Pissing off "intimidation idiots"

[PepperElf]

The drive home from work is kinda interesting now, because from my entrance to the state line is under construction; both lanes have been scraped down and the speed limit has been dropped from 70 to 60.

For the most part people are actually obeying the limit, well for locals at least... which is to say they drive 5-10 mph over limit.

And today wasn't much different. Traffic was tight and moving around 60-70 depending on the car but... there simply wasn't anywhere to go and no way to pass anyone. The cars in front of me were doing 65-70, and the cars & trucks in the left lane were doing the same, neck & neck alongside.


So when the black SUV a few cars back got antsy and moved to the left lane she learned... Oh there's nowhere to go. (duh!)


Eventually traffic started opening up a little and... I kinda knew what she was going to try doing and ... no. She was edging up alongside me, and I suspect was going to try to wedge in between me and the car right in front of her, forcing me back unless I wanted a collision.... Except she couldn't do that because I sped up.


So she moved behind me and started tailgating to "intimidate" me into going faster. Except yet again there was nowhere to go. There was a truck immediately to my left and a car immediately ahead of me.

So, I warned her off with my brakes.

Her: MIDDLE FINGER!!!!!!!!


but seriously, learn how to fucking drive. Where was I going to go? Into the trunk of the car ahead of me?

Grow a brain.

[RecoveringKinkoid]

They do this, and I am forever utterly baffled. Where the FUCK do they think the guy ahead of them can go?

I now just pull out my camera and start shooting. So far, everyone I've done that to freaks out and backs off. It's all well and good to bully a total stranger for no apparent reason when they think nobody will ever know, but it's a different thing entirely to have a record of it.

[MadMike]

I've been wondering for years how they think you're supposed to go faster than the car in front of you. If they think it can be done, I'd like to see them try it.

Then again, maybe I don't want them to attempt that.

[RecoveringKinkoid]

Well, tailgaters are stupid.

There are no exceptions to this rule. None.

So apparently some of them are so very stupid they think the laws of physics don't apply to them.

I had a guy do this to me last weekend on my way out of town who pulled out from behind me, passed, and then went out of his way to wedge himself between me and the large truck in front of me. The one he HAD TO HAVE SEEN while he was behind. me. Granted, it wasn't hard to wedge in, because unlike him, I don't tailgate. But did he think he was going to accomplish? He could EASILY SEE the truck and that it was going the exact same speed. Why pass and then turn around and get behind the truck? It makes no sense!

[PepperElf]

exactly...

and this is why i pissed off the can't-understand-normal-thinking who was behind me... because i stopped her from trying to wedge in between.

[Marmalady]

Why pass and then turn around and get behind the truck? It makes no sense!

In their tiny minds they think they'll get there faster.

[blas]

They always tailgate YOU because you're the closest person to "punish" for holdind up traffic, even though you are behind the real person or persons doing it.

The day that a tailgater used an empty merge lane to wind around me, the day that someone nearly went into the ditch to go around me........was when I realized that tailgaters are like terrorists...you can't negotiate with them.

[RecoveringKinkoid]

I have, no lie, seen a guy MISS HIS TURN in his zeal to "teach me a lesson." He was so intent on trying to zip around me (I was keeping up with very heavy traffic) that he found himself in the wrong lane to make his left turn.

He actually pulled up and pleaded with me to let him over after tailgating, cutting other people off, and otherwise driving like an irresponsible tool.

You'll be happy to know I didn't. I just laughed and strolled past, making my left turn as he was forced to go straight.

He will never know this, but I will let anyone over. I am not a competitive, vindictive driver. I will let you over if you so much as signal to me you need to come over. I'm not "that guy." But him? Fuck that guy. His turn clearly wasn't all that important that he stay in his fucking lane and drive like he had some sense.

Sometimes, karma smiles.

[blas]

That's never happened to me yet, but so many people around here are never in the lane they need to be in because they are more obsessed with being the FIRST person in line at the red light so they'll be the first to get going when it turns green....but their little plan fails when the next block of traffic is slower moving and they are stuck and their next turn is rapidly approaching or that lane is disappearing.

[PepperElf]

... same here... I'm usually pretty kind and considerate.
unless someone is trying to be stupid and... intimidate me, or trying to wedge into a tiny space.

[Shalom]

I had a guy do this to me last weekend on my way out of town who pulled out from behind me, passed, and then went out of his way to wedge himself between me and the large truck in front of me. The one he HAD TO HAVE SEEN while he was behind. me.

Quite some time ago, when I was still a very new driver, I was a passenger in my father's car in the Battery Tunnel. We were riding behind a bus, hanging back just a bit so as not to get the car full of exhaust, and a car, which had been tailgating us, passed us across the double white line and went and tailgated the bus instead.

That's stupid enough, but here's what makes it insane:

It was rush hour, so they had three lanes in/one lane out, meaning one of the tubes had two-way traffic, and we were in the two-way tube.

This tool actually pulled across a double line into opposing traffic in a TUNNEL to pass us. I don't know what was biting his ass, the speed limit during 2-way operation is 25 and we were probably doing twice that, but it wasn't fast enough for this jackass.

My father just shrugged and said "Fine by me, he can eat the bus's exhaust instead of us..."

[It's me]

The day that a tailgater used an empty merge lane to wind around me

I still remember the time many, many years ago a guy tried to pull that stunt on my Dad, using the lane that exits onto a highway.... oddly enough Idiot Driver ended up having to take the exit ramp instead .......

[BrenDAnn]

Tailgaters are my number one pet peeve on the highway. I had one on the way home from work today. Granted it was only a two lane road (one lane each direction) but still...The asshole had plenty of time to pass me. He chose instead to ride my ass, then back off a slight bit, then ride my ass, then back off, the whole way from work to my turn off to come home! I was SO tempted to try the pic taking technique, but by the time I thought of it, I was at my turn off. Here's a little hint though: My dad is a trucker. I have learned from him. You riding my ass will NOT intimidate me into moving faster (I'm usually already over the speed limit) or moving over (onto the shoulder!?!) to let you by. Either pass me or get off my ass, thank you very little!!

[RecoveringKinkoid]

If I pulled over for every asshead that wanted to tailgate me, I'd never get anywhere. I'll slow down, and they can pass or not. Up to them. I don't care. But we will not be playing games at high speeds. And that's not negotiable.

I had some heifer pull the "I'm going to tailgate you in a speedtrap and opt not to pass even though I can because I'm having too much fun being a shit." the other day in the aforementioned speedtrap.

There were NO OTHER CARS ON THE ROAD. She could have passed me at any time. She didnt. So I stopped.

So instead of doing what any normal person would do, she laid on her horn.

Oh, dear me. How awful.

So I sat there until she knocked that shit off. In fact, I only went forward when she was not on my bumper. The moment she started up again, I just safely coasted to a halt. This happened more than once and the bitch never passed me until I made a right turn.

When she went around, I took her picture.

Fucking cow.

Sorry, not going to be driving my car when I have a high chance of being in an accident. No reason for it. I'm rarely in any kind of hurry.

[Food Lady]

I HATE tailgating, especially when they totally can pass me, when there is open road as far as the eye can see. I will not be intimidated. I also will not do the brake tap. Oh, no. I will ever so casually remove my foot from the accelerator and proceed to coast down to the speed I should be going. If I am above the speed limit (read: not the speed starting point), there's absolutely no valid reason to think I'm going too slow.