What to do about tailgaters?

[headhoon]

Just keep riding at the same speed but take your left hand off the bar put it on your left thigh while turning your upper body to your left so your looking back at them and just stare ! obviously be aware of whats going on in front of you but I do this and it works !

[Ms Piggy]

Hey I know a cop that does pull up tailgaters, reckons a lot are women (watch the sparks now!!!!) and a lot have kids in the car - he always tells the kids to remind mum to drop back when she breaks the 2 second rule, heard later from one that she was cured of tailgating after on long trip with the kids

If I was a Mum with a carload of kiddies I'm sure I'd be wanting to get from 'A to B' ASAP!

[KATWYN]

If I was a Mum with a carload of kiddies I'm sure I'd be wanting to get from 'A to B' ASAP!

Would drive ya bloody nuts. No thanks - peaceful life for me

except when i'm old and lonely of course i'll regret it...apparently

[vifferman]

Just keep riding at the same speed but take your left hand off the bar put it on your left thigh while turning your upper body to your left so your looking back at them and just stare ! obviously be aware of whats going on in front of you but I do this and it works !

I get tailgated a lot, and this is sort of what I do. It's worked every time.
(Usually, I'm also yelling "FUCK OFF!" inside my helmet, but I don't think they hear that....)

I don't think anything more aggressive than that is a good idea, as if they're a psycho or prone to road rage you're at a disadvantage. Braking in front of them is just relying on them having good reactions, and forgetting that you're VERY vulnerable on a bike! I read recently of someone in the States that did just that, and the SUV driver wasn't paying particular attention, and drove over them and killed them.

I have several times followed someone who has cut me off, or changed lanes on me (because I got knoocked off once due to this) and told them what an idiot they were. Similarly, I get very pissed off with people who run red lights and stop signs, even if they haven't endangered me, as I bought my first bike from a girl who had her leg broken in 6 places (took years before she could walk again) by some granny who drove through a stop sign.

Really, it's up to you to be proactive with your safety, and assume that (a) all car drivers are idiots (although I've had lots pull over to make room for me), and (b) other road users are out to get you. And they ARE, whether it's deliberate or 'accidental' (due to their idiocy )

[beanz]

Holy shit! Last night when I started this topic, I thought I might have a few replies by the morning, but not 4 pages!! Guess everyone is as pissed off and passionate about this as I am.

OK, guess I should bite my ego, take 10 deep breaths, and chill out. I'll try looking back at the driver, then pull over if that doesn't work.

Then, once I've passed my full licence, bought a 1000GSXR, and get some decent skills, I'll try the accelerate-then-stoppie manouvre.

Thanks to everyone whos replied so far. Lets see if we can get this thread into double figures!

Hey, heres an idea, how about KB gets some "bumper stickers" made up, so we can start some sort of cult on-road club, so cagers get to know us, and give us a bit of respect. Just an idea. NZMMC (a NZ Mitsubishi forum) have them, and its quite cool seeing other NZMMC members around on the roads. They get 15% off at Kempy Bitza Mitsy (wreakers) too. (OK, this might be another topic... stay focused Beanz...)

[BigB]

Have moved over in and then moved back in behind and given them the high beam . Works very well in the mornings

[Ms Piggy]

Would drive ya bloody nuts. No thanks - peaceful life for me

except when i'm old and lonely of course i'll regret it...apparently

Go girl!! You and me both!

[Two Smoker]

Hey beanz, KB has stickers... $2 each, ive got about 4 at the mo, ill bring one around when i come to get that sproket (still waiting for my bike to be ready ) otherwise PM SpankMe and let him know you want some

[Big Dog]

Then, once I've passed my full licence, bought a 1000GSXR, and get some decent skills, I'll try the accelerate-then-stoppie manouvre.

If a car got homocidal there is no guarantee you would have the reaction times to get out of the way.

Road rage is a double edged sword.

When successful you feel good about it for a day or two, and maybe for ten minutes at a time when you trot the story out at a motorcycle club gathering.

When you are unsuccessful in the extreme you are dead for a very long time.

Ride to survive and show curtesy to other road users.

Last thing we need is for everyone who owns a 4WD to hate bikers with a passion.

Remember the life you save tommorow, with a little curtesy today could be mine, or even yours.

[PeteThePom]

If I go back about 10 yrs, my approach to ANYONE who I felt had threatened my physical well being was to force them to stop, get off my bike, walk to car, open door, grab hold of collar and give them a good shaking/talking to, this made me feel much better but watsed a lot of time............. ................then one day I picked on Mr Psychopath......in London where road rage frequently ends with knives or worse............luckily for me I managed to back down without loss of blood(mine)

Since then I favour the 'hard stare' method mentioned by others, it works well.
I've also followed miscreants and given them the 'polite talking to' as mentioned by big dog (one guy I followed got so panicked he drove to the nearest police station) mostly I just open the throttle and piss off, sometime I preceed that with a finger or two. I have to be very pissed off to bother with anything more.

If you think you can argue with a car and win, your gonna get hurt or worse.
You MIGHT pick on Mr Psychopath and not be as lucky as me(obviously if your built like Arnie or are VERY GOOD at unarmed combat when they might be this might not apply!)

Although if I'm in the 4x4 then I'll force the bastards off the road into the nearest ditch, set fire to their car and piss in their mouths!!!!

Oops....and my analyst said I was doing so well!!

[LB]

It's all been said (much more eloquently!) by others before me here, but I simply indicate and pull over as soon as I safely can and let the tailgater pass.

Many years ago I was pillion on a bike that was rammed from behind in a deliberate act by a car driver. I was more or less okay but the rider was very seriously injured.

Ever since then I get very very nervous with cars close behind me.

I don't care if people think I'm a chicken - what I do in a tailgating situation is right for me.

[Two Smoker]

I met Mr Phsycopath once, i was in my mums new cage (a little Pulsar) and i was being tailgated by a 4x4 (he was literally half a metre off my bumper) the thing that fucked my off was he accelerated from behind me to close the gap and tailgate.....

Well i did the usual, flash the brake lights, didnt work, so i looked at him and waved him back, didnt work, so i slowed to about 20kmh and floored it back to 60, ofcourse that put some distance between us...

But then this fucker started to come up beside me on the median strip, i just shock my head and kept driving as he pulled back in..... Then the fucker did it again, he was right beside me and started moving in towards me. I was like what the fuck..... i held me line, he kept coming and squashed the mirror in..... So i stood on the horn and braked (if it was my car i would have rammed him, but since it was my mums new car....) I was far beyond pissed off now, so i flew up beside him, and forced him off the road in a sort of moving block manuvoure..... I jumped out of the car and told him with a stern voice but politely (i called him "sir" everytime) to pull over to the side of the road and turn you vehcile off....

I then proceeded to point out the laws that he broke... he then had the nerve to say that i drove like i owned the road....... This made me steam. I then said well lets call the police and sort it out..... He said fuck you ya wanker, and stormed off....

I then called the police, gave his details and he got a ticket hehehe.

But the thing that fucked me beyond belief was the fact that he had one toddler in a booster seat and another kid that was in a baby seat!!!!!!!!!! That guy doesnt deserve to drive, if i see him again, i will literally smash him in the face because he deserves it.......

[wkid_one]

Two answers: In a car - it doesn't happen much, on a bike - it seldom happened.

When it does happen - I just slow the fuck down to the speed limit and turn my fog light on - this scares the shit out of them as they think I am braking. On the bike - I just left them behind.

Tailgaters don't really annoy me any unless they are in front of me. I only get pissed when I am following someone is trying to see what the car in front of them is carrying in their boot - I tend to leave a big gap.

[Big Dog]

Keep in mind that old Denny Hulme add some of you may remember (used to play during motorsport on one in the early eighties I think.

"Many a man has died defending his right of way."

[Grumpy]

Usually I just give them a finger and let them past but on one occasion the guy was a particular arsehole so I asked him to kindly pull over.
I was a little surprised that he did, but to cut a long story short we had words on the side of the motorway...fairly strong words actually

Anyway it became clear why he was so keen to stop, he was a big bugger, both him and his mate. Thanks to the Arai gods for if it wasn't for their help and my impersonation of a fucking crazy motorcyclist I would have been a little sorry that I had stopped at all.

Lesson learnt.... let them past. It really aint worth the shit storm it creates when you try to make an issue of it.