+1 on tailgating.

Tailgating is unnecessary. It can be very dangerous, and the follower is liable almost regardless of what the lead car does. Even if the brake lights on the lead car don't work, the tailgater can be cited for following too closely (because if you were following further away, you'd have time to figure out that all the brakelights on the car in front weren't working).

This is especially true when someone in a car that stops well is followed by someone in one that doesn't. Think SUV or minivan drafting a Porsche. Porsche driver sees something, reacts. If the Porsche driver slammed on his brakes (went around a bend at 60 mph, big accident blocking road), a typical SUV will go about 40-50 feet through the Porsche before stopping, and that's if they both braked in unison. In reality it takes half a second to brake, so figure another 30-50 feet.

I consider myself a "safer" driver. I take nominal risks. For example, when driving in open traffic (i.e. not too many cars around), I'll leave a 2 second gap. If traffic is kind of stuff at speed, i.e. no real passing going on, I'll still leave a 2 second gap. I can't get anywhere, neither can anyone else. So I just sit. It's like being in the middle of the field in a race/ride. What are you going to do, shove people to move up?

If the volume is a bit heavier, a 2 second gap invites others to cut me off. So I reduce it to about 1 second. I find this to be somewhat automatic on my part, but if I check the time/gap, it's about a second. This is kind of like when you're near the front of the field but things aren't critical, so you just want to maintain position, not aggressively defend it.

If volume is extremely heavy, I'll close it up to, say, 1-3 car lengths. Anything more invites cut-offs and other risky moves. By slightly increasing the risk I take, I hope to reduce the risks others take. However, if someone still insists on moving in, I'll let them, and ease accordingly. On the way to the track in NH a Prius (plate = COFFEE1) was driving extremely aggressively on the MA/NH border. He essentially moved over from a stopped lane to a moving lane (my lane) when there was *less* than a car length between me and the guy in front (we were moving at about 10-15 mph). He angled in pretty hard and his rear bumper hadn't entered my lane before there was no gap left. I eased and let him in (well, I had to). Later I passed him as he maneuvered back into the other lane and it slowed drastically. Tip: if you do need to drive aggressively, do it in a "normal" car, not something with a vanity plate

My wife and I were astounded by the extremely aggressive driving exhibited here in the Simsbury area. Folks regularly follow so closely you can't see their headlights (SUV/truck) or license plate (car). I'm talking maybe 5-10 feet, less than a car length, less than even a car wheelbase, at 35-45 mph. I feel like I'm watching NASCAR.

We also noticed folks pulling out into fast moving (40-45 mph) traffic when a 1-2 second gap existed.

(Folks also consider 20-30 mph a "stop" at a stop sign - yes, this is in a car, and this is with traffic close to the intersection - and turn on red is ALWAYS done regardless of any signage in the area saying the latter.)

We have now named these driving techniques the "Simsbury Follow", "Simsbury Pullout", and the "Simsbury Stop". We haven't named the "right on red" one.

After saying all that on tailgating, drafting is a different story. I learned, in my less careful youth, that you could pick up 6 mph on a heavily laden Honda CRX (4 bikes, 4 extra sets of wheels on roof, 2 racers + 2 weeks of gear inside) when approaching an 18 wheeler from as far away as 100-120 yards. I know this because we drove for many hours with the foot on the floor, the car's power maxed out, and we observed this phenomena when passing those rigs.

I also have an mpg indicator in one of my cars. I am not necessarily a hypermiler (less hyper, more antsy?), but I've noticed that I can bump up my mileage a bit by drafting. Not drafting like Breaking Away drafting, but by following half a second to a second behind a truck. I'll resist passing trucks when they're close to my speed, esp if on a downhill, and go find another one on the next big uphill. For a long time I literally drafted, but then the thoughts of a brick being picked up by a pair of tires (this happens apparently) started to wear on me, and now I draft further back. Even further back I can see about a 1 mpg gain in mileage (based on what happens when I have nothing to "draft").

Sticking a hand out the window won't really illustrate things, but if you listen for the wind noise changing, that is the sign you're drafting. It'll sound like you're in a shelter, not in the open. Like the sheltered side of a dune at a beach. Roll down the window a touch to better hear/feel the wind. You'll hear the same noise when drafting riders while riding.

Having said that, drafting is not really the end all. It makes MUCH more of a difference to coast in neutral when possible than to draft. For example, I can coast in neutral (retaining all power assists and lights) at 70-80 mph (standard travel speed on the Mass Pike), and on certain sections I actually have to brake to stay under, say, 85 mph. A hypermiler will turn the engine off, but I don't feel comfortable doing that. I'll increase my mileage from 27 to 29-30 by doing this.

The best thing is a steady stream of traffic going the same speed. It may be annoying to go "only" 70 in a 65, but if all three lanes are doing this, you automatically get a draft. I can get 33-35 mpg in situations like this, without "drafting" per se, just following traffic, and my car is rated 21/26.

I feel that skills necessary in the field apply to driving in traffic and vice versa. Not skills. Judgment.

cdr