Tailgaters

I think the title tells it all. So, you're driving down the road and before you know it, there is a vehicle behind you and getting real close. This can be irritating. Now, not only do you have to worry about traffic in front of you, but you have to worry about this vehicle behind you also. Don't tailgaters get it? By getting real close behind me, you jeopardize my life and the lives of my passengers. This is the kind of stuff that creates road rage.

Do they think that if they get real close that it will make you speed up? Maybe I'm going a speed that won't get me pulled over and I don't want to risk a ticket. However, the driver behind wants you to break the law. So, do I have to risk a ticket or risk getting rear ended? Maybe you are in a location where passing is illegal and they don't want to pass you there, because of that? They would rather you speed up and get a ticket, then they pass you illegally and get a ticket themselves. The rationale for tailgating can be very thin. Is it a power trip to get real close with your large SUV?

How about the tailgater that pulls up behind real quick and gets real close. Then they slow down and back off, only to speed up and get real close again. As if they were trying to ram your vehicle, but then backing down at the last moment. Guess what? Yes, this can cause road rage also.

Let's get rational for a moment. If something happens in front of me, then I might have to stop quickly. The car behind mine should keep a safe distance behind mine. An easy guide to determining a safe distance to follow a car in front of you is to use the three second rule. Watch as the car in front passes some sort of marker. Then count off three seconds. This is usually a good system to use in good weather driving conditions. This will give you a better response time to slow down in time if the car in front has to stop suddenly. However, the bad thing about leaving enough room between your vehicle and the one in front of your vehicle is that this invites cars in adjoining lanes to try and squeeze in between. This is called "cutting someone off" and that's another story.