Ava
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Post by Ava on May 3, 2019 14:29:20 GMT -5
About a year ago I stopped driving on the left lane because I couldn't handle the speed, the cutting in front, the random braking and general craziness & bullying.
Lately, however, I am frequently tailgated on the right lane. Today I had a guy glued to my bumper for about 20 minutes. I have cars in front of me, and I'm going with the traffic. When I don't have anybody in front, I drive 10 above the limit.
This is happening more and more frequently. I know in case of an accident the tailgater will be at fault, but I do not want to be involved in an accident at all.
Is this happening to me or is this the new normal?
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movingforward
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Post by movingforward on May 3, 2019 14:32:32 GMT -5
In general, I have noticed a lot more aggressive drivers on the road the past couple of years. I thought it was just because we have so many Californians moving here Personally, it seems like everyone is extremely impatient these days.
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NomoreDramaQ1015
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Post by NomoreDramaQ1015 on May 3, 2019 14:39:04 GMT -5
I don't know if it's the new normal I think it's been pretty normal for awhile. I see more distracted driving nowadays. My personal favorite was the lady who had her cell phone taped to her rear view mirror and was typing into it. DH said that doesn't count as watching the road lady.
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movingforward
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Post by movingforward on May 3, 2019 14:40:22 GMT -5
I don't know if it's the new normal I think it's been pretty normal for awhile. I see more distracted driving nowadays. My personal favorite was the lady who had her cell phone taped to her rear view mirror and was typing into it. DH said that doesn't count as watching the road lady.
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NoNamePerson
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Post by NoNamePerson on May 3, 2019 15:22:49 GMT -5
When I saw the subject, I had visions of folks pulled over in right land with BBQ grills, beer and chips. But I feel your pain. I think I posted a "meme" about this a while back. On the back window of car was this:
I'm Not In Heat Get Off My Ass.
I hate tailgaters and idiots that text and drive.
I think everyone who has a cell phone should be made to take a new drivers test and text and talk while driving and all new drivers also - cut the traffic in half maybe
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movingforward
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Post by movingforward on May 3, 2019 15:32:05 GMT -5
My beef is in regards to people that sit at traffic lights texting and are then clueless that the light has turned green. The traffic light right outside of my neighborhood stays green for only a few seconds (enough time for about 3 cars to go). More than half the time I have to end up beeping at the person in front of me to move their ass when the light turns green because they are sitting there looking down at their phone.
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Bluerobin
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Post by Bluerobin on May 3, 2019 15:43:26 GMT -5
I love to tap the brake enough to get the tail lights to come on when some jerk tailgates me. Keeps them alert. Eventually, they get tired of it and pass.
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Ava
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Post by Ava on May 3, 2019 15:57:53 GMT -5
I love to tap the brake enough to get the tail lights to come on when some jerk tailgates me. Keeps them alert. Eventually, they get tired of it and pass. I've been recommended that strategy but I'm really afraid they are so close they will actually hit me. I don't want to deal with everything an accident entails, even a minor one. What I do instead is i slow down. If I'm going at 60 I slow to 59, then 58, etc. I only do it for the worst offenders. The guy today was bumper to bumper to me and kept doing it until I went down to 44. Like I said it's happening more often and it's becoming more agressive. I really don't understand the reasoning behind tailgating a car in the right lane.
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NomoreDramaQ1015
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Post by NomoreDramaQ1015 on May 3, 2019 16:00:05 GMT -5
I've heard flash your hazard lights. Most people automatically pass when they see hazards.
I do not slow down, I've had too many people darn near come thru my windshield rather than pass me. Going slower seems to make them even more angry. If I can I get in the other lane and let them go around me, otherwise I maintain my current driving. We've had a couple where we almost had to pull over onto the shoulder to get away from them.
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NoNamePerson
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Post by NoNamePerson on May 3, 2019 16:01:31 GMT -5
I love to tap the brake enough to get the tail lights to come on when some jerk tailgates me. Keeps them alert. Eventually, they get tired of it and pass. I've been recommended that strategy but I'm really afraid they are so close they will actually hit me. I don't want to deal with everything an accident entails, even a minor one. What I do instead is i slow down. If I'm going at 60 I slow to 59, then 58, etc. I only do it for the worst offenders. The guy today was bumper to bumper to me and kept doing it until I went down to 44. Like I said it's happening more often and it's becoming more agressive. I really don't understand the reasoning behind tailgating a car in the right lane. I don't understand the reasoning behind tailgating, period. Dangerous as hell for all.
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Value Buy
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Post by Value Buy on May 3, 2019 16:05:18 GMT -5
In nine short days I am faced with driving 22 hours back to Indiana.
I am already formulating my defensive strategy to survive the trip without any interference.
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Ava
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Post by Ava on May 3, 2019 16:05:57 GMT -5
Oh, I agree with you. But if you drive on the right lane you know you'll be exposed to that. That's why I moved over to the right lane even though it makes my commute longer. Now I'm exposed to aggressive and dangerous behavior on the right lane as well.
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Ava
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Post by Ava on May 3, 2019 16:08:58 GMT -5
I've heard flash your hazard lights. Most people automatically pass when they see hazards. I do not slow down, I've had too many people darn near come thru my windshield rather than pass me. Going slower seems to make them even more angry. If I can I get in the other lane and let them go around me, otherwise I maintain my current driving. We've had a couple where we almost had to pull over onto the shoulder to get away from them. I don't change lanes, I am already in the right lane. Where am I going to go? And switching lanes frequently will eventually lead to problems due to blind spots, other cars speeding, etc.
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Ava
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Post by Ava on May 3, 2019 16:13:53 GMT -5
It's getting to the point that I don't want to drive anymore. I have a 60 miles round trip commute to work.
I even cancelled a couple of meet up outings because of distance and time. The last time I went out with them I ended up not enjoying the experience due to all the extra driving.
I fantasize about eventually moving close to work and not owning a car anymore. I would say driving ito s the issue that most affects my quality of life at the moment
Aggressive behavior by other drivers is only making matters worse
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Tiny
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Post by Tiny on May 3, 2019 16:25:36 GMT -5
I love to tap the brake enough to get the tail lights to come on when some jerk tailgates me. Keeps them alert. Eventually, they get tired of it and pass. I've been recommended that strategy but I'm really afraid they are so close they will actually hit me. I don't want to deal with everything an accident entails, even a minor one. What I do instead is i slow down. If I'm going at 60 I slow to 59, then 58, etc. I only do it for the worst offenders. The guy today was bumper to bumper to me and kept doing it until I went down to 44. Like I said it's happening more often and it's becoming more agressive. I really don't understand the reasoning behind tailgating a car in the right lane. I wouldn't tap the brakes... In this era of Road Rage and Guns being carried legally - this is NOT something I would do in my neck of the woods. Just saying. My experience with people who tail gate (because they are in a hurry or are angry or high) is that attempting to "teach them a lesson" tends to back fire - and then they need to "teach you a lesson!" and it can get ugly and dangerous. I generally don't pay much attention to the car directly behind me. I never really 'got' they whole tailgating thing - it makes NO sense to me. Like I'm spending my time watching the guy behind me as I'm driving... um, no, not so much. Drop back and flash your brights if you've got a problem with my speed. Personally, if I did notice someone 'tailgating' and if it annoyed me... I'd probably just take my foot off the gas and slowly start to slow down - I imagine the tailgater will eventually either jump onto the shoulder or other lane and then cut me off. I wonder if the new cars with their "auto pilot" features encourage people to NOT keep that car length of space - so the person 'tailgating' isn't really being aggressive - they are perfectly happy - and relying on their car to stop in time should the car in front stop unexpected.
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Post by The Walk of the Penguin Mich on May 4, 2019 14:18:56 GMT -5
I love to tap the brake enough to get the tail lights to come on when some jerk tailgates me. Keeps them alert. Eventually, they get tired of it and pass. I've been recommended that strategy but I'm really afraid they are so close they will actually hit me. I don't want to deal with everything an accident entails, even a minor one. What I do instead is i slow down. If I'm going at 60 I slow to 59, then 58, etc. I only do it for the worst offenders. The guy today was bumper to bumper to me and kept doing it until I went down to 44. Like I said it's happening more often and it's becoming more agressive. I really don't understand the reasoning behind tailgating a car in the right lane. You really do not want to brake check anyone. It is all kinds of a bad idea. If you cannot go any faster, then get off the highway and get back on. Let them get ahead of you. A friend of mine brake checked the guy tailgating her and the guy got so angry that she was afraid of his road rage. You have no idea who is behind you, so you really do not want to antagonize them, and brake ch3cking will do exactly that, You cannot control what someone else does, you can only control your actions.
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countrygirl2
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Post by countrygirl2 on May 4, 2019 14:28:43 GMT -5
So many people are on dope anymore, especially around here you don't know what you are dealing with. They are crazy.
In Indiana supposed to be illegal to stay in the left lane and drive holding traffic up everywhere and creating a hazard of people trying to get around. It's still going on though I have heard of people being ticketed, they need to do more of it.
I get really frustrated with that. For me driving the motorhome the last time was bad. I cannot speed up quickly or slow down quickly and people dodge in and out. I try to allow plenty of space around me but people push in on it. And the little tiny cars and motorcycles get lost in my few blind spots. It's really very nerve wracking at times.
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Bluerobin
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Post by Bluerobin on May 4, 2019 14:59:14 GMT -5
Ti4ny, I'd shoot back. Mich, spoken like a tailgater. You don't want the brake light thing, don't follow so close.
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Post by The Walk of the Penguin Mich on May 4, 2019 16:01:09 GMT -5
Ti4ny, I'd shoot back. Mich, spoken like a tailgater. You don't want the brake light thing, don't follow so close. I don’t tailgate. I had a friend who brake checked and got to deal with someone’s road rage. I don’t deal with idiots on the road. If someone wants ahead of me, I let them. I have pulled over to let someone go by, as 8 didn’t feel lik3 getting in an accident. I have 2 hips, that if they are damaged I wind up in a wheelchair and I value the amount of walking I can currently do to never want to jeopardize it. Brake checking is stupid, and it makes you as bad as the tailgater for playing their stupid game. Dumbass with a 2000 lb weapon.
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Ava
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Post by Ava on May 4, 2019 16:17:46 GMT -5
I've been recommended that strategy but I'm really afraid they are so close they will actually hit me. I don't want to deal with everything an accident entails, even a minor one. What I do instead is i slow down. If I'm going at 60 I slow to 59, then 58, etc. I only do it for the worst offenders. The guy today was bumper to bumper to me and kept doing it until I went down to 44. Like I said it's happening more often and it's becoming more agressive. I really don't understand the reasoning behind tailgating a car in the right lane. You really do not want to brake check anyone. It is all kinds of a bad idea. If you cannot go any faster, then get off the highway and get back on. Let them get ahead of you. A friend of mine brake checked the guy tailgating her and the guy got so angry that she was afraid of his road rage. You have no idea who is behind you, so you really do not want to antagonize them, and brake ch3cking will do exactly that, You cannot control what someone else does, you can only control your actions. Why would I do that? I'm driving on the right lane, following the speed of traffic. If the car behind is not happy with the speed of the right lane, they should be moving over to the left. Or should every one on the right lane get off the highway to please the tailgater? If I get off the highway every time someone tailgates me on the right lane, it would take me even longer to arrive at my destination. Like I said, it's happening more and more often.
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Ava
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Post by Ava on May 4, 2019 16:20:55 GMT -5
I don't brake check either. All I want to do is arrive safely at my destination. I don't play mind games with other drivers.
All I do when someone gets so close as to make me feel unsafe is that I reduce the speed, but I do it very slowly. I'm going at 60, then a minute later it's 59, and so on. They all give up after a while, but some are extremely persistent.
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Post by The Walk of the Penguin Mich on May 4, 2019 16:27:05 GMT -5
You really do not want to brake check anyone. It is all kinds of a bad idea. If you cannot go any faster, then get off the highway and get back on. Let them get ahead of you. A friend of mine brake checked the guy tailgating her and the guy got so angry that she was afraid of his road rage. You have no idea who is behind you, so you really do not want to antagonize them, and brake ch3cking will do exactly that, You cannot control what someone else does, you can only control your actions. Why would I do that? I'm driving on the right lane, following the speed of traffic. If the car behind is not happy with the speed of the right lane, they should be moving over to the left. Or should every one on the right lane get off the highway to please the tailgater? If I get off the highway every time someone tailgates me on the right lane, it would take me even longer to arrive at my destination. Like I said, it's happening more and more often. So you get rid of the tailgater. If someone wants ahead of you that badly that they tailgate you so closely that you are concerned as to how close they are, let them ahead of you. If everyone is tailgating because traffic is a crawl, then this is really moot. The other thing you could do is do is change your time habits. Sometimes, leaving as little as 15 min earlier can have a huge effect on traffic volume. BTW.....someone might not want to change lanes because they are exiting soon. If traffic is that heavy that they move over to go around you, they might not be able to get back into that lane before their exit.
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Ava
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Post by Ava on May 4, 2019 16:29:37 GMT -5
Why would I do that? I'm driving on the right lane, following the speed of traffic. If the car behind is not happy with the speed of the right lane, they should be moving over to the left. Or should every one on the right lane get off the highway to please the tailgater? If I get off the highway every time someone tailgates me on the right lane, it would take me even longer to arrive at my destination. Like I said, it's happening more and more often. So you get rid of the tailgater. If someone wants ahead of you that badly that they tailgate you so closely that you are concerned as to how close they are, let them ahead of you. If everyone is tailgating because traffic is a crawl, then this is really moot. The other thing you could do is do is change your time habits. Sometimes, leaving as little as 15 min earlier can have a huge effect on traffic volume. BTW.....someone might not want to change lanes because they are exiting soon. If traffic is that heavy that they move over to go around you, they might not be able to get back into that lane before their exit. If they don't want to change lane they should respect the going speed on the lane they are in. I'm not getting off the highway every time someone tailgates me. I've already changed my work hours so I avoid the worst of traffic. But it's very heavy in this area, plenty of cars, trucks, now with nicer weather motorbikes, at all times of day. Even on the weekends it's getting congested.
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TheOtherMe
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Post by TheOtherMe on May 4, 2019 17:26:31 GMT -5
You can only control your own behavior. You can not control the behavior of other drivers.
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billisonboard
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Post by billisonboard on May 4, 2019 18:04:55 GMT -5
.... If you cannot go any faster, then get off the highway and get back on. ... Why would I do that? ... To meet a goal of: ... All I want to do is arrive safely at my destination. ...
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Ava
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Post by Ava on May 4, 2019 18:16:25 GMT -5
No, I'm not getting off the road when I'm driving on the right lane in order to accommodate bullies.
That doesn't make any sense. They have the left lane to pass over if they are not happy.
It's a 30 miles commute that takes approximately 50 to 55 minutes each way driving on the right lane. I'm not getting off the road the 4 or 5 times I get tailgated. No way.
Do you realize the other party is at fault, and if drivers like me start accommodating them it will only encourage more of that behavior? So careful and non-aggressive drivers are supposed to pull out of the way every time someone is a jerk? It will take us hours to get anywhere.
I guess my best bet is staying on the right lane and hopping nobody hits me from behind.
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NoNamePerson
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Post by NoNamePerson on May 4, 2019 18:29:01 GMT -5
I've learned to drive in my city like the running of the bulls!! But honesty I find parking lots more dangerous than the six lane roads here.
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GRG a/k/a goldenrulegirl
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Post by GRG a/k/a goldenrulegirl on May 4, 2019 18:41:01 GMT -5
About a year ago I stopped driving on the left lane because I couldn't handle the speed, the cutting in front, the random braking and general craziness & bullying. Lately, however, I am frequently tailgated on the right lane. Today I had a guy glued to my bumper for about 20 minutes. I have cars in front of me, and I'm going with the traffic. When I don't have anybody in front, I drive 10 above the limit. This is happening more and more frequently. I know in case of an accident the tailgater will be at fault, but I do not want to be involved in an accident at all. Is this happening to me or is this the new normal? [br Is this one of the parkedys? Drivers on the parkways are batshit crazy — the speeds they go in some of those curves. 😱. And God forbid if you don’t also have a lead foot...
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Ava
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Post by Ava on May 4, 2019 18:49:57 GMT -5
About a year ago I stopped driving on the left lane because I couldn't handle the speed, the cutting in front, the random braking and general craziness & bullying. Lately, however, I am frequently tailgated on the right lane. Today I had a guy glued to my bumper for about 20 minutes. I have cars in front of me, and I'm going with the traffic. When I don't have anybody in front, I drive 10 above the limit. This is happening more and more frequently. I know in case of an accident the tailgater will be at fault, but I do not want to be involved in an accident at all. Is this happening to me or is this the new normal? [br Is this one of the parkedys? Drivers on the parkways are batshit crazy — the speeds they go in some of those curves. 😱. And God forbid if you don’t also have a lead foot... I don't have a lead foot. But like I said repeatedly, I'm on the right lane all the time. The left lane is for the crazies and bullies, I understand that and never go there.
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GRG a/k/a goldenrulegirl
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Post by GRG a/k/a goldenrulegirl on May 4, 2019 18:56:45 GMT -5
[br Is this one of the parkedys? Drivers on the parkways are batshit crazy — the speeds they go in some of those curves. 😱. And God forbid if you don’t also have a lead foot... I don't have a lead foot. But like I said repeatedly, I'm on the right lane all the time. The left lane is for the crazies and bullies, I understand that and never go there. I don’t have a lead foot either so I totally understand how challenging driving on those roads can be. Most of them have a 55 mph speed limit. As if speed limits matter to any of those whackos. I’ve seen young kids blow by me even on 84 going at least 120. At least there are 3 or 4 lanes on 84 until you get into Newtown or so. Driving in Connecticut is definitely not for the feint of heart. It’s not you. It’s totally them. Just stay safe.
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