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Newsgrps: rec.autos.driving
Subject : Re: Hey, Tailgaters...
On 20 Jan 1997, novusvox wrote:
> The next time you try to "hurry me" along when it is obvious I can't go > any faster because of the long line of cars in front of me, I'm going > to slam on my brakes. Hope you've got good insurance, assholes.
++++++++++++++++++++++++
Leon James comments:
I sympathize with your feelings of frustration about being tailgated -- it's scary and rude and illegal. However, I'm also concerned that you get yourself out of this emotional pickle of hating tailgaters!!
I've taught this to many drivers who felt terrible on the road for various reasons. The reason we get mad at the tailgater is not because it's dangerous (Of course it is!), but because it's an infringement of our human rights! So this is understandable: we get mad when someone is forcing us to do something we don't want AND they don't have the right or authority to do that in a public place about a public use issue.
So my advice to myself and all others who want to regain some control here, is not to take it personally, especially since the tailgaters may all sorts of reasons for doing it, or may not be aware of it, or is addicted to it, or whatever. It doesn't matter you see -- we don't have to find out or imagine it. The point is: How do I protect myself?
First: I would make sure that I'm not in anybody's way. If I'm in the left lane (or passing lane) I would switch to the right no matter how fast I'm going or want to go -- until the tailgater is out of here!
Second: If I'be being tailgated in the right lane I would try to get out of the way by pulling ahead a bit and seeing if the tailgater resumes or gets away. I would switch lanes or find some other way to not offer my car as block to some other driver's hotheaded determination to get ahead.
Third:> I would also use calming techniques to recover from the negative emotions and stress that the tailgating engenders. I would give myself pep talks about my driving philosophy and the kind of person I want to be or not be. I would see the tailgating exchange as a human exchange in which I have the opportunity to be civilized, peaceful, and harmless.
Try it. What you got to lose but your emotional shackles to the tailgaters!
Dr. Driving
One technique I have found quite effective against tailgaters is to SLOW
DOWN. The closer they tailgate, the more I slow down.
After traveling slow for a bit, I then resume normal speed.
Keep you eye on the tailgater. Once he/she starts getting too close,
slow down, and start the whole procedure over again.
It usually works after a few tries.
This also denies the tailgater what he/she most desires, which is speed.
Rig up a very bright halogen headlight on your back window. If you are being
tailgated badly just turn it on and blind the sucker. I know it isn't legal
but neither are a lot of things we do.
The blind'em -trick is a bit old but works well in the dark;
installing a rectangular H3 Bosch Pilot reflector in a 3rd
brake light housing helps to prevent certain parties seeing
what you've got there ;-)
Even better, though, is installing a few tear gas grenades
under the rear bumper, complete with solenoids (controlled
by switches on your dash, for example) to pull their pins.
When activated, those things literally flood the neighborhood
- which in this case means 'everyone behind you' - with tear
gas (CF works better than peper gas) This also works in
practise, even truly minimal amounts of tear gas renders
the driver of the car behind you almost completely blind
instantly. (Don't ask how I know this ;-)
Oh, one more thing: Don't even think about doing it; it's
one of those stunts that are BOUND to get people killed.
Why irritate an obvious fool tailgater. Help it pass and get further away
from you.
"Fools drive faster than I do, and idiots drive slower, since we are
reasonable people we should never meet."
GT
On 14 Jan 1997, Tigress wrote:
> Oh, the save the idiots at the expense of the masses freedom, huh? The
> reason why there are such idiots out there is because we limit too much. We
> don't let them have choices, we make them for them. Why should people
> be smarter when they don't have to, they have people like you who want to
> do the thinking for them.
++++++++++++++++++++++++
Leon James comments:
Something you don't realize, like many others including myself (for a long
time -- but not anymore I believe):
When you call other drivers idiots, etc., as you do here and elsewhere in
your postings, you are violating your own credo, expressed here so well:
namely, that you're taking away the other driver's choice (when calling
them idiots, etc.). Yes. It may not seem so at first, but deeper
analysis reveals it. Anyone can then see it. It just takes willingness
to admit the possibility!! You don't need special vision, just a kind of
fierce honesty.
Calling certain drivers idiots, i.e., denigrating them, makes you feel
superior and righteous. If your intention is to influence them, surely a
polite way of talking to them would be more effective (and humane). What
concerns me is that allowing ourselves to denigrate certain drivers, and
even glorying in it (as some of you are doing), is taking away their
choice to see for themselves that they must change their driving habits.
Question: Should we not make a distinction between "stupid driving
behaviors" and "stupid drivers"?
I agree with your (we all agree) that
drivers, perhaps all drivers including us, make stupid mistakes (often or
rarely). But that doesn't mean we are all stupid. Neither is it true
that some drivers are stupid because they do stupid things frequently.
The point is that we ought not to denigrate each other. We ought to
respect each other. Or else we take responsibility or guilt for
contributing to the culture of hostility and aggressiveness on the road.
If interested for more of this, take a look at
my book on Road
Rage.
I suggest that adopting a supportive role-model would work better for
those drivers, and would leave us feeling better for acting with good
manners.
Dr. Driving
Forget the left lane morons, my concern is with center lane morons. This is
because while most people can see why they shouldn't park in the left lane,
people feel justified or even superior in parking in the middle lane
since, after all, all three lanes of approaching traffic can squeeeeeeze
into the one left lane and eventually get by.
In general, people who do things which I perceive they know as bad,
such as rolling through stop signs and making "pink" traffic signals,
do not concern/worry me as much as people doing things which they
actually think of as superior actions. I figure that at least the former
may decide to repent but the later will keep on doing these bad things
and even teach their kids that this is how they should drive.
This has happened to me about a dozen times, how about you? I'm driving
along on an uncrowded road, one car in front of me and none behind.
The car in front all of a sudden hits the brakes and stops for a car
that has come up from a side street (with a stop sign). After a
mini standoff, the side car pulls out (hey, I've been the side car as
well and I'm quite leary about pulling out in front of someone who
in effect is stopping for a green light) and actually was delayed more
than if the car in front had just gone and I had just gone and then the
side car pulled out. But hey, what a good samaritan the front car driver
thinks he is, he stops to let people out.
And before I step off the soap box and don the asbestos suit (poor drivers
who think they're good are highly critical), not a day goes by when I don't
see someone change lanes and then signal, or come to a stop in the
middle of the road and then signal, apparently thinking to themselves,
"hey, I'm a good driver--I use my turn signals". These are the people
I don't like (not like they would ever get a ticket). Typically, I'm
turning off my signal at the point when others turn theirs on (e.g.
after a lane change rather than before--apparently to confirm to everyone
that they did indeed change lanes like you saw them do).
Date: Tue, 21 Jan 1997 03:05:48 -1000
From: SAC
To: Leon James
Subject: Re: Hey, Tailgaters...
Date: Fri, 17 Jan 97 19:12:30 (EST)
From: ``Bomber``
Newsgroups: rec.autos.driving
Subject: Another idea for stopping tailgaters
Date: 20 Jan 97 20:27:43 GMT
From: HRH
Newsgroups: rec.autos.driving
Subject: Re: Another idea for stopping tailgaters
Date: 21 Jan 1997 03:00:31 GMT
From: GT
Newsgroups: rec.autos.driving
Subject: Re: Another idea for stopping tailgaters
Newsgrps: rec.autos.driving
Subject : Re: Dateline NBC Story
> You gotta to let people
> take responsibility for their own lives, not restrict something cause
> some people can't handle it (let them learn to handle it or let them suffer).
> Don't think for people, if they can't think, they pay the price.
Date: Tue, 14 Jan 1997 10:59:56 -0800
From: sway
Newsgroups: rec.autos.driving
Subject: CENTER lane (and other mistaken) morons!