I just love how all you guys go on an on about all the a**hole tailgaters, then proceed to tell about how you responded by being an a**hole too. California and a lot of other states are enacting laws as we speak to crack down on road rage, and people like YOU are the problem.

Here, get an education:

1. Responding to tailgaters by hitting your brakes does NOT teach them a lesson. It does one, and ONLY one thing - it makes them ANGRY, and compounds the problem.

2. Responding to tailgaters by tailgating them back does not team them a lesson either. These people tailgate because they have no respect for other drivers. You cannot teach them respect. They don't give a $hit about you. You're just in their way.

3. Any action AT ALL on your part in response to another rude driver is ROAD RAGE. And YOU are committing it. That's what these new laws are all about.

4. The proper response to someone tailgating you is to let them pass without provoking them. Give them a look if you want to, but do nothing else. I know it pisses you off and you want to get even. DON'T. If you do, then YOU are just as stupid as they are. And you are creating an unsafe situation by doing so -- exactly the problem you seem to be complaining about in the first place.

Smarten up, people. Stop responding to rage with rage.

Dave - you hit it square on the head. Nice summation and very accurate.

Tailgating is ok on the highway when slow cars won't move over into a more rightmost lane. The left lane is a passing lane, yet some a-holes think that doing the speed limit is ok and holding up traffic is acceptable. Then, tailgating is your only form of communication to let them know you want them out of the way.

Dave, your right, your absolutely right.

You need a rear window sticker that says simply "I can stop faster than you." :)

I got bumped (not badly) twice in my old S4 for that reason. Big tires and StopTech brakes gave it a very short stopping distance. At moderate braking, aparently a good foot or two less than the average car behind me. :rolleyes:

I guess you want law-abiding individuals to get out of the way so that you can engage in an illegal activity.

What would be kool would be if cops would respond to such problems. Too often I see the police resond to speeding and leave a stranded driver by the roadside. If these road rage laws are to work our best responce would be to keep the jerks behind us. Let them continue what they are doing and call the police to notify them. If they really cared about public safety they would respond and hand out a ticket! Of course they won't. Bet you 50 that they will give a ticket to one of us for flipping off the jerk whop is the reason for the rage in the first place. MAybe cops should simply ticket temselves as I see them break twice as many moving laws as any other drives. And this is giving them the benefit of the doubt!

Laughed out loud at this one! Co-workers wondering "what the ...?" HILARIOUS!!!!

Randy

For tailgaters, I just wash my windshield constantly. The spray will go on thier windshield and more often than not, they will back off.

Double edged sword. Moving out of the way and not adding to the trouble is a good idea....BUT, it also lets them continue to think their BS is OK and everyone is afraid and will let them get away with it.....How about MASSIVE insurance discounts for good drivers.

This is one of the few reasonable responses in the entire thread.http://www.pelicanparts.com/support/smileys/wat6.gif

1. I actually adjusted the rear window spray jet on the Jeep Grand Cherokee to spray behind the car. With any speed at all it soaks the windshield of anyone behind me. They get the point real quick.
2. In HS I had a Sentra Diesel. Simply depress the clutch and floor it. A HUGE black cloud would spew from the back of the car and scare the crap out of any one behind me. Friends all called it the James Bond smoke screen!

Have to disagree that letting them pass and doing nothing is the right thing, rewarding a bad behavior, re-enforces it. The real right thing to do is take down their plate number and call them in to the cops. Eventually they will cause an accident, and if you do nothing, you are partly at fault.

Jim

just take a look at today's youth, and you can see what happens without consequences

"just take a look at today's youth, and you can see what happens without consequences" that's just plain ignorant, addictionMS. Today's youth isn't any worse than the youth of any other day, it's just the older generations consistently find fault with them.

And yes, Paul Heery, I do want "law-abiding individuals to get out of the way so that you can engage in an illegal activity." They can abide the law in the right lane.

Sorry but that is true about kids, it is human nature to take advantage of opportunity, it is only our morals that keeps us in check, there are more kids doing drugs at youger ages, more kids having sex at youger ages, the nature of the crimes commited are far more serious, the lack of respect for morals has been totally undermind by our legal system, Kids can't even be punished without the teacher or parent risking a a lawsuit and/or jail time.

I am not talking about all kids there are lots of good ones out there but there are a lot of bad parents who don't teach their kids right from wrong because they are either too lazy or too scared to.

Kids push the limits, and the limits keep moving, I pushed the limits, but for me pushing the limit was drinking a beer before I was 18, now that is not considered a bad ass thing to do, it was at one point. I got caught, and got corrected.

I totally agree. My GF teaches 7th grade, and the stuff kids do <i>at school</i> blows me away. The latest event (didn't happen in her classroom) was some boy getting a handjob from a girl <i>in class</i> and then later was seen giving the girl money! WTF?!

Dan :)

I think addictionMS pointed out a very valid subject. Im 22 and I see my generation pushing the limits harder than all previous generations alone. And you ask why. Well I wish I could tell you. It just seems like kids will always try to out-do their parents and make a bigger footprint than the previous generation. All this is really stupid though if you think about it because the new generations are just killing it for themselves. Look at people like Brittany Spears and Janet Jackson, their influence has told every young person to push the limits and you will recieve attention in return. Too many people around these days with too much love for the all mighty dollar and not enough concern for common happiness. This place is way overpopulated now IMO and is a whole different world than what previous generations had to grow up in. I think we (humans) will be our own destruction. We are very flawed beings, so flawed that we dont even realize it. So forgive me for my "glass half empty" attitude toward this subject, but I grow up with this young generation and I dont see things getting any better soon...if ever.

I guess I strayed from the tail gating topic but just thought I'd share my thoughts.

I also hate the way people drive on the shoulder before the right turn lane starts. Last night I saw a lady behind me cruising along on the shoulder, pass me, and just about take out a lady on a Harley making a right following the correct painted turn lane.

Boy this has gotten way too serious, in an effor tlighten it up a bit, I will follow 85eurocarrera's lead, get back on track, and say, it bugs me when people sit in a lane that could go straight or turn left, and only after the light turns green do they put on their turn signal to let me know I should have picked the other lane.

just bugs me.

Jim

I'm on the SoCal roads around 40K miles a year with my work ( 3 axel Diesel) and regular driving. And have seen just about everything from my high view of the road.
If I'm holding up people in the truck I pull over and let them buy ( probably less than 50% will give you a wave as a thanks ?) as soon as I can, Even if it's only 1 car.

If I spot a problem driver up ahead, I just change lanes. And if somebody what's to RUN in the fast lane I'm more then happy to pull out of the lane and let he/she go by and be the bait.

There does seem to be a disturbing trend with drivers to have no common courtesy on the road and an F-You like additude. I guess they think because their inside a car and you can't look them in the eye it's anything goes. I hate to think if they have children that's the example they are setting.

I was just about to start a thread on why people don't use their turn signals anymore when this one came up. I guess it's not Cool or something? Like, I know where I'm going and it's none of your bussiness. Or it's to much work to fip a lever and give another driver a break.
What? are we trying to save on light bulbs or is it that additude thing again? This bad habbit can bite you hard at speed on a fwy with heavy metal around. And that's not cool.

I have found that if you just slow down a bit in everyday life it's much more enjoyable. Be courteous on the road and have integrity, And it will come back to you.
Who know's You might even see the Gray Whales heading up the coast, While the people in the big hurry only see the next guy in front of them.

Focuse on having a nice life and being the best person you can be and who knows you just might.
This Planet and Life are Precious, So use your turn signals :rolleyes: