Driving habits of rural folk

[Jstpssng]

Many years ago I once entertained the notion of installing a brake light cutout switch for those pesky tailgaters. What do you mean my brake lights didn't work? Of course they DO!

If I'm not mistaken, an accident investigator can tell if your brake/turn lights were on when you got hit. Therefore you could very well be found at fault for playing games when you should be paying attention to your driving.

 

[fried1765]

Many years ago I once entertained the notion of installing a brake light cutout switch for those pesky tailgaters. What do you mean my brake lights didn't work? Of course they DO!

I LIKE it !!!!

 

[Jstpssng]

I LIKE it !!!!

See my comment above yours. You would probably be charged with intentionally causing an accident.

Just after HS I was in the back seat on the way to the beach with a couple of friends. As we were going up the access road in stop and go traffic the driver kept pulling up on he E-brake. It took me a while to figure out what he was doing...
Luckily we didn't get rear ended. We were in a Ford Pinto!

 

[dragoneggs]

Many years ago I once entertained the notion of installing a brake light cutout switch for those pesky tailgaters. What do you mean my brake lights didn't work? Of course they DO!

In today's world with dashboard cams, that stunt could really backfire and cost a lot of money or worse.

 

[Industrial Toys]

Getting in BIG trouble is why I never did it. I once did a break check on a guy that really almost hit me. Later that day, I was driving somewhere in convoy with a friend and at our destination, he asked if I knew that my brake lights weren't working? I remembered the close call and had to chuckle. It's also when I hatched my evil plan about the switch!

 

[dragoneggs]

A couple months ago I was driving with my wife in the left side HOV lane on the I-5 freeway. I was going about 5mph over the limit. Typical for me and a guy (solo) came up on me and was tailgating. After a while I tapped my brakes (basically asking him to back off). He didn't oblige and continued to tailgate. I touched the brakes again, not slowing down at all but I could see he was now pissed. As soon as I could move to the right when traffic cleared he sped up and had his passenger window down and threw something at me. It hit my lower driver's side door with a thunk, and he sped off. I was now pissed. Good thing my wife was in the car as I let it go... but I was fuming until we got to our destination and I was able to check and see if there was any damage. There wasn't. I wish I had a dash cam and could have caught is license plate. I would have taken it further.

 

[Industrial Toys]

Multi lane highway and don't take offence at anyone tailgating IN THE FASTER LANES. Regardless of how fast I may be going, he wants to go faster, so I should pull over.

 

[Jstpssng]

A couple months ago I was driving with my wife in the left side HOV lane on the I-5 freeway. I was going about 5mph over the limit. Typical for me and a guy (solo) came up on me and was tailgating. After a while I tapped my brakes (basically asking him to back off). He didn't oblige and continued to tailgate. I touched the brakes again, not slowing down at all but I could see he was now pissed. As soon as I could move to the right when traffic cleared he sped up and had his passenger window down and threw something at me. It hit my lower driver's side door with a thunk, and he sped off. I was now pissed. Good thing my wife was in the car as I let it go... but I was fuming until we got to our destination and I was able to check and see if there was any damage. There wasn't. I wish I had a dash cam and could have caught is license plate. I would have taken it further.

That just reinforces my viewpoint. I don't play games when I'm driving; it can lead to exactly that type of scenario. If somebody does tailgate me I just back off the vehicle in front of me to allow for extra stopping time if necessary. (I follow the 2 second rule, so if somebody is riding my bumper I allow 4 seconds between me and the car in front.) I believe that if everyone pays attention to their own driving and worries a bit less about what "the other guy" is doing, the roads will be just a bit safer.
One of the most frustrating things for me is somebody who can't maintain a steady speed. They're doing 45, then up to 50 and back again. When you can pass, they speed up again; then a car comes and they slow back down. Often I will pull way back and try to pick a speed which will allow them to get ahead, yet invariably they will slow even more. That's when I find myself following too closely, because I can't match a variable speed.

I also have been considering a dash camera.

 

[Industrial Toys]

OMG! I had an old German Friend who was the worst driver I have ever known. He would pull up behind someone, decide he was going too slow. Then hit the brake and slow down, wait for the guy to get a mile ahead. Then put the pedal to the metal and pass the guy at about a hundred miles an hour, only to cut in front of him and hit the brakes to resume a decent speed. Never saw anything quite like it.

 

[rangerfredbob]

That's the mess that's infuriating right now, people doing 45-50 in a 55 zone for a mile with 200 yards in front of them... If you can't keep up with a county rural transport bus, get the heck over! And I'm talking in a 4 lane road (2 each direction) with two drivers driving the same speed next to eachother with the cars in front of them increasing in distance...

Didn't used to be that way, somehow in the last few months people forgot how to drive WITH traffic, don't even get me started on merging... zippers were only invented what 200 years ago?

Then they get up to someone towing or a tractor trailer, they just HAVE to be in front of them, and drive unpredictably in the reasonable following distance they cut into... I cringe so much... I HATE when people cut me off when I'm towing, that following distance is for a reason, and I only have 200hp, if you cut me off and slow me down you're going to hear my not very intimidating horn...