When I drive my car, I find the most irritating thing to be tailgaters. I understand that if i am on an interstate highway with multiple lanes that slower traffic should keep to the right and I always do in that instance. Over the past couple of weeks, when traveling on a two lane road with a posted limit of 45 mph, I have been tailgated twice by two extremely hostile drivers. I always use great care in keeping at the limit on this particular road because it is also a major bike lane for over 20 miles. I often ride my bike in those same lanes. Yesterday, this fellow rode my bumber for ten miles and then chose to pass me in a no passing area simply because I was driving the posted limit. The first time this happened to me both the driver and I came to a stop next to each other at a traffic light. He rolled down his window and yelled something. I never even looked over there and pretended as if I had not heard him. The guy yesterday must have gotten up to 60 after he passed me. There appears to be much rage on the roads which I have encountered both driving and cycling. I would advise you all to avoid confrontation with people if you can help it. It's not worth getting hurt or worse.

Yeah, had an idiot pass me yesterday after my bike ride, while I was driving home...

He chose to do it on the shoulder of the off ramp. Talk about tight squeeze. Just goes to show that there are some real nut cases out there.

You should have moved further out into the lane and stuck out your arm in a slow/stop signal.

Oh, wait. Sorry. That only works for alpha dogs riding their bicycles.

I have found that people tailgate through inattention rather than bad manners. If I motion with my right hand for them to move back, they usually do. There is nothing you can do about offensive drivers.

I find that this can be even more irritating at lower-speed (10-20 mph), when dealing with a timid motorist that is too afraid to pass.

I come across these too many times - no matter how many times you signal for them to pass, they still stick behind you, same as a little dog might follow one home. Drives me nuts.

-Kurt

LOL

My method of dealing with such people is acting 'dumb.' I find that my vehicle, a 1993 Ford Tempo, is just about the perfect car for doing the 'old man in a hat' routine. (Even better that it is a manual shift so can react more swiftly than people expect ) When I get tailgated, I go exactly 2 km/h below the posted speed limit and drift up to traffic lights. I have all the traffic signals around my house pretty much timed so I know exactly when to drift and when someone roars past me in a huff I thoroughly enjoy passing them by at the next intersection.

I also have a tendency to use the car to slow traffic down for cyclists especially where lanes are a bit narrow. I figure we all have to look out for each other even when we are being temporary 'cagers'.

+1!

Yeah, you go! I drive a Lumina van from 94 and play "Grampa" in a brown fedora as well!

1997 Grandma Brown Toyota Corollas with the icky combo of a 3 spd automatic and the 1.6l engine work wonders for this too. Now WHY I ask you, would you marry the auto to the little engine and RUIN AN OTHERWISE PERFECTLY ADEQUATE IF BORING AS DRY TOAST CAR!!?!?! But I digress.....

I have a 2003 boring brown Toyota Corolla...it slows to one mile per hour below the limit as needed...

When I first got my crown victoria, I never had a problem with tailgaters. I have no idea why that was the case. I guess everyone just knew I was a nice guy.

Wierd thing about the Tempo is the very sight of that car on the road deeply offends a lot of drivers especially the BMW and the SUV crowd and they feel an instant need to brush it out of the way. I have been subjected to more general insanity behind the wheel of the "Red Menace" than I have ever had on the bike. Go figure!

Been thinking about having a bumper sticker made up:
'It's simple. The closer you get, the slower I go.'

^^^ I have one just like that on my powder blue soccer mom mini van. Very effective on 98% of the people. The other 2% have no clue why my van suddenly becomes their new hood ornament.

I have a big blue Dodge Ram that I use for pulling my camper, and hauling around my junk. (I do metal salvage on the side). Nothing like a large piece of (seemingly) unstable metal, leaning rearward, to discourage tailgaters!!

I think the two extremes of drivers cause the most frustration. You have those that need to go 90mph no matter what the traffic conditions are and you have the other camp that will sit in the left lane talking on their cell phone going 10mph below the limit with a 5 mile gap in front of them. Both types of drivers drive me nuts. Down here in S FL I think that accounts for about 85% of the drivers.

South Fla drivers are the worst. My favorites are the ones that adhere to the "only one speed limit, 50 mph". Its a simple, easy to remember rule of the road and they apply it everywhere. So they go 50 mph in the left hand lane of a freeway where the average traffic speed is approaching 80 mph in all lanes, and they also go 50 mph in the parking lot of the mega mall. Consistent.

I had just the opposite effect. My car has the older body style, but when it was new, the car looked like a CT state trooper's car(In CT, the state cops use factory body paint). I'd ride under the speed limit, and create a traffic jam because noone would pass me. If I was in the left lane, cars would flee to the right lane as if they were pulled by a tractor beam. I'd be on my commute home, and the car in front of me would slow down to 20 mph in front of the elementary school(in August!). The funny thing was that my car had alloy wheels, velour seats, pinstriping, a keypad, and a trailer hitch--not exactly the kind of things you find on a cop car.

The shape... its like when I think I am going to be passed by a semi I hear it ripping through the wind and the turbo diesel and it turns out to be a guy compensating the vic's arround here are used to pull silly things such as speed signs telling you what your current speed is

(maybe off topic same principal)

Best way to deal with them rig a push button to turn work your break lights. ome one gets on your rear like that press the button. Break test with out the danger of being hit

Friend did that to some bozo on the highway tailgating in the normal trafic lane instead of passing no other cars for miles so he hits the button at 55 mph next thing you hear is screeeeeeeeeeeeeeechhhhhhhh and see the guy come to a dead stop. after that the guy stayed way way back like a full mile behind us.

This was on i76 about omg 12 years ago maybe 13. We never could figure out what the guy was doing but we were getting just a little worried about what he might be doing. Our direction was empty most every one was going to work so were all heading in the other direction.

We kind of thought maybe the guy was going to wait till he had a chance and run us off the road or something. Esp when we heard on the news some one was car jacked on a exit ramp about 4 hours later in the day. Back then you didnt hear alot about car jackings 1 or 2 a year.

You realy just never know about people.

I have the perfect antidote to stupid drivers .... Beat up old '79 Blazer. 4x4, lifted, big tires, dents, rust, spray can paint job, no grill and the hood doesn't close right.

Even when someone DOES do something stupid around me, when they actually look at my truck and notice, they back off right away and give me LOTS of room.

Not to mention that if I'm up close to someone, all they see in their rearview mirror is my radiator (No grill, remember?)

So yeah... nobody really messes with me when I'm driving.

Oh... and a tiny bit of pressure on the brakes is enough to light up your brake lights without actually slowing you down appreciably. (Yeah, I've done that, too.... Then the jacka** passed me and started slowing down in front of me, riding HIS brakes.... I just came right up to his bumper like I was going to push him, he turned white, sped up a little bit, got into the other lane and slowed way down and left me alone.)

Indeed.

Consider a situation where you're going down the road at 45mph with a large SUV 18" from your rear bumper. Should you have to brake suddenly, you're going to lose control of your vehicle (when you get hit). Seems to me that if you're driving in such a manner that you cannot maintain control of your vehicle at all times, YOU'RE driving too fast for conditions. Not that you'd get cited for the wreck in that situation, but still, the only safe and lawful thing to do is to slow down. Shrug. FWIW.

You said there was a bike lane. Signal right, pull into the bike lane, and let the other cars pass. It would be best to avoid these potential road rage situations. Who know, the guys behind you might have lost it and pulled out a gun or something.

LOVE IT!!!

There's a rural 2-lane road around here with a 25 mph limit. While riding my motorcycle I actually really enjoy going that slow--I don't think I've ever done more than about 30 on it. On the bike, it's neat to be able to (almost, sometimes) do the speed limit.

Everyone else seems to like hammering down that gas pedal and taking it a good 10-15 miles over though. They usually just pass by in the oncoming lane...Not that it really matters; hardly anyone uses that road anyway.