When is it a good idea to start tailgating someone?

Question

I don't think there are any good reasons myself, but it seems to be the thing to do where I live. By the looks of it, everybody seems to be "towing" some vehicle behind them. But the people here are perfectly mellow and intelligent when you meet them outside their cars.
Is there some hidden advantage to this that I may not beware of? We're talking slow-speed limits of about 40mph on curvy two-lane shore roads, most people cruising at about 45 to 50 though, and the bay only about 3 feet away.
It's got me mystified, but maybe someone with insight can give me some. And no, I'm following along at everybody else's speed, not being slow.
Thanks.

Answer 1

It is never a good idea to tailgate, despite how other drivers in your region behave. Tailgating shortens your reaction time for braking or accident avoidance. It takes about 3/4 of a second from the time you see the brake lights of the car in front of you until the time you take your foot off the gas and move it to the brake pedal.

Better to use the "2-second" following distance rule. As the car in front passes a fixed object such a a telephone pole, count 1001, 1002; if you arrive before 1002 you are following too close. Don't worry about people cutting in front of you, simply back off to your 2-second distance. This applies for dry pavement; increase your following distance in rain and snow.

Tailgating as in race-car draughting works only on the race track because they race for a living have full safety equipment and generally following the race rules. it allows for fast passing and conserves power of the tailgating car. Not good practice for the general highways.

Answer 2

There is no possible excuse for tailgating. People may think there are reasons, but there is no excuse for putting the property, and the very lives of everybody else on the road at risk. Some states have now brought in minimum $2,500 fines for tailgaters, and I think second offences should result in mandatory jail terms. Tailgating is actually more dangerous than threatening somebody with a knife or a gun. Take it from me, after 40 years of driving, and over 1 million miles, I have a little idea what I am talking about.

Answer 3

If you're smart you"ll never tailgate. If the driver ahead of you has to stop suddenly, and you hit "him", you are at fault,and you will get a ticket for following to closely, Take a defensive driving course and you'll learn that you should always give yourself an "out" - that means keeping a minimum of 1 car length for every
10 mph of speed, between you and the vehicle in front of you. This goes doubly so when that vehicle is a semi truck. It takes a
fully loaded semi the full length of a footbal field to come to a complete stop when travelling at 55mph-higher speeds increase their stopping distance, as do empty trailers and bob-tails. Con-
swquently, their initial slowdown is rapid and if you're too close
you are likely to die. You also DO NOT EVER want to cruise along
side a semi- a blown steer tire can take your head off-and it has
happened.

Answer 4

The best reason to start tailgating me personally is if you want to spill whatever drink you have on the seat next to you. Another good reason is if you have some extra money you want to pay me, or some real property that you would like to turn over to me. Still another possibility is if you want to see your car damaged. You see, I don't hold with tailgating. I don't do it, and I don't tolerate it. I don't slow down in front of tailgaters by taking my foot off the gas, nor do I slow down by applying the brake pedal. I slow down by yanking the parking brake. This scares the crap out of tailgaters, because no matter how much false bravado they display as they tailgate me, all of them know that if they hit me, I own them. Of this fact they are scared to death. The funniest thing is how they panic. The second-funniest thing is that it's mostly guys with a type-A personality who have been getting their butts handed to them all day at work, and if their wife or girlfriend is in the car, I get to watch that woman give that man no end of grief. Most tailgaters learn to stay many car lengths behind me after only one lesson, but some of the dumber ones need two or three, but they all learn. All of them.

Answer 5

Are there lots of woman drivers there? I'm starting to think that woman like my but t since they are constantly trying to crawl up it in their car. Every time I am being tailgated I first check my speed to make sure I am doing at least 5 over, then If I am, I slow down to 5 under. Yes that is a generalization. so shoot me.

Answer 6

It is never a good idea to tailgate someone. If the person in front of you stops suddenly, for whatever reason, will you have time to stop? If not, then you are much too close. I was rear-ended recently because the man who hit me was too close, and his insurance company denied my claim. but I am getting a lawyer and I am going to sue his insurance company. I am not the suing type, but if they had just paid the claim, I would have been satisfied with just getting my car fixed. Now, I want more.

Answer 7

surely its been linked with historical rome... while romans might pass to the colisium for the interest, food became into basically served to those that have been properly off or of a few magnitude.. So roman human beings might carry food in there carts and take a seat exterior the colisium and devour in the previous they went interior.... Atleast thats what the historic previous channel mentioned... I personaly think of it became into all started interior the parking zone of the Oakland Colisium have been the actual raiders battled years in the past...

Answer 8

LOL - very articulate question/statement!

It's NEVER ok, and you have to add additional space for inclement weather.

Just take heart that if you tap the breaks to avoid that bunny in the road, and they smack you, it's them paying, not you.

Is that much solace? Probably not, but not much more to offer on this topic!

Answer 9

These people get a taste of my "passive-aggressive" driving technique. I do NOT slam on my brakes or anything. I just lift off the accelerator and this causes me to slow down very gradually. Before you know it, they are REALLY on my butt and they notice this and nail the brakes. Of course, I'm watching in my mirror as I do this to make sure that they aren't going to smash into me. As soon as they hit the brakes, I speed up to a normal speed. once I see them gaining on me - before they catch up - I lift off the gas again. They finally get so irritated that they either back off or finally pass me.

Answer 10

I've always thought it was incredibly stupid to tailgate.... stopping distances and reaction times just aren't sharp enough to allow for it.