Tailgating: are you guilty

[DEATH_INC.]

We were using the reaction tester off the nz dragbike site.....

MR,one of the old sales managers from the local h****n shop usta have a sticker on the back of his car: I'm not tailgating,I'm drafting!

[Motoracer]

We were using the reaction tester off the nz dragbike site.....

MR,one of the old sales managers from the local h****n shop usta have a sticker on the back of his car: I'm not tailgating,I'm drafting!

[Big Dog]

[QUOTE=Lou Girardin]

1.8 secs reaction time! Did they check for a pulse?
No wonder we have so amny f'ing accidents.
Lou

Yup. Action. Pause. Reaction.
Try it two seconds only places you where they were.

How many times have you seen a cage that has not even attempted to slow down when the lights came on.

Saw an accident the other week where a 4wd was still accellerating when it hit the toyota.

[Big Dog]

Spose I should mention the rest where it goes on to say it is possible to shorten these times by having a preplanned escape route and practice in emergency braking swerving etc.

Riding defensively means;
You are always aware of the possible threats.
That you actively search them out and analyse them.
That once Identified you identify a safe exit strategy for each threat before it becomes a hazard.
That you then reasses the hazard.

It also means you practice your drills over and over both mentally and really.

[Posh Tourer :P]

[/QUOTE]1.8 secs reaction time! Did they check for a pulse?
No wonder we have so amny f'ing accidents.
Lou[/QUOTE]

Is this to an unforseen and unexpected hazard? I could imagine the surprise factor would gobble up time....

[Big Dog]

Is this to an unforseen and unexpected hazard? I could imagine the surprise factor would gobble up time....[/QUOTE]
Jeez thats going back a bit in the detail but if memory serves (and it should thats what its for). This was measured on 20-60 min time frame of driving, as this is your most focused driving (long enough to find the driving files not long enough to completely swich off).
it was measured on the premise of the person in front suddenly and unexpectedly emergency braking.
Apparently each test case was given no warning this was what they were measuring then given two attempts to better it (changing the timming of the abrupt stop each time obviously).

An interesting aside even knowing what was coming made little or no impact on reactions, until they were sent another three times with instructions on exactly how to behave when it happened.

[oldrider]

Hi indianajones, that bike Tom Cruse is riding (or one of them) in your signature or advert, belongs to a guy in Oamaru. Has had a paint job but he assures me that it was one of those bikes. Cheers John.

[Beemer]

When driving I don't tend to tailgate around town unless the car in front is doing about 30kph - then I do it to try and get them up to speed. At open road speed I would only get close to the vehicle in front if I was about to pass them - and only if it was a car or similar, if it is a truck there is no advantage to being too close as you can't see if anything is coming. On the bike, I don't tailgate, although I will be a bit closer when about to pass. I have seen drivers brake suddenly to piss off the person tailgating them (I admit I've done it myself when I've been doing over the speed limit and I've had some tosser on my tail who won't pass!) so I've got no desire to have a car as an accessory on the front of my bike!

We were following this stupid old woman driving a Subaru Justy on the weekend. She was doing 70kph on the open road, slowing to 30 through town - we didn't have much show of overtaking her as we were in a 1984 Ford Laser and towing a trailer! She was all over the road too, one minute to the far left, then over the centre line - and when she finally stopped, no indicators, just brake lights and an abrupt swerve to the left.

Our club had its economy run on the weekend so of course we were all riding at 100kph in an effort to keep our fuel usage low. A 4WD came up behind us, pulled out and blasted past, forcing its way back in front of a couple of cars when it ran out of clear road space. Never a cop when you want one!

[zadok]

Nearly 500 views and only 62 votes!? Whats going on?
In the main I keep my distance, but you know what it's like when you are anxious to pass when you're held up by a slow moving cager. My vote; occassionally.

[pyrocam]

Hi indianajones, that bike Tom Cruse is riding (or one of them) in your signature or advert, belongs to a guy in Oamaru. Has had a paint job but he assures me that it was one of those bikes. Cheers John.

wtf?
random

nice thread revival.
I suppose the 62 votes is from the 62 people who looked at the page 7 times?

edit: yeah zadok I agree actually, Im ussualy a good distance away till I get petty and sit on theyre right indicator waiting to pass (150cc dont pass cars that easy)

[unhingedlizard]

had to do an emergency stop on the way back from Badcats on Saturday. Just coming into taupiri. Big holden clubsport two cars up suddenly stopped. Car in fron ton me ended up on the other side of the road with his wheels locked up. I didnt even trouble the ABS but still stopped very quick. Have to admit i wasnt paying as much attention as i should have but still stopped well short as i was leaving proper distances in front. even had enough room to allow the landcrusier behind enough room to stop...

[Coyote]

Where's the "Oh shit, I didn't relise I was so far up their arse" option?

[Gremlin]

My vote went for occasionally. Not proud of that, but auckland traffic kinda makes you used to it.

Either traffic or about to pass are when I might find myself doing it, or perhaps down normal streets, and the car in front isn't accelerating yet, so I end up up their ass.

Trucks, vans, 4x4s, I leave a bigger than 2 sec gap because you can't see around them.

Not an excuse, but if you are totally focussed on the road, and several cars ahead, if you back off when they back off, you are never troubled.

Also, I think my team cycling contributed to an unhealthy comfort of minimal space, trying to get out of that now...

[Pixie]

A few years ago I was being severely ( less than 1 meter) tailgated by the same arsehole who did it to me two days previously.
I was in a company car so I checked to see if there was any one behind him,and then applied the brake lightly to bring on the light,he fell back a little and then came back
I did this twice and then just as he was coming back again,I stood on the brakes,had the ABS on.
He shat himself, and swerved over the curb and came to a stop on the grass verge

[Wolf]

Only time I tailgate is at very low speeds in town when there's a huge queue of traffic and people always trying to cut in. As speed picks up I drop back to the full 2 seconds. Never tailgate on the open road and get highly fucked off by people sitting right up my rear when I'm doing 100km/h - WTF? back off or pass!