Practically Classics Forum

I don't often get tailgated as I tend to drive at whatever speed is appropriate for the conditions.

If it does happen, I first ask myself if I am driving too slow for the prevailing conditions. If not I increase my speed accordingly.

If I do not feel I am driving too slow, or have adjusted my speed and am still being tailgated, I give the tailgater the opportunity to pass, even if that means pulling over and stopping.

I do not see the point of becoming some sort of self-appointed policeman. It winds people up and makes them take stupid risks trying to get past. So why not just let them past? Why risk becoming a part of their accident?

Maaarrghk wrote:I don't often get tailgated as I tend to drive at whatever speed is appropriate for the conditions.

If it does happen, I first ask myself if I am driving too slow for the prevailing conditions. If not I increase my speed accordingly.

If I do not feel I am driving too slow, or have adjusted my speed and am still being tailgated, I give the tailgater the opportunity to pass, even if that means pulling over and stopping.

I do not see the point of becoming some sort of self-appointed policeman. It winds people up and makes them take stupid risks trying to get past. So why not just let them past? Why risk becoming a part of their accident?

.....totally agreed! Move over and let them have an accident somewhere else, which doesn't involve you...

alfaSleep

I agree too, its just karma never seems to catch up with some of these bar stewards....

On a similar note, how do people drive for so long without realising their indicaotrs are on? Its not like you can't hear the clicker in modern cars. It must mean people drive for hours on end without looking at their dash, the same as you sometimes see people driving a car for days with a door mirror folded in, and they haven't noticed!

Yes they have to learn that they can't just go around intimidating people out of the way.

As to indicators, my cars all have quiet or out of the way flasher units, so you have to watch it Mind you, with lots of these modern cars, with insect eye headlamps, containing the indicators, you can't always see the indicators . Either that or they don't used them......well if they're on the phone, they have only got two hands

Maaarrghk said:

If it does happen, I first ask myself if I am driving too slow for the prevailing conditions. If not I increase my speed accordingly.

I did this one very dark evening in 1992. I went into a 50MPH contraflow and was almost jumped on by a set of very bright lights (I was doing 40 - 45). I speed up to 50, so did he, I got to 60+ and he was still right up my back bumper. I got to the end of the contraflow and his blue flashing lights lit up! I was lucky - it was when there were no penalties for exceeding a temporary speed limit .

I just let them go now!

If the limit was 50 and Plod caught up, what seems to have been quickly (

almost jumped on by a set of very bright lights

), why was he exceeding the speed limt

Tractorman.

That was a rather naughty Policeman and inciting/intimidating someone to break the law is an offence in itself. I don't think his superiors would have been too happy.

Yes, he was rather sneaky! I was going back to Uni in Middlesbrough on the A66 when they were dualling the bit over the top. As I approached the contraflow, there was a car (Volvo I think) behind a wagon that was doing about 30 and I was able to get past quite safely before changing to the other carriageway. There was nothing directly behind me or coming along at a higher speed before I overtook the car and wagon or I wouldn't have bothered to overtake - I was driving my first Golf, a 1600 diesel with no acceleration!

I was doing 30 when I changed lanes (there was a 30 sign there and I had plenty of time to slow down) and, almost straight away, the headlights were behind me. I though perhaps I had cut the Volvo driver off and he might have been about to overtake the wagon when I went "flying" past. There was a pub just past the crossover place and I think the Police car was sitting in that - unseen from the main road if you were concentrating on changing to single carriageway and oncoming headlamps!

However, while he booked me, he almost apologised and commented on my good driving! I pointed out that going so fast in the 50MPH limit was NOT good driving!!

It was a frosty morning here today. (So much for Spring!!)

Some wally in a Commodore pulled out in front of me in the Beetle and proceeded to do 20kph in a 80kph zone - because his windscreen was mostly iced up and he could not see!

Ah there's a whole new thing to discuss, idiots who can't see out of their cars...