My funny tail gate story I had an old Fiat Strada. Big turd of a lemon. It kept stalling out in a narrow one wait street and I was going slower and slower and was down to 3-5 miles an hour on a coast trying to restart.

Guy behind me touches my bumper and starts speeding up till I was at almost 50.

Then he lets go at next block makes a right. I had a stick popped it into gear and popped the clutch to do hard restart and worked. Was. Little scary in the Fiat but hey that’s life

A combination of the food and the beer mostly.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:To communicate I would like to go faster.

I very rarely tailgate now, kids are teenagers so I try to emulate good driving, but I spent 4 years in Germany and this nit so subtle ‘communication’ took a while to integrate back into the terrible US driving norms.

So pull around me into the passing lane and PASS me!

Why are you tailgating me in the RIGHT lane? You can go around! Why stay behind me? The passing lane’s next to you! Use it!


Why don’t you?

OMG, THIS!!!!!

I can be somewhat sympathetic to someone tailgating on a single lane road.

But a road/highway with multiple lanes? Why????? It makes ZERO sense. They can just go around you. Why do they sit there behind you????

Weird. I’ve only seen tailgating in the left lane. And only when there wasn’t a way around a slow POS.

You don’t live around here then.

I live in the DC area and drive often. No tailgating in the right lane if the left is clear.

Nope, sorry. I get tailgated daily on the DTR in the middle and right lanes, while the leftmost lane is there next to us, available for them to use to pass me any time they want. And it’s not like I’m doing 40mph either. I’m typically doing 60-65, sometimes more. So clearly wanting to go faster isn’t the issue. They could go as fast as they want just by going around me. But they don’t. They’d rather tailgate.

I don’t get it.

If I'm on the DTR and you're going too slow in the leftmost non-HOV lane, I will use the HOV lane to pass you, even though I'm driving alone.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

The left lane is for passing, not driving at the exact speed you want

This. I am PP who drove in Germany for 3 years. If a driver there comes up behind you at 120mph other cars (going slower) simply move over. There are no hurt feelings.

I never (used to) tailgate in right lane or while someone was actively passing another car. But when you are on cruise control in the left lane with no intention of ever moving back to the right lane and there is a line of cars behind you (or only one car), why don’t you move over?

And why do people get upset that someone wants to pass them? I don’t understand the emotional response. It really is not personal. So strange.

Because they're reliving their Patrol glory days, and enjoy the power trip of enforcing speed limits as if there's a one size fits all rule.

One size fits all? Are there different speed limits for different drivers?

You think all drivers feel safest and most comfortable going the exact same speed? And let me guess... you also think you're a good driver?

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

The left lane is for passing, not driving at the exact speed you want

This. I am PP who drove in Germany for 3 years. If a driver there comes up behind you at 120mph other cars (going slower) simply move over. There are no hurt feelings.

I never (used to) tailgate in right lane or while someone was actively passing another car. But when you are on cruise control in the left lane with no intention of ever moving back to the right lane and there is a line of cars behind you (or only one car), why don’t you move over?

And why do people get upset that someone wants to pass them? I don’t understand the emotional response. It really is not personal. So strange.

Because they're reliving their Patrol glory days, and enjoy the power trip of enforcing speed limits as if there's a one size fits all rule.

One size fits all? Are there different speed limits for different drivers?

How fast do you drive in the left lane?

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

The left lane is for passing, not driving at the exact speed you want

This. I am PP who drove in Germany for 3 years. If a driver there comes up behind you at 120mph other cars (going slower) simply move over. There are no hurt feelings.

I never (used to) tailgate in right lane or while someone was actively passing another car. But when you are on cruise control in the left lane with no intention of ever moving back to the right lane and there is a line of cars behind you (or only one car), why don’t you move over?

And why do people get upset that someone wants to pass them? I don’t understand the emotional response. It really is not personal. So strange.

Because they're reliving their Patrol glory days, and enjoy the power trip of enforcing speed limits as if there's a one size fits all rule.

One size fits all? Are there different speed limits for different drivers?

Anonymous wrote:

The left lane is for passing, not driving at the exact speed you want

This. I am PP who drove in Germany for 3 years. If a driver there comes up behind you at 120mph other cars (going slower) simply move over. There are no hurt feelings.

I never (used to) tailgate in right lane or while someone was actively passing another car. But when you are on cruise control in the left lane with no intention of ever moving back to the right lane and there is a line of cars behind you (or only one car), why don’t you move over?

And why do people get upset that someone wants to pass them? I don’t understand the emotional response. It really is not personal. So strange.

Because they're reliving their Patrol glory days, and enjoy the power trip of enforcing speed limits as if there's a one size fits all rule.

The left lane is for passing, not driving at the exact speed you want

This. I am PP who drove in Germany for 3 years. If a driver there comes up behind you at 120mph other cars (going slower) simply move over. There are no hurt feelings.

I never (used to) tailgate in right lane or while someone was actively passing another car. But when you are on cruise control in the left lane with no intention of ever moving back to the right lane and there is a line of cars behind you (or only one car), why don’t you move over?

And why do people get upset that someone wants to pass them? I don’t understand the emotional response. It really is not personal. So strange.

I think some people genuinely do not understand the concept of safe following distance. If you can't see any road between you and the car in front of you, you're definitely too close.

I also think some people feel entitled to speed (or speed even more than others), and to drive aggressively to enforce that, even if it's unsafe (and you're always at fault if you rear-end someone). You don't have the right to drive as fast as you want. Yes, move over to let people pass you if you're driving under the speed limit for whatever reason, but I've been tailgated going well over the limit and in the act of passing cars by people who want to drive 80 in a 55 or whatever. I've been tailgated in the right lane even going the limit or faster. There are just bad entitled drivers around, and people who don't actually know how to drive safely.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:There’s only one scenario where I tailgate: if I’m driving the speed limit or just barely over it, and someone rushes to pull out in front of me from a side street, necessitating hitting my brakes to avoid a collision, but then they drive below the speed limit. In other words, if you were in a huge hurry to cut me off, but as soon as you’re in front of me, you have all the time in the world, I’m going to give you the tailgating you wanted so badly when you put your rear bumper thisclose to my front bumper.

Seriously? This happens so often that you need a strategy to punish the person? On the rare occasions this happens to me, I might have a flickering observation that the driver really misstimed his turn, and then I get on with my day, safely.

It doesn’t happen on a daily basis, but it’s not particularly rare either. I’m not tailgating so much as not slowing down any more than is necessary. If it’s important to you not to have someone right on your bumper, yield the right of way like you’re supposed to instead of putting yourself on my front bumper.

Look in your rearview mirror. If there's a parade behind you, you're the problem.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:To communicate I would like to go faster.

I very rarely tailgate now, kids are teenagers so I try to emulate good driving, but I spent 4 years in Germany and this nit so subtle ‘communication’ took a while to integrate back into the terrible US driving norms.

So pull around me into the passing lane and PASS me!

Why are you tailgating me in the RIGHT lane? You can go around! Why stay behind me? The passing lane’s next to you! Use it!


Why don’t you?

OMG, THIS!!!!!

I can be somewhat sympathetic to someone tailgating on a single lane road.

But a road/highway with multiple lanes? Why????? It makes ZERO sense. They can just go around you. Why do they sit there behind you????

Weird. I’ve only seen tailgating in the left lane. And only when there wasn’t a way around a slow POS.

You don’t live around here then.

I live in the DC area and drive often. No tailgating in the right lane if the left is clear.

Try looking up from your phone on occasion.

I don’t look at my phone while driving.

I call BS. Tailgaters want to go faster. If they have the opportunity to pass and go faster they take it.

Maybe you consider any car within 5 car lengths “tailgating”.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I only tailgate in the left lane. If you're questioning why someone is tailgating you in the left lane, the problem is you.

If the person you are tailgating is actively passing the person to his right then you should not expect the person in front of you to match your desired speed even if you tailgate. The left lane is for passing, not driving at the exact speed you want

It's relative. Slower traffic keep right.

But really, how often is someone going slower in the left lane for a half a mile or more, and just passing? 99.9% of the time it's a clueless dingbat.

If it takes you more than a minute to pass then you’re doing it wrong.

Agree. Also if you use your turn signal for more than 4 seconds to switch lanes, you're doing it wrong. You look for the window of opportunity first, then signal right before you make your move.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I only tailgate in the left lane. If you're questioning why someone is tailgating you in the left lane, the problem is you.

If the person you are tailgating is actively passing the person to his right then you should not expect the person in front of you to match your desired speed even if you tailgate. The left lane is for passing, not driving at the exact speed you want

It's relative. Slower traffic keep right.

But really, how often is someone going slower in the left lane for a half a mile or more, and just passing? 99.9% of the time it's a clueless dingbat.

If it takes you more than a minute to pass then you’re doing it wrong.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:To communicate I would like to go faster.

I very rarely tailgate now, kids are teenagers so I try to emulate good driving, but I spent 4 years in Germany and this nit so subtle ‘communication’ took a while to integrate back into the terrible US driving norms.

So pull around me into the passing lane and PASS me!

Why are you tailgating me in the RIGHT lane? You can go around! Why stay behind me? The passing lane’s next to you! Use it!


Why don’t you?

OMG, THIS!!!!!

I can be somewhat sympathetic to someone tailgating on a single lane road.

But a road/highway with multiple lanes? Why????? It makes ZERO sense. They can just go around you. Why do they sit there behind you????

Weird. I’ve only seen tailgating in the left lane. And only when there wasn’t a way around a slow POS.

You don’t live around here then.

I live in the DC area and drive often. No tailgating in the right lane if the left is clear.

Nope, sorry. I get tailgated daily on the DTR in the middle and right lanes, while the leftmost lane is there next to us, available for them to use to pass me any time they want. And it’s not like I’m doing 40mph either. I’m typically doing 60-65, sometimes more. So clearly wanting to go faster isn’t the issue. They could go as fast as they want just by going around me. But they don’t. They’d rather tailgate.

I don’t get it.

BS. They just go around.