Cars & Transportation Is tailgating another car ever justified

[malph]

If they're going the speed limit what does it matter?

First of all, it's still illegal. At least in SA it's illegal (when sign-posted or over 100 km/h).

Second, I like to drive at the speed limit: 80 in an 80 zone, or God forbid, sometimes 84 or 85 . I may even do 110 in a 100 zone. This is fine on a highway, it's not exactly like driving at 60 through a school zone.

Yet invariably, there is some dipstick in the right hand lane thinking "well, since they have to speed to get past me I'm within my rights to break the keep left law." In response to the OP, sometimes I get so frustrated I do tailgate. I guess I've mellowed a little as I've grown older, so right-on-the-bumper tailgating has evolved into 1-second-gap + high beam tailgating, but it's certainly not justified: it's dumb. I know I'm being a d**k when I do it, but this is my biggest pet hate on the road, and I've always wished the po po would do more to enforce it. More difficult than speed cameras, I suppose.

If I want to do 110 on a highway, but keep left unless I'm overtaking, I am driving far safer than the idiot sitting on the limit in the right lane. Here is why: no one is ever going to drive at exactly the same speed, but the keep left law is supposed to enforce predictable behaviour. Instead, you drive down a multi-lane freeway, there is a truck in the left lane, a douche-bag in the right lane, and you have bedlam as cars are switching left AND right in order to overtake through the centre. It's not safe at all, no matter what Right Lane Granny in the Corolla thinks.

I'm sure these people are oblivious to the havoc they cause. Yes, you are well within your rights to keep under the limit, however you do not have the right to do it in the right-hand lane.

 

[tonk]

Lol at "hoons".

A buzzword the incompetent nannas use.

No hoons are brain dead ****wits and incompetent nanna's are incompetent nanna's.

 

[breeno]

First of all, it's still illegal. At least in SA it's illegal (when sign-posted or over 100 km/h).

Second, I like to drive at the speed limit: 80 in an 80 zone, or God forbid, sometimes 84 or 85 . I may even do 110 in a 100 zone. This is fine on a highway, it's not exactly like driving at 60 through a school zone.

Yet invariably, there is some dipstick in the right hand lane thinking "well, since they have to speed to get past me I'm within my rights to break the keep left law." In response to the OP, sometimes I get so frustrated I do tailgate. I guess I've mellowed a little as I've grown older, so right-on-the-bumper tailgating has evolved into 1-second-gap + high beam tailgating, but it's certainly not justified: it's dumb. I know I'm being a d**k when I do it, but this is my biggest pet hate on the road, and I've always wished the po po would do more to enforce it. More difficult than speed cameras, I suppose.

If I want to do 110 on a highway, but keep left unless I'm overtaking, I am driving far safer than the idiot sitting on the limit in the right lane. Here is why: no one is ever going to drive at exactly the same speed, but the keep left law is supposed to enforce predictable behaviour. Instead, you drive down a multi-lane freeway, there is a truck in the left lane, a douche-bag in the right lane, and you have bedlam as cars are switching left AND right in order to overtake through the centre. It's not safe at all, no matter what Right Lane Granny in the Corolla thinks.

I'm sure these people are oblivious to the havoc they cause. Yes, you are well within your rights to keep under the limit, however you do not have the right to do it in the right-hand lane.

You seem to be missing my point. In Melbourne it isn't illegal to be in the right, but if they are going the speed limit in the right hand lane there shouldn't any cause for concern. Yes slowies in the right are annoying, but it's no justification for tailgating.

Also, one day you will tailgate or hi beam the wrong person, and they will either brake heavily and leave you with heaps to pay in damages or just get out of the car and kick the crap out of you for playing Russian Roulette with their life.

People feel the anonymity behind a wheel and think it is a good excuse to play with people's lives.

Would you walk behind a slow person and start doing s**t which could severely effect their walking? (I don't know what the equivalent of hi-beaming is when walking) - I doubt it. It's far less dangerous to walk quickly behind someone and try and hurry it up, letting them know they're walking slow etc. But hardly anyone ever does that. The car is protection for ****wits.

This isn't a direct go at you (although the hi-beam thing is pathetic, like seriously, I'm pretty passive and I would be tempted to get out of the car and have a few words, many people I know would go further than that however), as you seem pretty reasonable - just a rant really.

 

[Lunchlady Doris]

If they're going the speed limit what does it matter?

Saving 5 minutes on your trip is not worth risking more than 1 life.

Are you kidding me?

Thread got real dumb.

 

[shurg123]

Tailgating is never excusable, it's immature, aggressive and downright dangerous. If you're boxed in and are in a hurry, the best thing to do is just take it easy, hang back and wait till a good-sized opening appears. Tailgating someone will just annoy them and if anything, will make them less likely to give you room.

If some clown ever tailgates me, I let go of the accelerator and gradually slow down till I'm a good 40 km/h below the limit, before going full throttle and leaving him in my 270 KW boosted wake. Good fun .

Another thing that shits me is when on a relatively empty road, the car behind gets right up the arse of the car in front before changing lanes and overtaking. Do people not know how to look ahead and read the flow of traffic so they can chart a part through in advance? No need for sudden lane changes while practically tailgating then.

 

[shurg123]

You seem to be missing my point. In Melbourne it isn't illegal to be in the right, but if they are going the speed limit in the right hand lane there shouldn't any cause for concern. Yes slowies in the right are annoying, but it's no justification for tailgating.

Also, one day you will tailgate or hi beam the wrong person, and they will either brake heavily and leave you with heaps to pay in damages or just get out of the car and kick the crap out of you for playing Russian Roulette with their life.

People feel the anonymity behind a wheel and think it is a good excuse to play with people's lives.

Would you walk behind a slow person and start doing s**t which could severely effect their walking? (I don't know what the equivalent of hi-beaming is when walking) - I doubt it. It's far less dangerous to walk quickly behind someone and try and hurry it up, letting them know they're walking slow etc. But hardly anyone ever does that. The car is protection for ****wits.

This isn't a direct go at you (although the hi-beam thing is pathetic, like seriously, I'm pretty passive and I would be tempted to get out of the car and have a few words, many people I know would go further than that however), as you seem pretty reasonable - just a rant really.

Wrong. If you're on any Victorian Road with a speed limit of 80 km/h or more, you must keep left unless overtaking if the road isn't highly congested. This applies even if there is no 'Keep Left Unless Overtaking' sign present.

From the official document: http://www.legislation.vic.gov.au/Domino/Web_Notes/LDMS/PubStatbook.nsf/b05145073fa2a882ca256da4001bc4e7/36E852AA5A0D62CACA25761E001F5FF1/$FILE/09-094sr.pdf

Rule 130: Keeping to the left on a multi-lane road

(1) This rule applies to a driver driving on a multilane road if—
(a) the speed-limit applying to the driver for the
length of road where the driver is driving is
over 80 kilometres per hour; or
(b) a keep left unless overtaking sign applies to
the length of road where the driver is driving.
(2) The driver must not drive in the right lane
unless—
(a) the driver is turning right, or making a
U-turn from the centre of the road, and is
giving a right change of direction signal; or
(b) the driver is overtaking; or
(c) a left lane must turn left sign or left traffic
lane arrows apply to any other lane and the
driver is not turning left; or
(d) the driver is required to drive in the right
lane under rule 159; or
(e) the driver is avoiding an obstruction; or
(f) the traffic in each other lane is congested; or
(g) the traffic in every lane is congested; or
(h) the right lane is a special purpose lane in
which the driver, under another provision of
these Rules, is permitted to drive; or
(i) there are only 2 marked lanes and the left
lane is a slow vehicle turn out lane.
Penalty: 3 penalty units.

NOTES:
Rule 159 deals with traffic signs that require a
particular kind of vehicle to drive in the marked lane
indicated by the signs.

(3) A keep left unless overtaking sign on a multi-lane
road applies to the length of road beginning at the
sign and ending at the nearest of the following—
(a) an end keep left unless overtaking sign on the
road;
(b) a traffic sign or road marking on the road
that indicates that the road is no longer a
multi-lane road;
(c) if the road ends at a T-intersection or dead
end—the end of the road.

Saddens me how people can get driver's licenses without being aware of the most basic road rules. Not surprising considering the number of people who drive appliances on wheels and don't have even a basic understanding of car dynamics.

Even though it's illegal to drive in the right-lane unless overtaking, this still doesn't excuse tailgating, even though there probably wouldn't be any tailgating in the first place if the right-lane was left free for overtaking.

 

[shurg123]

You can also get fined for... well how can I explain this...

Girl (workmates daughter) is driving home from Geelong Sunday night. She is driving in the far right lane, there is no traffic around (ie. no one behind her), she is doing 95km/h.

Girl gets stopped by police, fines her for being in the right lane "too long", $122 fine + 2 points.


See, I really have respect for the police, I really do. But hearing about this makes me furious. If I got fined for something like that, I reckon I'd lose my s**t at the police officer and get in even more trouble.

What a ****ing arsehole

/end rant.

I don't see how this is any worse than being booked for going 10km/h over the limit on a freeway with no other traffic around (i.e. perfectly safe and not endangering anyone due to the speed being well within the freeway's design factor of safety, Fd). Lucky she didn't get the full 3 points.

 

[shurg123]

I am over the moon to "drive the limit" and I always do it in the left lane, you wouldn't believe the amount of brain dead arse wipes that still feel the need to tail gate (mostly young women).

The funny thing is they may not even be meaning to tailgate, their dynamic spatial awareness isn't as good as men's so they probably don't even realise how close they are.

 

[malph]

You seem to be missing my point. In Melbourne it isn't illegal to be in the right, but if they are going the speed limit in the right hand lane there shouldn't any cause for concern. Yes slowies in the right are annoying, but it's no justification for tailgating.

Also, one day you will tailgate or hi beam the wrong person, and they will either brake heavily and leave you with heaps to pay in damages or just get out of the car and kick the crap out of you for playing Russian Roulette with their life.

People feel the anonymity behind a wheel and think it is a good excuse to play with people's lives.

Would you walk behind a slow person and start doing s**t which could severely effect their walking? (I don't know what the equivalent of hi-beaming is when walking) - I doubt it. It's far less dangerous to walk quickly behind someone and try and hurry it up, letting them know they're walking slow etc. But hardly anyone ever does that. The car is protection for ****wits.

This isn't a direct go at you (although the hi-beam thing is pathetic, like seriously, I'm pretty passive and I would be tempted to get out of the car and have a few words, many people I know would go further than that however), as you seem pretty reasonable - just a rant really.

The high beam treatment is reserved for the freeway, although I'm also pretty sure that the law actually requires drivers to switch them on when overtaking on a single-lane highway . But I'm no arguing with you on the tailgating point - it's not behaviour to be proud of, so I don't make a habit of it. I only get that frustrated by proper dawdlers, and then the fury takes over.

If some clown ever tailgates me, I let go of the accelerator and gradually slow down till I'm a good 40 km/h below the limit, before going full throttle and leaving him in my 270 KW boosted wake. Good fun .

I love watching people do that. Serves them (me) right. Although I don't generally see a lot of high performance vehicles holding up traffic in the outside lane.

I don't see how this is any worse than being booked for going 10km/h over the limit on a freeway with no other traffic around (i.e. perfectly safe and not endangering anyone due to the speed being well within the freeway's design factor of safety, Fd). Lucky she didn't get the full 3 points.

LOL, that story made my day! It is not worse. 10 km/h over the limit on a highway is not dangerous driving. Staying in the right hand lane for no reason is dangerous driving, because it alters everybody else's behaviour into unpredictable patterns. Most people who do it probably have no idea why it's wrong, so good on the police for making an effort to change their behaviour. If I have to accept a speeding ticket for travelling 58 in a 50 zone, then I'm not going to have any sympathy for an idiot who thinks they can pick and choose which rules matter and which ones don't. If I ever get fined for dangerous driving from tailgating, I'll wear it, rather than blame the cops for my own ignorance.

Why do German autobahns work? They are the safest highways in the world, even the sections with unlimited speed limits. Cars drive at assorted speeds. Some at 100km/h, others over 200km/h. It works because behaviour is predictable. Nobody is allowed to overtake in the right-hand lane, they're not allowed to sit in the left-hand lane for no reason, and most importantly, they observe these rules like a religion. If you ever want to see "aggressive tailgating," try sitting in the left lane of an autobahn at 120km/h. Lights, horn, the whole show.

 

[nicky]

Staying in the right hand lane for no reason is dangerous driving, because it alters everybody else's behaviour into unpredictable patterns. Most people who do it probably have no idea why it's wrong, so good on the police for making an effort to change their behaviour. .

I agree with this and also think police should target those who over take on the inside.

More effort by the police is needed to facilitate predictable road patterns.

Excellent point.

 

[PoppedCorn]

if you
a. want to sit in the right lane, passing signs every km that say keep left, when there is room to merge left quite easily and safely
b. sit on 70km an hr in a 90km zone because you are a tourist and have no idea (pull the **** over and let the 5 cars behind you on this country road pass because they want to do the speed limit)

prepare to get a car up your ass

 

[kfc1]

You can also get fined for... well how can I explain this...

Girl (workmates daughter) is driving home from Geelong Sunday night. She is driving in the far right lane, there is no traffic around (ie. no one behind her), she is doing 95km/h.

Girl gets stopped by police, fines her for being in the right lane "too long", $122 fine + 2 points.


See, I really have respect for the police, I really do. But hearing about this makes me furious. If I got fined for something like that, I reckon I'd lose my s**t at the police officer and get in even more trouble.

What a ****ing arsehole

/end rant.

I don't understand how you could possibly think she is hard done by. Is she stupid? Why on earth was she in the right lane, on a 6 (3+3) lane road, with nobody else around? Good on the cops. The act at the time is hardly dangerous, but the same idiot doing it in that situation obviously (a) does not understand or care about the road rules and (b) is pretty likely to do it in other situations where other traffic is around. Broken window concept etc.

 

[kfc1]

if you
a. want to sit in the right lane, passing signs every km that say keep left, when there is room to merge left quite easily and safely
b. sit on 70km an hr in a 90km zone because you are a tourist and have no idea (pull the **** over and let the 5 cars behind you on this country road pass because they want to do the speed limit)

prepare to get a car up your ass

That's a pretty terrible 'excuse' to tailgate.

Driving in Perth means I experience the right lane idiots quite often but I never tailgate. What good does it do? It only puts them and you in danger.

If I see a right lane coaster on the freeway in the distance, when I get close to a safe distance behind them and see they have ample opportunity to move over, I will give them a quick flash of the high beams as a friendly "hey mate do you realise you are breaking the law and should move left" message. If they still aren't moving over after a 2nd time, then I will just sit behind until they do, or move left if I think I can get past them that way.

There's never ever any excuse for tailgating. if someone is tailgating me, it has the opposite effect to what they want - i.e. I slow down until the distance behind my car is safe for the speed we're travelling. I'm not gonna put my life at risk because of some ****wit's superiority complex

 

[PoppedCorn]

yeah i just drive right up their ass and sit there
i give them no time to think about what they are doing, i dont flash them
nothing
i just sit so close they cant see my headlights

be real

when i drive and im behind someone that has just passed a 90kmh speed limit sign and they still want to sit 20 kms UNDER the speed limit im going to be closer then the require distance by law
im not going to be in their boot
but close enough for the drive to see me raise my hands off the wheel asking what they are doing
if you slow down even more on purpose because you have no ****in idea how to read a sign and dont really care about the other 5 cars you are holding up who would like to do the speed limit, then go ahead, slow down...it'll increase my chances of overtaking

so
thanks
but
you dont need to preach to me whats terrible
not having an awareness of your surroundings while driving is imo terrible

 

[Caesar]

if you
a. want to sit in the right lane, passing signs every km that say keep left, when there is room to merge left quite easily and safely
b. sit on 70km an hr in a 90km zone because you are a tourist and have no idea (pull the **** over and let the 5 cars behind you on this country road pass because they want to do the speed limit)

prepare to get a car up your ass

This sort of attitude is why I wish defensive driving courses were mandatory.

Other people acting like morons is not a reason to act like a moron. The reverse - it's actually a reason to drive even more carefully.

The first thing our instructor told us on our course was this. Anger/road rage is born of frustration. Frustration is born of the shock experienced when reality fails to meet your expectations.

Expect every other driver to be a potentially dangerous, inconsiderate and incompetent idiot and not only will you be well prepared for any emergency that arises, but that frustration will disappear. Instead of raging when someone does something stupid, you will be pleasantly surprised every time you have an uneventful journey.

 

[PoppedCorn]

like i said
i sit that close im going to cause and accident

be real
yup im happy to right my car off and not have a mode of transport, lose my licence and then not be able to work
you want to sit 20kmh under the speed limit go right ahead
but pull over when you have chance and let the passing traffic, pass.
if you sit up someones ass so close that it will cause and accident then go ahead, but you can certainly sit closer than you prob should and not create an accident

 

[rocker_oz33]

l really dont like tailgates and very rarely get to close to another car.if someone tailgates me like really close that l cant see there headlights l normlly slow eff right down.but l was driving home from work late at night and 2 cars a head of me one in each lane side by side and blocked up the whole hiway for about 15ks now that $hit gets me a bit wild.

 

[shurg123]

Although I don't generally see a lot of high performance vehicles holding up traffic in the outside lane.

I only really get this sort of tailgating after sets of traffic lights where the leftmost lane ends a 100 or so metres after the intersection. Usually a P-plater in a Commodore who gets annoyed at having to pull in behind me as his lane ends.

 

[shurg123]

Expect every other driver to be a potentially dangerous, inconsiderate and incompetent idiot.

Spot on. Road rage disappears when you assume this of other drivers, because you realise some people are just stupid and to keep as far away from them and their cars as possible.

 

[vealesy]

Spot on.

Assume everyone is out to kill you or cant see you.

 

[nicky]

Expect every other driver to be a potentially dangerous, inconsiderate and incompetent idiot and not only will you be well prepared for any emergency that arises, but that frustration will disappear. Instead of raging when someone does something stupid, you will be pleasantly surprised every time you have an uneventful journey.

I told my brother exactly that, although I haven't done a defensive driving course. I've just read up on the philosopher Senaca - talks about anger being when reality doesn't meet expectations. ie. someone who gets angry at a plate breaking has an expectation of a world where plates don't break.

I take your attitude with other drivers, I expect them to be incompetent idiots and don't ever suffer road rage.

 

[J_Moore]

Spot on.

Assume everyone is out to kill you or cant see you.

I have 2 witty ripostes to this post.

1) Given your statements in this thread, it would appear Perth drivers can certainly operate under the assumption that you're out to kill them.

2) Isn't assuming everyone is out to kill you your default position in life?

 

[vealesy]

No, im not a catholic, ie governed by fear.

 

[nicky]

I wish I was as cool and carefree as you. When you get out of hospital you should do even more dangerous stunts.

 

[rfctigerarmy]

A little while back, down a 70km/h zone, I had someone tailgating me. I don't often get intimidated by drivers on the road and I'm fairly confident handling a car. But, this guy made me nervous. He was seriously close to me (hard to tell in terms of distance, but I couldn't see his headlights behind my boot).

Anyway, I was in the middle lane of 3 lanes, the left being blocked mostly by parked cars, so in the 'slow' lane. He'd been tailgating me for probably 400 metres and I wanted him off me as I was making a left hand turn shortly. And, with parked cars in the left lane, you've got to slow down your own lane at least a little bit to make it possible.

So, what I did, was light up the brakes but didn't slow down more than 5 k's and the knob behind me got a fair fright. He locked up his front brakes slightly and even swerved a bit into the right lane.

Now, I feel sorry for anyone in the wrong place at the wrong time who could have been in that right lane. Luckily no one was. Anyway, was making the left hand turn, he wound his left window down and was laughing and drove past.

You get ****wits like that unfortunately.