most tailgaters are hardly looking at the road let along looking ahead...So, wrong...One event does not make a fact, from you or from I. I bet I have ten times the road experience you do though, so probably you shouldn't shoot your mouth off and put-down so readily. :shutup:

Steve

[Mikkel]

so probably you shouldn't shoot your mouth off and put-down so readily. :shutup:


BWAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAhahahahahahaha

[sunhuntin]

if possibile, i will pull over and force them to pass. the ones i hate are the ones in 100k zones who dont overtake on uphill passing lanes. my lil bike is gutless on hills. silly people.
once, in a 50k zone, i have slammed on the brakes and come to a dead stop in the middle of the lane, but the tail gater had nearly hit me a few mins earlier as i was turning left and she went straight through a stop sign on my right, both of us going the same direction.
by the time she realised what i was doing and reacted, i was already on the gas and moving away. i didnt even have time to put my feet down. she stayed back after that, but ive since had another near run in with her when i waited in the main street for a vehicle to back out of a park, and she decided it would be ok to overtake into oncoming traffic. stupid bitch. shes a customer i knew from bp and has a personal plate.

[SilverGrin]

One event does not make a fact, from you or from I. I bet I have ten times the road experience you do though, so probably you shouldn't shoot your mouth off and put-down so readily. :shutup:

Steve

Nearly every time you post, you're bagging someone.
Your advice was crap, you appear to know very little, yet you lambast others (and neg. rep.) for disagreeing with you.

For the record on tailgaters, what is it about pulling over and letting them past that is not to your esteemed approval?
Personally I thought it was very sound advice, and if you knew Nighthawk like many of us here do, your suggestion of having ten times his riding experience is ...well, laughable.

And please don't reply to me with foul language on my home page like last time I thought you were out of line, it says more about you than it will me.

[Jantar]

One event does not make a fact, from you or from I. I bet I have ten times the road experience you do though, so probably you shouldn't shoot your mouth off and put-down so readily. :shutup:

Steve

I'll take that bet. 10 times the road experience of NH? :laugh::laugh::laugh:

Look DB you are a novice, and from what I have seen on here you would be Dangerous Bastard to ride with.

[CookMySock]

LOL. I have been commercial driving for 25 years. I know exactly what I am talking about.

edit: when you hit 40,000 hours behind the wheel, come back and start a rational argument - you will be getting in the ballpark around about then.

Steve

[NighthawkNZ]

LOL. I have been commercial driving for 25 years. I know exactly what I am talking about.

edit: when you hit 40,000 hours behind the wheel, come back and start a rational argument - you will be getting in the ballpark around about then.



wow behind the wheel, with driving experience... didn't relise bikes had a wheel to sit behind. Come back to me with some Riding experience... and 40,000 hrs pfffttt is that all... I have seen some driving instructors that should not have a licence let alone instructing people, seems you are one of them.

[hayd3n]

LOL. I have been commercial driving for 25 years. I know exactly what I am talking about.

edit: when you hit 40,000 hours behind the wheel, come back and start a rational argument - you will be getting in the ballpark around about then.

Steve

i think ill make a billboard for this one

[hayd3n]

............................

[Virago]

One event does not make a fact, from you or from I. I bet I have ten times the road experience you do though, so probably you shouldn't shoot your mouth off and put-down so readily. :shutup:

Steve

It must be difficult to shoot your own mouth off, with both feet in there...

I think you should heed your own advice, before assuming such nonsense about the former owner of a successful courier business. NH's road skills would run rings around your ice-cream van.

[hayd3n]

It must be difficult to shoot your own mouth off, with both feet in there...

I think you should heed your own advice, before assuming such nonsense about the former owner of a successful courier business. NH's road skills would run rings around your ice-cream van.

wankers normally shoot in their own mouth lol

[Solly]

:jerry::jerry:
.......I think NH has it over you in this department.......in fact I think he was born with a bike stuck to his arse......

Now :Playnice:

[hayd3n]

:jerry::jerry:
.......I think NH has it over you in this department.......in fact I think he was born with a bike stuck to his arse......

Now :Playnice:

lol:Punk::Punk::Punk:

[Cookie Monster]

I'm gona add my 2 cents worth.....

Tailgaters Suck......

NH Rocks.......:Punk::clap::woohoo:

[Danae]

Lol. Anyways.

When I get tailgaters on the open road I just pull over and wave them past, and sometimes get the warning light "thank you" flash in return.

Tailgaters on busy city streets however...in the road code it says increase your following distance so you can take more time to slow down and stop in case of an emergency and decrease the chance of the tailgater rear-ending you.

I prefer to pull over and let them past though.

[NOWOOL]

I hate tailgaters. that said, I haven't had anyone tailgate me since I bought the Harley with it's screamin' eagle pipes. I know its kinda like playing 'wild hogs' but they probably think i'm a HA or somethin'. I will point out the observation that 'if its a sportsbike' my tendency is to keep up or show that my sportscar is faster: that might equate to what bikers go through. Sports and musclecars don't 'feel the need' to outdo a crusier.

[XRVrider]

If behind a line of traffic and with no passing lanes when you want em, and an uncomfortable prick up your arse, I slow down just gradually from 100kph to say 90ish then back up to 110, and back down to 90ish. Just do this very gradually and not enough to screw other drivers up but he'll be on the brake then accelerator, brake, accelerator etc.. after 5 mins they seem to drop back and give up, leaving a nice normal safe gap. If not they get first choice to pass when we hit a passing lane. That's in the car, on a bike I'm off round the slow ones and put distance between us, or wave em by, his missus could be having a baby.:D

Around these parts a while ago, we had the case of a tailgater who got closer and closer and he hit the car in front at 100kms and pushed him off the road. He didnt mean to hit him, just screwed up(friggin iriot). Jeez thats terrible huh, no room to react if something does go wrong in front of who he was following.

[gwigs]

Had a tailgating incident about 25 yrs back....
Not on a bike but a passenger in my girlfriends mini..
We were driving from Auck to Hamilton on the southern motorway late at night
In the outside lane.....no other cars on the road...then a large Valiant ranger starts tailgating...no one in the other lane he could have gone around us but no
he just sits up our arse...girlfriend slows down and he still stays on our arse...
she slows down even more..he still sits up our arse....by this stage my blood is boiling...told girlfriend to stop the car...she says no but I finally convince her to.
so there we are on the motorway no other cars around...i jump out of the mini
walk around the back of the car around to the drivers door of the Valiant...as I go past his bonnet I smashed my fist into it.Then I stood at this pricks door asking him in a most unfriendly manner to get out of the car so we can discuss
his aggressive driving:bash:
Gutless bastard was too scared to get out of the car when confronted by angry little man.Funny because he seemed pretty brave in his big car when he was tailgating a much smaller vehicle..
I just hope his wife sitting next to him saw him for the cowardly prick he was.
Any how I informed him if he didnt back up and fuck off I was going to kick his headlights in.....he backed up and fucked off....Im lucky it wasnt a car load of gang members though.....

P.S I dont recommend this kind of action though.....I was young and hot headed back then,:2guns:

[Jdogg]

In the car I like to use the window washers excessively with the wipers on high speed, they get the message pretty quickly if you do that for 5kms, on the bike either wave past if they are dodgy, if they are just someone keeping up a good clip, I will try and pick the pace up and make them earn it......

[madbikeboy]

Okay, I'm assuming the OP actually wants some advice.

On larger bikes, this is less of an issue. I have posted before now about a black Jeep who bullied a sports bike about a year ago - you sometimes get people who are irrationally agressive, and for whom, the tailgating is simply an expression of their desire to hurt you.

For the most part, if a brake tap doesn't get their attention (not meaning a hard out stop either), then you have two choices available - the point of this is to introduce space or safety margin around you.

Where you have an aggressive tailgater, I recommend being behind them where you will be out of danger. Find somewhere safe to pull into, I find a parked row of cars, and then dive left into the shadow, and brake. Let them roll on past, hopefully that's the end of it.

If you elect to speed up, normally the tailgater will do the same. I will 90% of the time, split past the car in front and give myself some defensive room. Better to have a cage tailgated, than a bike. If I'm on the open road, I'll normally find a nice big queue of cars, and split past to give myself good room.

Okay, if the tailgater is aggressive, then it's a no win situation. Having been in the position of being on the recieving end of badness, I tend to be a little more forward in making them understand the error of their ways. In the past, I have removed keys, and once, after a middle aged Fucktard tried hitting me (me being clad in leather and wearing a full faced helmet), I've settled the discussion with some percussive reinforcement. As I'm getting older, I realise that's a really dumb idea....

[tigertim20]

Im gonna chuck my 2c worth in too, I first try tapping the front brake lever, just enough so that the relay thingy for the light is activated, but the brakes dont quite bite, so the brake light flashes a couple times, failing that, if its an open road I am gone.
On a little bike, just pull over ASAP, you are way better having the munter miles ahead of you, so you can drive past his accident scene later on and say I told you so!!!.

as for DB, ummm, wow dude, hey, can we change your name to dangerous advice? lolz

[scumdog]

One event does not make a fact, from you or from I. I bet I have ten times the road experience you do though, so probably you shouldn't shoot your mouth off and put-down so readily. :shutup:

Steve

Know HightHawk well do you???<_<

[Madness]

I thought Ice-Cream vans were a no-go area on KB?

[hayd3n]

did someone say icecream?

[SMOKEU]

I usually give the tailgater the finger for several seconds and then take off, but only if I know I can get away.

[varminter]

Thanks for the heaps of interesting replies, I suspect that I'll continue letting the pricks pass (until I get the rear mounted bazooka), invariably they then go on to tailgate the next vehicle, I sort of assume they get close so they can continually play with the brakes.

[mattian]

I usually give the tailgater the finger for several seconds and then take off, but only if I know I can get away.

has that technique worked for you at all??

[normajeane]

In the car I like to use the window washers excessively with the wipers on high speed, they get the message pretty quickly if you do that for 5kms, on the bike either wave past if they are dodgy, if they are just someone keeping up a good clip, I will try and pick the pace up and make them earn it......

Huh mine don't work on the bike:shutup:

[Ms Piggy]

Look, I know it's been posted before but what the fuck do you do about these bastards.
They're a pain alright and frickin' dangerous! When I'm commuting I move my head around and look in my mirrors so they know I've seen them and (much to my surprise) they usually back off.

Not sure about on the open road cos haven't been out on a long ride and have the displeasure of a tail gater for a long time.