Safe Driving with Driverthink

Who of us haven’t had to deal with tailgating?  The tailgater falls into the “Road Hazard” category and it’s the “Experience” category that sees us through.

Not only is the tailgater a road hazard, but the vehicles being tailgated can be road hazards too, because we never know how they’re going to react.  So what’s a person to do?

The first thing to do, especially at night, is to ID him.  Could be a cop who forgot to turn on the overheads!  Yeah – been there!

If I’m the one being tailgated I begin by gradually (not suddenly) bleeding off some speed, increasing the distance between me and the car in front of me.  I need reaction time for both of us now, because my bumper buddy has no time to react to anything!  Often just bleeding off some speed will be enough to get him off my tail and on his merry way.  It’s a typical truck driver trick.

So I’ve gradually slowed down and he’s still right there.  What’s next?  The next thing I do is “categorize” him.  There are basically two types of tailgaters and what I do will usually depend on the type of tailgater I’m dealing with.
 

First there’s what I call the “Road Racer.”  This puppy is not driving to get from point A to point B – or at least that’s not his primary motive.  He’s a frustrated race car driver and he thinks he’s in a road race.  Position is everything to him.  If he passes you only to jam up against another vehicle, he’s advanced his position on the race track   He’s moved up from position 6,452 to 6,451 and he’s euphoric!

I don’t move over for this guy.  He’s more than willing to cut off another driver to get around me, and I’m not.  Besides, if I’m moving over at the same time, he’ll probably clip me and spill the three of us all over his racetrack.  What I will do is to try to develop an opening for him in an adjacent lane.  I’ll adjust my speed - faster or slower, to gain him his opening and then he’ll sail on by, congratulating himself for his prowess.  He’s passed me.  He doesn’t care about me any more.  He’s got his position advance, now it’s on to his next victim.  I’ll keep an eye on him though – he’s still a road hazard.  It’s just that the hazard is in front of me now.

The second type of tailgater may not be in a race, but he does want to move.  Let’s not confuse him with a safe driver who wants to move though.  This guy’s a tailgater.  Doesn’t matter I have twenty cars in front of me, loping along at fifty or sixty.  I’m in his way, he’s on my bumper and he wants me gone.  My simple solution to this problem?  Be gone!  Whether I’m doing forty or eighty, if someone wants to pass me, I’m quite okay with that.  This particular tailgater might not get his wish right away, but as soon as I have a chance, I’ll slip out of his way and let him go.

What should we NOT do with our impatient little buddies?  Don’t get mad.  (Well, if you do, control it.)  Don’t pump your brake lights to back him off.  He may - or very well may not, have the skills to deal with that and watching him spin four three-sixties into eight other cars in your rear-view is only going to get someone killed while backing up traffic for miles.

Don’t panic with this puppy either.  Regardless of your own driving skills, don’t feel obligated to immediately get out of his way at all costs, cutting off others in the process.  Remember, he’s a Road Hazard.  He’s not a Road Emergency quite yet.  Take your time and then make your move safely.  A tailgater is an obvious road hazard.  Don’t let him make you one too.

Advanced tailgater handling.  I’m moving along and I really can’t safely shake the guy.  My Radar Detector goes off.  I watch for the cop on the side of the road and when I see him I blink my bright headlights a few times.  My back bumper buddy doesn’t even know what’s happening but Smokey does.  Over the years I’ve mysteriously lost more than one tailgater that way.

Regardless of the type of tailgater, they all have one common trait.  They are totally comfortable placing their fate in the hands of other drivers!  They rely completely on the skills of their fellow drivers to keep them alive.  With so many unskilled drivers on the roads, it’s not a concept that works particularly well for me!

DRIVERTHINK CATAGORIES:  Driving Experience & Road Hazards.

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