Tailgaters

[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.

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
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,

[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.

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

[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.