New device to catch tailgaiters
 

Tailgaiting motorists is one of my biggest safety concerns when cycling my commute. I get folks just a few feet off my wheel all the time when traveling in narrow lanes.

Local DPS is planning on cracking down on this dangerous behavior with a new measuring device. This is oriented towards freeways, but perhaps the attention to the problem and the knowledge that enforcement may be done will help. Actualy I don't think it will help cyclists being tailgaited one bit.

http://www.azcentral.com/news/articl...lgate1204.html

Al

I sure hope it helps. It seems like it could be used to catch tailgaters behind bikes, but I wonder how motivated the cops are when it come to this?

just keep an old 20 ounce bottle full of used motor oil in one of your spare bottle cages. Open lid, dump on road behind you. Instant oil slick. w00t!

I always find that snot-rockets (or just a good spit - for those that are uncoordinated) work wonders for both would-be buzzers as well as tailgaiters.

Interesting. There aren't too many bike in the jurisdiction the DPS patrols, but I suppose it could have a marginal effect.

At least due to enforcement and media attention there is some recent awareness of tailgaiting as a problem.
I do find it interesting to read some of the comments posted to the article. Some from self-centered motorists, but others from safety concious motorists too - saying many of the same things we cyclist say on this forum about bad drivers.
How bout this comment:
"If you can pay a reasonable amount of attention, there is nothing wrong with driving inches behind someone; following distance is not the problem - inattention to driving is the problem. Professional race car drivers can drive inches from 40 other cars with no brake lights and go for hundreds of miles without an incident. "
Al

Oh great, now the idiots on the road are comparing themselves to professional race car drivers... sigh!

The worst offenders around here seem to do it as a method to NOT pay attention to the road while they are using a cell phone. It can be somewhat funny to watch these guys as they get all wrapped up in a cell conversation and then the car in front changes lanes or exits and the tailgatter just follows along and then realizes at the last minute that opps, they don't wanna go that way.

I see whole trains of tailgatters on the road all the time... simply amazing... the lack of common driving sense these idiots have. Guess it's not all that "common," eh?

Awesome!

I'm glad it's human interfaced and not just mounted on street lights.

Its called a paceline Gene ;)

The comments keep coming in. It is interesting as it is motorist vs. motorist and the safe/defensive drivers sounds just like cyclist on these forums. Take this comment for example. Hard to believe it is not written by a cyclist:
"The most important thing I do while driving is watch who is behind me. They are just as important as the people and/or objects in front of me. You need to know who's coming up on you and driving like a jacka**, and you need to know your escape routes when someone suddenly stops in front of you. I usually look in my rearview mirrors habitually every 5-10 seconds, and I'm rarely surprised by anyone because of it. This has helped me avoid SO many accidents I cannot count them."

Al

Here is something I thought interesting in that list of motorist responders:
So by this and similar laws in other states, there is a subtle pressure for one to drive fast and faster... why?

Why are the laws written and enforced in such a way to encourage mindless speeding?

This is something that needs changing across the land... no one should ever be penalized for driving at the posted speed limit when every one else is going faster... this is a clear example of accepting and promoting "if Johnny jumped off the bridge, would you do it too?" A notion that our mothers promoted, and we accept, except in the case of driving a car. Go figure.

Oh another favorite example of idiot motorist... and this one is exemplified quite a bit on the comments page.

I guess the concept of "slow down and drive at or below the speed limit" never occured to this idiot and others like him... sheesh. It is simply amazing how many folks feel they "own the roads" and have the "right" to speed along...

This whole rediculous concept of 'fast' lane also seems to apply to multilane arterials. So many folks I talk to refer to the inside lane on arterial as the fast lane and the outside as the slow lane. People drive with this assumption too - they feel no shame in tailgaiting and honking if I am driving on the inside lane of an arterial at the 45mph speed limit. Its one thing to use this incorrect terminology for freeways, a whole other for arterials which have minor intersections every hundred yards or less and major light controlled intersection every 1/2 to 1 mile.

Al

I love to see these come up to a traffic light, the first one stops, the next 6 or so do not, and about 5 of those end up writing off their precious, because both ends got crunched.....

Why do cagers always drive in pelotons with all that empty highway between the groups? Are they drafting? If so, they act more like geese than cyclists.

That’s the legal system for ya. You are breaking the law if you don’t allow others to break the law.

Exactly... a catch-22 if I ever heard one.

Officer: "and why were you speeding?"
Speeder: "so I would not impede the flow... "
Officer: "Right, carry on... Sorry I bothered you."

So what's wrong with going in the right lane if you are going slower than the flow of traffic? I spend most of my time in the right lane . It's not my job to try to impede the flow of traffic because I'm "right" and I'm going to force everyone else to be right too....relax....move over...live and let live....the police can do their job...you are not the police. Don't try to control other people and you'll live longer and be happier.

Nothing wrong with it and the vast majority of drivers do when they can. Also the vast majority in AZ never go below the speed limit on freeways. I drive the speed limit or less everywhere and rarely pass a slower vehicle on the freeway and have never have passed a slower vehicle on their right.

However there are very uptight/agressive drivers out there and they often don't think very well and don't understand why a driver going the speed limit is not in the far right lane. There are many good reasons. The most common for me on the urban freeways there is an exit/onramp every 1mi. That merge area is dangerous and traffic commonly slows suddenly as drivers merge together. I find I can put cruise control on at speed limit (65mph) in middle lane (almost all urban freeways are 3-lanes or more here) and avoid the merge zone. Another reason is there are sometimes slower than the speed limit drivers (above I said the vast majority neve go below, which leaves a few who do) in the far right lane. I pass them going the speed limit in the middle lane. Of course I move right when it is safe and practical to do so, but often in the few seconds it takes to pass the slow vehicle I have some jerk on my tail honking and swerving. Finally there are often left exits in the urban freeways, so as one approaches one, one must merge into the left lanes.

Agressive drivers it seems far overestimate the number of slow drivers who don't stay as far to right as practical.

Al

Well actually the right lane is the merge lane... motorists get on and off in that lane... try any of the other middle lanes on a multi-laned freeway.

If it is just two lane, then stay in the right.

But really, WHY are all those folks going OVER the speed LIMIT over there in the left lane, and why is no one enforcing the posted speed?

Stick some steel wool with a springy extension on your left side in some really visible color, with blinkies. When you're riding people should give you at least the length of the thingy, and just make sure you can tuck it under something when you need to pass close to other vehicles.

Notice in the comments that the road rage perpetuates vitually. These idiots are suggesting to hit each other with their vehicle to addresss the tailgaiting problem. They don't think twice about the consequences of crashing.

Another quote:
"The main reason for congestion and road rage is idiots who insist on doing the 55 or 65 limit in the left or middle lane. If you want to drive at the speed limit that is fine, but stick in the right lane. .... It's amazing some of believe that people doing 80-85mph on the freeway somehow have it out for you and your minivan full of rugrats. As I said above, if you want to travel at the speed limit, use the right lane. The left lane should only be used for passing. The posted limit may read 65, but it you are in the left lane doing 65, you are impeding traffic and you are an *******. "

'Cause the city doesn't get enough in taxes?

Because we don't pay enough taxes to have the required amount of officers on the force to do it. Most of the ones in the localities around here are responding to, or answering calls for "person on person" crime.

There's a similar law in the California Vehicle Code about impeding traffic. Even on 4 lane or more freeways, the "slowness" of the right lane filters out across the lanes, so that many times only the left lane has any chance of driving at or above the speed limit. I'll be in the lane next to the left lane, driving the speed limit, and someone will come up behind me and ride my bumper, all the while the left lane can be totally empty, yet they still ride my bumper instead of changing lanes and passing.

Anyone for the old bumper sticker: IF YOU CAN READ THIS, YOU ARE TAILGAITING.

When I first saw the caption I was expecting a combined range finder / speed gun / camera to document the violation. No such luck. Anyone want to mount a camera phone on the back of their bike and download tailgaiters to the police?

Technically, your not supposed to exceed the speed limit, even when passing, this means if the speed limit is 65, and the guy ahead of you is going 65, then you should just live with it. AFAIK there is no highway in North America that has a different speed limit, for the left and right lanes.