Rather than brake checking, the proper way to deal with a tailgater is thus:
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Except when moving in to the right lane when traffic is merging from an on-ramp. Not clear that the person brake-checked to send a message to the tailgater or in reaction to the vehicles in right lane + on-ramp (or something else). Your powers of assumption loom large on this topic. Have fun driving home tonight!
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Donāt bother, Iām pretty sure heās either part of the tailgatersā lobby or maybe even a paid shill for ābig tailgatingā
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Just pull the E-Brake thenā¦
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Tailgating is dumb, you shouldnāt do it, period. Iām not pro-tailgating. That being said I often see tailgaters doing that because theyāre trying to make the person in front of them āgo fasterā. Iāve also seen people who hang out in the left lane being a speed nanny, sitting there just to force people to do the speed limit (or less). Hanging out in the passing lane is dangerous. Expressing your disapproval of someoneās driving is no excuse.
It is neither as exciting or as nerve-wracking, but giving extra space to the nannies makes them speed up a bit. It also lulls them into a less vigilant(e) state so I can pass on the right without drama.
I hate tailgating and tailgators. I hate tailgaters much more as the lazy human beings they are than I hate the occasional opportunist who takes advantage of the space I leave. I hate tailgaters almost as much as I hate the territorial suburban motherfuckers who are offended by the act of merging.
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I know this is the US, but I believe in Germany the autobahns do not have a speed limit (although you are required to drive at a speed that is safe and under control for your vehicle) but if you are in the left lane, cars that want to pass flash their lights and the proper thing is to move into the right lane to let them pass or speed up. The car that crashed was definitely tailgating and is at fault, but the car in front looks like is going a bit slow for the speed of the left lane and probably should have been in the right. (Probably not legally responsible for the crash, but braking intentionally is not helpful, and neither is driving away from the scene of a crash).
Except how on earth will you get that charge to stand up in court? All the driver has to do is claim to have seen, or even just claim to have thought to have seen, an obstacle on the road, tire, animal, whatever. The whole point of keeping a safe distance is that if someone has to suddenly brake in front of you, you donāt rear-end them.
One thing I find interesting that no one seems to have brought up, or at least I couldnāt find it skimming the thread, is that the brake checker slows down, indicating having noticed the accident, and then drives off. The video is clear that the brake checker was involved in the accident, even if he or she isnāt at fault, so leaving the scene could still be a misdemeanor. At least thatās the law in Texas, and this video looks a lot like a Texas interstate.
The best way to deal with a tailgater is to slow down to whatever speed you need to so that they can stop given the distance theyāve left, then wait for them go around at the first opportunity before resuming a normal driving speed. Iām not saying this is an ideal solution. There is no ideal solution to dealing with reckless or otherwise hazardous drivers. But itās the safest defense.
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I found that odd too. Perhaps the brake checker was unaware that they were involved and just assumed the idiot behind them really could not drive - unlikely but possible.
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Maybe, but as you say, unlikely. Texas police arenāt known for being generous to anyone they think caused an accident, so even if they canāt prove the brake checker was intentionally brake checking the tailgater, I wouldnāt be surprised if they put out an APB on the plates and snag them for leaving the scene. Again, a skilled attorney can probably get the brake checker off anyway (you can beat most traffic citations in Texas with the right lawyer), but I can totally see the cops going after the brake checker for bolting as retaliation for being unable to show the he or she was at fault. Of course that all assumes the cops find the video or the tailgater saw and remembered the plates.
āslower traffic keep rightā is not even kind of the same as āthe left lane is for passing onlyā
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When I took my drivers test years ago (Canada) we were taught that you should stay back the count of 5 from a point of reference on the highway. I have never been involved in an accident which was my fault.
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Yup, the car in front was passing. Also there was another car entering from the on ramp. The tailgater hopefully will never drive like that again.
Not sure you you have an appreciation for the physics of the stuation. At speeds like this you canāt stop in time.
Youāre right, not always, no.
Itās a devil you know vs one you donāt kind of thing.
ā¦I have a healthy respect for F=ma.
Nah, thatās what the parking brake is for.
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I think that oneās a good one to teach beginner-drivers, but itās beginner-level and as you got better at driving, you no-doubt honed and improved the rule into something more sophisticated. Obviously the time increases if conditions are poor. Perhaps it can also depend on the stopping ability of the vehicles in question, etc. I like to ensure there is enough stopping distance between the car in front of me and the car behind me for me to not get pancaked between them. If the guy in front emergency-stops and I can stop in time, thatās great, but itās even better if I ensure there enough space to let the car behind stop without rear-ending me. Unfortunately tailgaters not leaving space behind me means more space is required in front to make sure theyāll be able to stop in time. I feel like maybe thereās a risk of that being misinterpreted as passive-aggressive, but no indications of that to date, so maybe itās not worth worrying about.
I live in flyover country, and a rural part at that. People do this pants-on-head stupid thing on the interstates here that irks me.
Letās say the speed limit is 70mph and Iām doing 75. Thereās a person behind me thatās been following me for the past 20 miles. I come up on a semi thatās driving 65 (where I live, theyāre supposed to be going 65.) I get in the left lane to pass.
Suddenly, the person who has been following me for 20 miles is in a Big Damn Hurry. Not only do they get behind me, but theyāre doing their best to park their car in my backseat. If I speed up to 80, which I usually do, they keep up.
Once Iām around, I never see the other car again, apart from them zooming around me and probably giving me the finger.
I think Iām beginning to understand why people leave this forsaken placeā¦and Iām sorry to all those places theyāre moving to.
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Left lane is for passing, and if someone is trying to get past you they have the right away to use the left lane and you should merge to allow them to pass. Tailgating and brake tapping are dangerous, both are acts of aggression.
I was taught in drivers ed to brake check, as a way of sending a message to tell the person behind you to back off (just by lightly tapping the brake). It seems to work just fine, and needless to say, I am skeptical of an out-of-state ambulance chaserās online advice on the topic.
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Yes, but shouldnāt you also be paying attention to everything going on
around you. Including your rear view mirror.
