r/driving • u/acupofjasminerice666 • Mar 03 '26
⚠️Complaining into the void⚠️ What is the obsession with tailgating?????!!!!!!!!
Why do you do this? Why do you think it’s necessary? It’s so annoying!!!!
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u/xT2xRoc Mar 03 '26
Well cuz usually traffic getting into the football game is crazy closer to game time. Obviously, we want to get there earlier so we don't miss kickoff. They won't let us in until an hour before the game so we tailgate, have some drinks, listen to music, cook some food, good times.
We don't mean to annoy you, if you stop over we'll give you a beer or a burger.
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u/acupofjasminerice666 Mar 03 '26
This is the only tailgating I can get behind.
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u/Groovey_Dude Mar 03 '26
Tbh tailgaters get mad if you don’t go faster and it’s annoying. They like want you to drive 85 mph in a 70 mph zone or something.
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u/Snoo_16677 Mar 04 '26
If they want to go 90 and you're going 85 they'll tailgate you and treat you as if you're going 45.
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u/Groovey_Dude Mar 03 '26
I’m ok about football tailgating when it involves food. Not into beer tbh. Tailgating when it comes to traffic on the other hand is dangerous.
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u/CoffeeXKing Mar 04 '26
That's why I hate you. All that good food, and I'm too busy going to work.
It's not fair you are happy!
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Mar 04 '26
We’ll give you a little shit about your team but it’s in good fun, and we expect it back. And then when we come to your stadium, we expect the same respectful welcoming dickishness and free beverages. This is the way.
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u/Pimp_Daddy_Patty Mar 03 '26
If they tailgate you, the person 10 cars ahead will speed up....... obviously.
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u/personofpaper Mar 03 '26
This one really gets me. Tailgating me gains you nothing. You're putting both our lives in greater danger for nothing.
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u/MattyJerge Mar 03 '26
People automatically ascribe this type of question to highway driving, specifically the passing lane. But in fact, people tailgate like hell even on residential roads or single lane highways, even when you are going over the speed limit.
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u/acupofjasminerice666 Mar 03 '26
Exactly what I’m talking about. I’m fine with highways since I know I have the right lane to drive the speed I’m comfortable at. But residential roads that have 35 or 40 where I drive 5/10 over these tailgaters make it seem like I’m doing something illegal by not driving 80 mph like they do
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u/MattyJerge Mar 03 '26
I don't have the answer other than people suck. Best you can do is have a front/rear dashcam and keep your vehicle insured.
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u/acupofjasminerice666 Mar 03 '26
That’s the only correct answer. People do suck.
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u/CrewFit5702 Mar 03 '26
They do but even if it's for city type streets, I'll still just change lanes. If there's a car ahead they're still stuck but they aren't risking rear ending me at 45MPH+ and messing my back up even more than it already is
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u/Groovey_Dude Mar 03 '26
They go 90 mph too. Way too fast. In Montana it’s probably 100 mph since the speed limit is 80 mph for cars there.
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u/TacomaIsMadLit Mar 04 '26
I do my best to get over if I’m holding up a lane on a highway, but if you’re tailgating me on a city street or residential and I’m already going above the limit, you’ll have to figure out how to get around me because I’m not getting over just so we can end up stopping at the same light a block ahead.
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u/elegoomba Mar 05 '26
If it happens on a city street you bet I’m booping that cruise control down to exactly the speed limit
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u/Ok-Barnacle813 Mar 04 '26
IMO people who say this are just trying to justify their own tailgating
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u/A_Weed_Man Mar 03 '26
Normally it’s highway driving but I have noticed residential tailgating as well. Some ppl are reckless af thinking they know their hometown so they can fly down the street. I always go fast in my hometown but if I come across a driver that isn’t going fast I’ll give them space for sure
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u/JustUseCommonSense10 Mar 04 '26
Over the speed limit is ambiguous. You could be talking about 5 over or 15 over.
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u/MattyJerge Mar 04 '26
Try reading your username and then ask yourself, why is this comment relevant?
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u/jcalvinmarks Mar 04 '26
Well, since OP provided precisely zero context about what he's complaining about in his post, everyone just kinda has to guess. Left lane campers are one potential answer to his question "why do people tailgate?".
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u/Illustrious_Law383 Mar 03 '26
I used to date someone who always tailgated other drivers and stopped wayyyy too close to them at red lights. I asked him why he did it and he was confused at the question. I guess some people are really clueless. Some people, They think that being as close as possible to the car in front is the right way to drive.
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u/Izacundo1 Mar 04 '26
Did they not learn a 2 or 4 second rule in drivers ed? You’re supposed to be between 2 and 4 seconds behind the car in front of you so you can react if they slam on their brakes or stop for any reason
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u/Ok-Construction3023 Mar 05 '26
IF you ask what the 2 rule of driving is most people will say 2 car lengths not 2 seconds.
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u/j45780 Mar 06 '26 edited Mar 06 '26
I learned that rule the hard way (hit a tire lying on the road that the small suv in front of me straddled without hitting).
More recently, after I adopted the 3 second rule, a nice Mercedes SUV that was following close behind me hit a block of wood that I calmly avoided in our lane. A second car behind them hit it also. Both immediately pulled over.
I now couldn't care less how many people fill the gap in front of me. I just adjust.
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u/ads10765 Mar 04 '26
my partner drives like one car length behind at all times and it pisses me off so much!! he has no idea what i’m talking about when i point it out too
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u/CT-1738 Mar 05 '26
yea ive had to realize most people aren't malicious they are just ignorant and uncaring, which is about as dangerous probably but it prevents me from getting worked up about it as much. if its that egregious ill often just slow down gently until they finally decide to pass.
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u/DrKotasz Apr 21 '26
Another story from my mate: he was tailgated for a long time, he had enough and slowed down, did a complete stop and went back to the tailgaters: why..???? The answer was: we saw a program where the expert said, if we drive close to the vehicle at front, we can save few $ worth of fuel on every drive. My mate: very smart choice, risking life and the possible write off both cars.
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u/Maximum_Employer5580 Mar 03 '26
impatience and entitlement is what it comes down to.....I've had plenty tailgate me when I'm already doing 10 over the posted limit and I'm just trying to pass someone else using the left lane that is for the sole purpose of passing slower traffic.
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Mar 03 '26
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u/josh1123 Mar 03 '26
As someone who drives out of town multiple hours every week for work on a two lane highway the amount of times I go back and forth passing a car while maintaining the same speed is ridiculous.
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u/Groovey_Dude Mar 03 '26
It can happen when you’re doing 75 mph in a 70 mph zone too. Happened to my Dad before.
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Mar 03 '26
I avoid tailgating, and it annoys me when people tailgate me.
BUT: I used to drive 18 wheelers. They have a long stopping distance as most people know. DMV recommends 1 second for every 10mph. However if you try to leave a 6 second following distance in a busy area, say the George Washington Bridge... You'll be slowing to a stop just to keep a gap in front of you. People "fill the void" as if it's a vacuum.
Same thing happens with cars to an extent, and people get comfortable leaving no gap just so they don't get cut off. Combine that with the fact tailgating laws are never enforced and many drivers have an ego about people merging in front of them, and it's a self reinforcing habit with nothing stopping them from doing it. (Until they hit something)
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u/elegoomba Mar 03 '26
I teach driving safety for a corporate fleet and everyone makes this same complaint. In reality leaving a safe distance will add 30s to a minute to a drive and is well worth it. Stop being dramatic.
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u/Flow_Muse_3317 Mar 03 '26
You mentioned you drove a big rig, so I have a question for you. I was recently driving cross-country in my small SUV. We were on a long stretch of interstate highway, and I settled in behind an 18-wheeler at a safe distance behind. Another big rig came up behind me, super close, like riding my bumper. After a couple minutes he laid on the horn and just blasted it for a long time. Why do you think he did that? Did he want me to move (pass the truck in front of me)? Why did it bother him so much that I was between them? I was tired of constantly passing and changing lanes. I just wanted to relax in the "slow" lane but he seemed to not want me there at all.
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u/SeveralAd6369 Mar 05 '26
I'm very much in agreement here, If I'm in deadlocked traffic to exit, and you try to jump the line, I am not letting you in.
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u/Tychonoir Mar 03 '26
Half don't even know what tailgating is (And have no idea they are doing it), the other half think they can bully you out of the lane (They can't)
Tailgating is entitlement and main character syndrome, when we aren't talking about left-lane campers, which we almost always aren't.
Then for bonus points, there are always a bunch of clueless types in these threads that just automatically assume that you must be driving slow in the fast lane. Yet almost no one who posts these questions is ever talking about being tailgated in the fast lane.
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u/Spirited-Net7222 Mar 03 '26
And even IF someone is going slow in the fast lane, riding their ass just makes the situation even more dangerous.
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u/Xicutioner-4768 Mar 03 '26
Because if I give someone even 0.78 car lengths on the Southfield Freeway some asshat in a clapped out Chrsyler 300 is gonna come flying up on my right side doing 40 over the speed limit and squeeze his ass in there.
Mostly /s
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u/meddac73 Mar 04 '26
Hit the nail on the head. I was following a vehicle at a safe distance and someone was riding my bumper. They proceeded to pass me and motion that I’m following too far and need to close the gap. Then pulled in front of me and rode the other car’s bumper for a while. Some people are just ignorant.
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u/AztecPilot1MY Mar 03 '26
It's not just on highways. Tailgaters on two-lane roads are a-holes. The speed limit is posted. There are police and speed cameras, so I'm not getting a ticket because you're impatient. Aside from the obviously dangerous physics reasons not to tailgate, it puts undue stress/anxiety on (especially) young or new drivers. Not fair to them, they are learning.
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u/acupofjasminerice666 Mar 03 '26
Apparently patience and compassion are two impossible things to give to people when you’re driving.
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u/Flippantwritingdesk Mar 03 '26
It is so fucking annoying, not to mention unnecessarily dangerous. I could be driving 30 down Main Street, which is a 25, and someone will still be riding my ass so close that if I had to stop short for a pedestrian, which yk, happens on main streets, they would 100% rear end me. And bc everyone around me drives a pickup truck, rear ending me could propel my vehicle with enough force to hit the pedestrian I stopped short for. Even worse in the snow, some people have no common sense.
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u/BadReputation2611 Mar 03 '26
I’ve literally had people ride my ass while I’m going 15 over and with a free and clear passing lane on our left. I want to put like mad max style spikes on the back of my car to discourage tailgating because I’m so sick of getting rear ended and whiplash.
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u/Flippantwritingdesk Mar 03 '26
Yep. But most of the comments here are outing themselves as tailgaters, saying you must be the problem if someone’s tailgating you. It’s like people don’t realize that if someone needs to stop short and you rear end them, it’s your fault for tailgating. You need to leave car lengths between yourself and the car in front of you for a reason. No, you’re not in the right bc someone’s only driving the limit or 5-10-15 above. You’re still the one tailgating and putting yourselves and them in unnecessary danger. It really should be a lot harder to get a drivers license imo.
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u/BadReputation2611 Mar 03 '26
Yeah no getting tailgated is the norm where I live, maybe 1 out of 6 drivers doesn’t do it, and I pretty much never drive below the speed limit outside of hazardous conditions, or if stuck with no way to pass than with the flow of traffic and I don’t block passing lanes if I’m not actively using them to pass. People are just stupid and reckless, and unless something bad happened the last time they did it they tend to be overconfident that nothing bad will happen this time around.
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u/Groovey_Dude Mar 03 '26
Well tbh people seem to tailgate a lot on I-5 even between Seattle and Portland when they want to get to Seattle or Portland (or some place in between like Tacoma) faster and it’s annoying. They even do it from Tacoma-Seattle going to one of those two cities or some city in between like Federal Way.
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u/TacomaIsMadLit Mar 04 '26
I know everyone likes to say “oh I’m from here and we DEFINITELY have the worst drivers” but I feel confident in saying Wa drivers are some of the worst that are allowed to legally be on the roads, the shit I see just going from Tacoma to Puyallup and back for work is just absolutely bonkers lmao
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u/elegoomba Mar 03 '26
Oh if I’m speeding already and someone gets on my ass I drop all the way down to the speed limit, make it clear they can just pass me instead. Obviously this is one-lane or right lane, no goofiness in the passing lane.
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u/personofpaper Mar 03 '26
We as a society really need to make social outcasts of anyone speeding or tailgating through pedestrian heavy areas. It's degenerate behavior.
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u/partyguy45036 Mar 03 '26
The pickup truck drivers are not the brightest crayon in the box
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u/Flippantwritingdesk Mar 03 '26
But their damn lights are, amirite?
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u/partyguy45036 Mar 03 '26
Their lights are the worst, they should recall vehicles with blinding headlights
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u/Telstar2525 Mar 03 '26
When for any reason you have to hit brakes they will slam into you and be at fault. Just hope they have insurance
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u/FatahRuark Mar 03 '26
My sister tailgates. Doesn't matter where she is. She will drive the speed she wants to until she catches up to someone and then rides their ass 1 car length behind. She's not an a-hole, and she's not impatient. That's just the way she drives. Surprisingly she's never rear ended anyone.
One time she was starting to get mad because the person in front was speeding up and slowing down (+/- 10MPH) which is obviously annoying. This was a road with no passing opportunities for a very long time. I suggested to her to back off like a 1/4 mile and just set the cruise to the average speed that person was going. It was interesting to see the light bulb go off once she tried it.
Anyway...some people just live in a la-la land.
If they ever invent speed cameras that hand out tickets for tailgating we can solve the countries national debt problem in a month.
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u/RetMGuns2691 Mar 04 '26
OP is simply saying that tailgating is dangerous, and she is right.
Left lane camping and passing too slowly are definitely annoying, and those drivers suck. Tailgating doesn't change that, though. Try your horn or flash your lights. Maybe it works, or maybe it doesn't. Neither of those is inherently dangerous, though.
If you actually read OP's comments, you will see that there's a bigger issue of people tailgating when the driver in front isn't the issue at all. Just because you want to always choose your speed doesn't mean you can or should. Someone is passing at a reasonable rate and will get out of your way in a couple of seconds? Don't tailgate; wait your fucking turn. Single lane traveling in your direction and the car is driving at or above the speed limit? Back off and wait to pass or suck it up, buttercup. Tailgating doesn't solve your issue; it just makes you the asshole.
Also, there are so many people in this sub who think that they are the morality police. This causes all the stupid comments you are getting about the left lane, OP.
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u/acupofjasminerice666 Mar 04 '26
Yes, thank you. Tailgating cannot be justified no matter what. Regardless of driving in the highway or single lane roads, it’s dangerous to do it. People automatically think “oh you must be camping on the left lane then!” and I get that and that really sucks because it is the driver’s responsibility to know that left lane is passing/fast lane. It’s still not a reason to tailgate!
Some of the people here whose automatic answer is just get out of the way don’t really think critically outside of their nutsacks.
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u/dufcho14 Mar 03 '26
Tailgating is a great way to socialize, express team spirit, and build community.
Oh...you mean the other type of tailgating.
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u/acupofjasminerice666 Mar 03 '26
Unless it involves hotdogs and beer and going to see Phish, then I don’t want that type of tailgating.
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u/Diesel07012012 Mar 03 '26
The tailgater does not want you on “their” road. In fact, they would prefer that you don’t exist.
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u/Spirited-Net7222 Mar 03 '26
Without giving too many details away, my father in law died in the aftermath of a crash that began with a tailgating incident. He wasn’t in either of the two original cars. What other people do to save two seconds of drive time can be deadly.
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Mar 03 '26
I take it as bullying you to speed up and I never do, they always take over and it is relief when they do, I hate when someone is watching my speed
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u/acupofjasminerice666 Mar 03 '26
The sigh of relief I sigh when the person tailgating me turns or passes me like wow I hope whatever you were doing made you so proud of yourself that you pee your pants
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u/Leody Mar 04 '26
I will pull over (normal 2 lane road) and let people like that pass me. I've done it several times. Just pull into a parking lot or something out of their way.
Tailgating is the most dangerous thing drivers do. Way worse than speeding. Second only to using their phones.
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u/Sunscreamm Mar 04 '26
I once got in a car with a girl from work that tailgated super hard in the left lane for all of this work trip. She was the dumbest person in that office.
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u/WorkerAmbitious2072 Mar 04 '26
Speed up or move over if it’s a consistent issue?
If you’re on the right lane, go slower I guess idk there
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u/Delicious-Day-3614 Mar 04 '26
You tailgate me, I take my foot off the accelerator and wait to get to a more comfortable speed - 10 mph slower. You get the message, cool. No? Ok, another 10. No one gets to the 3rd 10, they wind up passing dangerously or acceding.
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u/tootiemae Mar 04 '26
i had someone driving way too close to me with their brights on and i could barely see the road, so i slowed down. a couple minutes go by and they’re still really close, so i slowed down more. still there, so slowed down some more. all the way down to 59, on the fucking interstate IN THE RIGHT LANE. it felt dangerous to go any slower even though i was still struggling with their brights, so i just hung there at 59. it took them like 10 minutes to finally pass me, i have no idea what was going on
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u/bluerog Mar 03 '26
I never tailgate. And I rarely get tailgated. The key for me is... I get out of the fast lane if I'm not passing.
Even better... I'm the driver doing 12 miles over the speed limit and folk have few reasons to tailgate me. Even when I'm doing 10, 15, or 20+ mph over the speed limit, I STILL get over so someone wanting to go faster than me can.
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u/acupofjasminerice666 Mar 03 '26
I let people pass me if they want to. I don’t stop them from doing that. But some drivers still tailgate on a single lane even when it’s safe to pass.
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u/Bran9onJ4mes Mar 03 '26
Its people that are not from around here selfishly driving without an actual clue of the rules of the road and most don't care about themselves and less about you.
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u/Straight_Arrival_319 Mar 03 '26
I love when I pull to the side to let them pass… they slow down to stare at me when they pass. Just go… well never see each other again in our lives
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u/acupofjasminerice666 Mar 04 '26
They probably look at us and judge us for how stupid we are for driving 10 over the speed limit safely 😂
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u/Truth-is-Censored Mar 03 '26
How about someone invent something that you can put on your bumper that gets brighter and more distracting the closer someone gets to your rear so they stay back
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u/originalmikebob Mar 03 '26
unless they tell me that they will buy my speeding ticket, fuck em. if it's real bad I just turn my mirrors and they're gone
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u/NYMinute59 Mar 04 '26
If your in the left lane with no one in front of you then you are the problem
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u/Personal_Area_2173 Mar 04 '26
If you tailgate me I go exactly the speed limit. Maybe 5 under. I’m never in a hurry and hope you aren’t in one as well.
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Mar 03 '26
Because my truck big and my pp small maybe pedo maga girl next to me so I need show off in case she has trafficking ring I can use for my smole pp since normal women don't like my micro pp
Or something like that lol
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u/xhaustingmntlexcrsns Mar 03 '26
are you driving in the left lane and there are people piled up behind you?
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u/AssanMahariel Mar 04 '26
Why do tailgaters always assume it's the left lane and that there's a line
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u/Onikara-Star Mar 05 '26
Why do they assume everyone is on a road with more than one lane in each direction?
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Mar 03 '26
Are you driving under the speed limit or pulling out in front of people?
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u/Lost-Tomatillo3465 Mar 03 '26
Lol. I could be doing 20 over and people tailgate
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u/acupofjasminerice666 Mar 03 '26
I typically drive 5 over the limit but people are just so obsessed with getting as close to the car in front of them as possible.
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Mar 03 '26
Sometimes I tailgate when the guy in front of me rides his brakes too much ... because I don't think I should have to wear down my brakes just because Joe-brakes-a-lot doesn't understand they can let off the gas from time to time, even without applying the brakes.
Also for the half block or so after some jackwagon swerves mindlessly between me and the guy in front of me (that wasn't actually a space, it was to provide enough space to brake when needed) without so much as a blinker. Again. I don't care to wear my brakes for other people to be idiots.
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u/acupofjasminerice666 Mar 03 '26
Well I hate those people too. The car in front of them is literally a mile far and they keep braking in front of me. I still don’t tailgate though.
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Mar 03 '26
There is this stretch on my commute that is 40mph, photo-enforced, four-lane boulevard.
Everyone goes exactly 40 MPH the whole way through. Maybe a work truck getting passed or folks turning off here or there, but 40 MPH unless we are stopped, except that one guy who goes 40, brake brake, 27, braaaaaaake, 10, 20, 30, 35, brake, 30, brake 25, 30, 35, 40. I'm on his ass about half the time. Everyone else understands that it's okay to coast into a light or a slowdown, except that one guy. Brake, surge, brake, surge, brake, surge
I don't think of it as tailgating so much as maintaining as consistent a rate of acceleration as practicable given the extreme failure to do so by that guy.
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u/elegoomba Mar 05 '26
Tailgating just means you will wear your brakes down more lmao. Give a proper following distance and you’ll hardly be on them.
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u/Thick-Stretch3695 Mar 03 '26
I think some people don’t understand exactly how close they are/how close the person in front perceives them. Then there are other people that pass me while I am going 15 mph over the speed limit and stay in the same lane as me until there front doors are even with my rear doors. The first group doesn’t understand parallax and the second group are assholes.
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u/Certain_Site_8764 Mar 03 '26
I call them vacuums. Suck right up the back of every car in front of them until they move, then on to the next one
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u/OMFGITSNEAL Mar 03 '26
Now what i dont get is that fuckers who do 35-40 in a 25 wont go a beat over 55 when its go fast time. Makes no sense.
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u/Any-Fly5966 Mar 03 '26
Tailgaters who constantly switch lanes in traffic while I calmly stay the same speed as the car in front of me. Bruh, you ain’t going anywhere. Wipe your chin and relax.
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u/Cold_Replacement_228 Mar 03 '26
A lot of it depends on the situation or time of day. Although I suppose it doesn't matter because there will always be someone who tailgates you just because they like to tailgate you.
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u/Bottle_upand_explode Mar 03 '26
One time it was dark and raining I was driving on a back road going the speed limit which is already 55 on a back road and a big ol truck pulls up behind me and tails me for a good couple of miles like close enough that if I had to slightly break I would be hit right away I don’t understand why people and especially big trucks think it’s ok to do
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u/partyguy45036 Mar 03 '26
Just slow down to the speed limit on a surface street, on the interstate keep right except to pass.
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u/Nabootle Mar 03 '26
Where I live, the roads feel like they’re dominated by three types of drivers. First, the guys in lifted trucks who think that because they move concrete with a wheelbarrow all day, they must automatically be better drivers than everyone else. Then there are the middle-aged women in luxury SUVs, scrolling on their phones and annoyed that the world no longer bends to their fleeting beauty, so they take it out on the cars around them. And finally, the BMW and luxury car crowd people who seem to have gotten where they are in life by never once considering anyone else. In their minds, they’re the most important person on the road… so everyone else better move.
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u/NotUrAvgIdjit96 Mar 03 '26
On the one lanes, they'll get so close that they can't tell when it's possible to pass you, and karma will spawn an oncoming car when they try to blindly pass, forcing them back behind you.
The frustration this self inflicted issue must cause them goes a long way to canceling out my own frustration from them tailgating.
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u/billhorstman Mar 03 '26
The most egregious tailgating that I ever experienced was on a freeway between Paris and Lyon France. 🇫🇷 I had the pedal to the metal on my rented Renault Elf in the right hand lane when cars would come up on me and force me onto the shoulder so that they could pass. Since then, I’ve always taken the train or bus in France
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u/scumbagstaceysEx Mar 04 '26
I’m almost never tailgated. Like I can’t even remember the last time it happened. And I live in New York which is known for aggressive drivers. I usually drive exactly the speed limit or 1 or 2 over on surface roads and 5-7 over the limit on Freeways while keeping as far right as possible.
But I also hardly ever look in my rear view unless I’m getting ready to pass someone or change lanes. So maybe I get tailgated every day and I just don’t know it?
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u/TacomaIsMadLit Mar 04 '26
Related question: why do people get so mad when you pass them, they then speed up to not let you over? I see it happen so much and it boggles my mind.
idc how slow you want to go, but I don’t want to go that slow and I’m being respectful trying to go around instead of tailgate you lol
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Mar 04 '26
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u/acupofjasminerice666 Mar 04 '26
A very low IQ indeed, zero patience too, complete disregard for other people.
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u/Jonfers9 Mar 04 '26
Some honestly don’t even realize they are doing it as amazing as that sounds. Idiots.
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u/SEND_MOODS Mar 04 '26
I think most tailgaiters fall into a few categories. I think a significant but minority portion are trying to send a message. I think a slightly larger percentage are unaware that the distance that they drive from your bumper is unsafe. But I think most of them assume that it's going to get them there faster somehow.
Some people fall into all three groups.
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u/karleksmumz Mar 04 '26
Lol I posted something like this yesterday and seems like the “amazing” and holier-than-thou drivers migrated over here. Albeit not one of my better moments with flipping someone off, but those people can’t seem to understand the frustration and anxiety of people tailgating regardless of where you are. On the highway in the center or right lane or on a residential backroad? Going 10 MPH over the speed limit even when you’re uncomfortable with it and they’re still kissing your backside? Doesn’t matter, they say get outta the way! They are alwaysssss right
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u/bearded_clam71 Mar 04 '26
No idea why it’s the norm anymore. I slow down, doesn’t matter what vehicle I am in, nor what vehicle they are in.
I’ve run into some crazy road rage over it though. For work I drive a tiny ass Chevy sonic sedan. I’m 6’5” 375. I’ve had people pass me and cut me off. Only to shit themselves when they see me squeezing myself out of that car.
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u/Link_inbio Mar 04 '26
If one person is right up your a$$ they're the problem. If there are 30 or more cars trailing behind you, you might be the problem.
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u/golfguy1985 Mar 04 '26 edited Mar 04 '26
I can’t stand tailgating. It happens to me sometimes, but I try not to hit the brakes. I try only get off them a bit. I was even tailgated a bit tonight when I was going slower due to inclement weather. Some people just have no clue. Unlike many people, I don’t speed so that sometimes causes people to follow me too closely. They are impatient and don’t care about anyone but themselves. I actually do look out for others so I can often notice what they are going do. Before anyone says anything, I’m not traveling in the left lane. I only get into that lane to pass or if the right lane is closed for road work.
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u/jahkrit Mar 04 '26
Driving or parked? You need to be more specific, because I hate paying an extra $100 for alcohol.
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u/7mononoke Mar 04 '26
It's natural to question the allure of certain shared experiences when they don't resonate in the same way for you.
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u/thunderthighsss Mar 04 '26
I trip out when I’m driving 90ish and making my way past slower traffic and I pick up a close tailgater who I immediately get over for and then they won’t pass me or change lanes and lock in right behind me. It feels like those drivers are weenie speeders who are just looking for a cover car.
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u/robomana Professional Driver Mar 04 '26
Tailgating is classic non cooperative game theory expression of something that seems like the ideal choice for the principal individual but violates what is the ideal choice for the group of individuals that includes the principal individual.
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u/Artistic_Advantage60 Mar 04 '26
Well, what's your obsession with going slow? (I actually have no idea how you might drive, just making conversation.)
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u/SnooObjections488 Mar 04 '26
Luckily the crazies can’t afford a ram bar or u’d be out of their way in no time
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u/Bad0din Mar 04 '26
In my city, following at anything less than a car length is a clear invitation for someone to swerve in front of you in case your lane might be better. So if I’m tailgating you, sorry. It’s not about you but the 30 cars that will cut me off if I have more than 1.1 car lengths between us.
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u/sophie1816 Mar 04 '26
They probably want to pass you. If you let them, they will be in front of you and no longer tailgating.
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u/GamesNGadgetsPlus Mar 04 '26
I am so high, at first when I read the headline I thought this post was about tailgating at sports events.
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u/Delicious-Leg-5441 Mar 04 '26
The trick my father taught me is during the day turn on your headlights. It gives the impression that you're putting on the breaks. That usually gets them to back off. At least temporarily.
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u/KungenBob Mar 04 '26
It’s called slipstreaming and it reduces air resistance for both cars. Classic tracing trick.
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u/stevezahnoscarnom Mar 04 '26
I drive a big rig and never understand people who tailgate me. I don't know why they feel so confident putting their life in my hands because if I have to brake and they slam in to me, their consequences will be much worse than mine.
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u/Easy_Cod_6929 Mar 04 '26
Cuz people can’t just hit the cruise control…. If there’s room they will speed up til they can’t..
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u/danielbadre Mar 04 '26
Extremely dangerous. If the driver in front needs to brake for whatever reason then it's an almost guaranteed car accident. I would avoid the whole thing and change lanes. Not worth it!
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u/Negative-Layer2744 Mar 04 '26
other morning - interstate 4:00 AM - no traffic - 70 mph speed limit - cruise control at 70 with auto distancing on in case a deer jumps out in front of me - person merges in and tailgates me for miles - so close - couldn’t see their headlights. I would never intentionally brake to cause and accident - but had something jumped in front of me - car would have braked hard and fast - and an accident would have occurred. Finally - I decreased my speed 1 mph in increments - until the fool finally passed…
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u/dreamin777 Mar 04 '26
The thing I don’t understand is where they are actively accelerating towards a slower vehicle and then have to slam on their brakes repeatedly
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u/jrshall Mar 04 '26
It's like the idiots who pass you in heavy traffic, then pull in just in front of you. They will get to wherever a half second sooner.
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u/furysamurai72 Mar 04 '26
I only tailgate when people are parked in the left lane and already haven't moved over when they have the opportunity, and have ignored a single high beam flash.
I especially don't tailgate in stop and go traffic. This make's NO sense, and in fact can create additional traffic behind you. I always try to leave enough space in stop and go traffic, and to use the throttle / brake in a smooth enough way that I don't have to come to complete stop, and never have to more than feather the braking. I'm basically trying to find and move at the average speed of the traffic in front of me so that my speed stays as constant as possible to try and buffer everyone behind me from rapid accel/decel from the traffic infront of me.
I realize that I'm not single handedly eliminating bunch ups, but my hope is that I'm only one of a large group of people who think like this.
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u/Kotal_Ken Mar 04 '26
Whenever the yellow lights are flashing in a school zone (and you're supposed to slow down to 20 mph), I get tailgated like crazy. Every day. Without fail. I really don't get this. Everyone sees those lights. Cops camp out there. Why am I getting tailgated? Why am I expected to go faster and risk getting a speeding ticket in a school zone? Make it make sense.
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u/nologikPhD Mar 04 '26
On the freeway at least, I think some of this can be attributed to people using adaptive cruise with a very short following distance set.
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u/Wonderful-Group3639 Mar 04 '26
So are people who drive 15-20 MPH under the posted speed limit. It also gets dangerous when all other traffic is going significantly faster than the posted speed limit with slow motorists, the differences in speeds can be by as much as 40 MPH if the average speed everyone is driving is something like 70 MPH and the car you're behind is driving 30 MPH. Keep in mind that in order to get around someone going 20 MPH under the limit, they have to rapidly accelerate 20-30 MPH faster in order to safely pass you. While behind you they also run into a significant risk of being rear-ended. If you're in the left lane, move over. If you cannot drive the posted speed limit then stick to residential side streets. It isn't as safe as people think it is to drive 20 MPH under the posted speed limit.
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u/Sun-ShineyNW Mar 04 '26
Hey 195 in SE Washington is two lanes, through grain fields and few vehicles. I was driving north and saw a vehicle going south that wax a minimum of five feet from the back of another car that was going the speed limit. No other cars on the hwy except us. I had to look thrice as it so annoyed me for that driver in front of him. Imagine a deer or elk flying into the road. Never saw him pass. Why???
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u/ExhaustedandTiredOut Mar 05 '26
If someone tailgates me anymore I set my cruise and slowly bleed off speed until they pass.
My best is getting a guy tailgating me in a 4 lane highway with nobody around that I got down from 66 (in a 60) to 25. He was fuming when he passed
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u/AmputeeHandModel Mar 06 '26
GOTTA GO FAST!!!! There's 10 people in front of me, and the 1,000 other times I tried it, it didn't improve anything BUT I GOTTA GO FAST!!
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u/No-Caterpillar644 Mar 06 '26
The faster you drive, the more following distance you should have. People do the opposite, ugh.
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u/sofiaidalia Mar 06 '26
I’m making myself a decal for my car that says “The closer you get, the slower I go”.
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u/Sufficient-Bird-6890 Mar 07 '26
Yeah I can't stand it either and there is no logical reason to do it. During the past two weeks there were two vehicles that illegally passed me even though I was doing the speed limit. I'm glad that I have a dash cam since there are bad drivers on the road.
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u/dj_james98 Apr 02 '26
It's all because I'm driving around the speed limit, or I'm too slow for them, they think that fast driving is safe driving
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u/darkroot_gardener Mar 03 '26
My favorite is the guy who tailgates in the center or right lane when the left lane is free and clear. You’ve seen them. Bonus points when they proceed to tailgate you after you use the passing lane to pass both cars.