Tailgating: What do you do?

[Duc]

I wont be tail gated at all. Thats why I have mirrors and why I use them.

One of my riding rules for myself is:
"create my own space"

Doesnt matter what it takes to do so but at all times I create as much space around myself as I can.

Thats forward, sideways and to the rear.

"Safe Space" in this context is a factor of speed, time and distance

If it requires accelerating, de-accelerating, slowing , shifting or stopping...I do it.

Must admit I have never had to pullover and stop to allow anyone to pass apart - from ambulances and fire engines.

I tend to use the accelerator more than anything. (Rather have a ticket than be dead.)

I never do anything like slowing down to piss of a "car".

[Grasshopperus]

Superman, whether you like it or not people want to travel at 100-110km/h on the open road.

Don't forget that the roads exist for the purposes of fast transit for the population, they're not there for fun, saving you fuel money, racing or any other purpose.

Your argument that 80km/h should be fine is OK if, while on the road, you're willing to acknowledge that you're using the road selfishly and should move over to let the person behind you pass.

If you get hit by some tosser then 'being right' isn't going to be much consolation when you're in hospital

[cowboyz]

20km/h under the speed limit is holding up traffic? The road code didn't tell me that.
20k below the speed limit certainly would be holding up ALOT of traffic round these parts.
Remind me to aim for the speed limit everytime I drive/ride my car/motorcycle/bicycle/horse/tractor so as to please people who drive dangerously.
next you will be advocating that speed kills. riding at the speed limit is less dangerous than riding 20km.hr under it
I'll pull over when it's safe to do so, as it tells me to do in the road code. There however wasn't an oppurtunity on this piece of road, but obviously this lady didn't understand how to best assess the situation because her small brain was too busy thinking about how she needs to get home in a rush to try on her new dresses from her weekend shopping.
id be interesting to see her side of the story.. So I was pootling home and I come round a corner and this muppet was riding in the middle of the road at 80k/hr. Didnt expect to see anyone going so slowly so I tried to line up a pass on the limited oppourtunities and he just woundnt let me by. Followed him for ages and it was soooo frustrating! Dont know why people just cant ride at the speed limit!
I don't understand why you seem to be backing up her tailgating me!?

I'm sure most drivers on here don't get pissed off at people doing 80.

actually.. to be fair.. most drivers would be impatient with people doing 100k.hr let alone less. Especially on a road where its less likely to be pinged by mr police
If I'm behind a tractor doing 60 do I get fucked off and tailgate and overtake dangerously?
you comparing your ninja 250R to a tractor now?
If I'm behind a cyclist on a thin peace of road do I shoot around the blind corner nudging him off the road, or follow him at 10-20km/h till there is an open stretch of road? You seem to think that it's ok to expect a car/motorcycle to do the maximum speed legal and that there is no good reason for them to ever be below the speed limit. Which just seems like absolute ignorant thinking and makes me wonder if you ever managed to finish high school.
yes. i do expect when coming up to traffic on the open road that it be doing in or around the posted speed limit.
My sincerest apologies to you and anyone who hates getting behind a car doing 80, I'm sorry I hate to waste fuel. I was brought up to efficiently use things I buy. I'm sorry but you must wait behind me for three minutes till a straight comes along (OMG I KNOW THAT'S FOREVER RIGHT!) travelling at 80 instead of 100 if I wasn't there. Losing you half a minute of time?!

WHY ARE PEOPLE SO FRUSTRATING!

people who cant drive are frustrating! This is why I advocate tougher tests for getting a licence in the first place! your entire winge smacks of 'everyone else should do what I want them to do' Why dont you just go about your own busniess.. sure.. ride everywhere at 80k/hr if you like.. (breaking the law that you seem so fond of) but get out the way when someone who can actually drive comes along.

[superman]

people who cant drive are frustrating! This is why I advocate tougher tests for getting a licence in the first place! your entire winge smacks of 'everyone else should do what I want them to do' Why dont you just go about your own busniess.. sure.. ride everywhere at 80k/hr if you like.. (breaking the law that you seem so fond of) but get out the way when someone who can actually drive comes along.

Well basing on the fact that she was tailgating me... she can't drive? I'm not going 80km/h on my bike because I want to, it's because I don't feel safe going any faster at the moment and I think the risks of forcing myself to do 100 outweigh the benefits of not holding people up for a couple minutes at 80% of the speed they want to go.

Most of the people I've come across are patient, and give me little toot when I can pull over and let them pass. You think her actions are justified by saying "some tosser was in the middle of the road doing 80km/hr when I wanted to get home a minute sooner than that guy forced me to be".

Especially on a Sunday afternoon! I could understand if it was Friday evening at 4pm but hell I never go on the road at that time unless I am going to go the speed limit. I'm trying to practice.

And sure if you're willing to give the $700 extra I'll need to somehow scrounge by going 100 in my car then I'll give you my bank account number.

When I'm in my car, around 40% of the other cars seem to do 80-85 in the same areas as I do. So I'm not some tiny minority. If I was the only person doing it then yes I would feel greatly at risk. But you expect cows in the middle of the road, a car going 80 in front of you is hardly something you can't avoid crashing into...

[steve_t]

As others have said, if you don't feel like you have the skills or the appropriate licence to ride at 100km/h in a 100km/h zone, please be a courteous road user and allow people to pass as soon as you safely can

[schrodingers cat]

Whether on a bike or in the car I take the view that if someone wants to drive like an asshole they are welcome. If they want to kill themselves I'm happy to hold their coat.
But not on my piece of road.

So, I let them go ASAP. And wish others would do the same for me

[That looks like fun]

Nobody else on the road knows if the person holding them up is trying to save $700 ors is just some obstacle between them and where they want to be.
I don't know if the person behind me has race trained reflexes and can stop in the very short distance they have left between the bumper of their car and my tail light.
There are ways to communicate with other drivers, Indicators, stop lights, L plates or raised fingers and loud horns.
The road is a "shared space". To expect that all the other people I share it with all have the same ideals and values as myself is ........ (buggered if I know a good word for really really stupid ).
Simple is as simple does (Ask Forest Gump). If someone catches up to you they are traveling faster than you, let them pass. If you don't think their driving is safe get them stopped (*555).
If you want to be a traffic Nazi and enforce "your" version of the road code then expect to meet some angry motorists.
It ain't about wrong or right its about me staying alive, simple as that.
Wish they would start teaching that in University

[scumdog]

I'm lucky.

From me they get a ticket as a 'reminder' of the incident - and hopefully educate them too.

[Tink]

Had some terrible woman driving five metres behind me when I was going 80-100. Obviously she was in a hurry. I tried to wave her back but she didn't take the hint so I just got angry and slowed down to 60. She wasn't happy and held down on the horn for a good while before blitzing down some side road without indicating.

I'll definitely be getting an L plate up soon since cars obviously expect bikes to go bloody fast all the time. That would at least explain to them why I'm only going 80-100.

What do you more experienced guys do when you get tailgaters?

I pulled over... still do... but I think it also should be compulsory when in the road code for drivers that the L plate driver must ride/drive at 70km, maybe even signs on major open roads.... SEE AN L PLATE... SLOW DOWN HE/SHE CAN ONLY DO 70KM!!!

[caseye]

So are we all missing the point here or what.?
irrespective of your being on a late model high performance machine, it would seem that you are at odds with yourself on this issue too.
Most here have said plainly, "move over , let them go, it is not worth the risk"
My opinion/2cents worth is identical.
My intrigue at your apparent indecision, you want to ride safely(learner and all, not to confident) but you expect that other road users should simply grin and bear waiting for YOU to think it's safe enough to pull far enough left for them to pass.
It is your life pilgrim, you asked for our collective advice, you got it and now you want to argue with almost everyone of us as well.
Heard the phrase "can't stand the heat, get out of the kitchen"??
Well it seems to fit mighty well here.
Get your backside to the Shell Gas Station on Clevedon Road on Wednesday night at 6.30 pm.
A bunch of riders meet there to go for a quiet ride and then to go to manukau city and practice stuff in the council car park.
If you are serious about learning to control yuour bike and your own fears then be there this week.
My wife and I will be.

[twinbruva]

Had some terrible woman driving five metres behind me when I was going 80-100. Obviously she was in a hurry. I tried to wave her back but she didn't take the hint so I just got angry and slowed down to 60. She wasn't happy and held down on the horn for a good while before blitzing down some side road without indicating.

I'll definitely be getting an L plate up soon since cars obviously expect bikes to go bloody fast all the time. That would at least explain to them why I'm only going 80-100.

What do you more experienced guys do when you get tailgaters?

I keep a rock in my r/h pocket. I can get it out with my left hand so I don't have to let go of the throttle. Chuck rock over shoulder, grab gas at the same time.
Easy.

[twinbruva]

people who cant drive are frustrating! This is why I advocate tougher tests for getting a licence in the first place! your entire winge smacks of 'everyone else should do what I want them to do' Why dont you just go about your own busniess.. sure.. ride everywhere at 80k/hr if you like.. (breaking the law that you seem so fond of) but get out the way when someone who can actually drive comes along.

I wish cops would get out of the way when I came along. That'd be cool.

[schrodingers cat]

I pulled over... still do... but I think it also should be compulsory when in the road code for drivers that the L plate driver must ride/drive at 70km, maybe even signs on major open roads.... SEE AN L PLATE... SLOW DOWN HE/SHE CAN ONLY DO 70KM!!!

A 'rule of thumb' with respect to shared space and traffic flow;

What is good for the individual is bad for the many

[twinbruva]

I wont be tail gated at all. Thats why I have mirrors and why I use them.

One of my riding rules for myself is:
"create my own space".

I bought my first bike because I was in my own space. Never left it.

[superman]

So are we all missing the point here or what.?
irrespective of your being on a late model high performance machine, it would seem that you are at odds with yourself on this issue too.
Most here have said plainly, "move over , let them go, it is not worth the risk"
My opinion/2cents worth is identical.
My intrigue at your apparent indecision, you want to ride safely(learner and all, not to confident) but you expect that other road users should simply grin and bear waiting for YOU to think it's safe enough to pull far enough left for them to pass.
It is your life pilgrim, you asked for our collective advice, you got it and now you want to argue with almost everyone of us as well.
Heard the phrase "can't stand the heat, get out of the kitchen"??
Well it seems to fit mighty well here.
Get your backside to the Shell Gas Station on Clevedon Road on Wednesday night at 6.30 pm.
A bunch of riders meet there to go for a quiet ride and then to go to manukau city and practice stuff in the council car park.
If you are serious about learning to control yuour bike and your own fears then be there this week.
My wife and I will be.

Ooo I would, but have work this Wednesday night though! Does that happen every Wednesday night? Or is the starting location everywhere around South Auckland changing each week? Might have to make that a regular thing since I don't usually work Wednesday night

Had a night ride home from work tonight (home before 10pm yes), things feel much more natural now. So patience I guess and I'll be there soon enough. Definitely want to meet up with more experienced riders though to be able to see true riding. Youtube can only do so much...