What is the Deal?
Table of Contents
Reports on Tailgating Behavior:
Tailgating behavior is the act of driving within a close distance of the preceding car. Usually referred to as tailgating when the distance between you and the car in front is no more than 1 car length. This becomes especially dangerous when cruising at high speeds.
Feelings that accompany a person that tailgates is: rage, annoyance, anxiousness, and sometimes desperation. I would say that most of the cases of tailgating happen as a force of habit or is done deliberately to get the person in front to speed up.
A person who tailgates another car is often times having to be more aggressive. The step on their brake pedal more and are more at risk of getting into an accident. They risk getting into a rear end collision with the car in front.
Often times I find that people who tailgate are giving other drivers around them signals that they are in a rush. Then it is up to the driver in front to wither get out of the way of the car in back or to continue on their way as if nothing were wrong. Often times this second option only aggravates the person who is tailgating even more.
It is very much a part of driving to tailgate. It is almost as if it is a way for drivers to show their dominance over each other. If a driver is successful in pushing another driver into the next lane because of his or her tailgating behavior it is a minor triumph for that driver. But on the other hand it could turn into a test of wills. In that case the driver in the front car may exercise another communication skill called the "brake check". This tactic has three possible outcomes. First it may incense the driver behind and will cause them to drive more erratically and try to get revenge on you. In which case the driver in front should also be ready for a retaliatory brake check. Or even something worse could happen if you have cause the tailgating driver on a particularly bad day. Do not try this if you have never attempted this before. It may result in serious damage to the vehicle and to yourself and others around you. It is best done on the open road and is first signaled by a light tapping on the brake pedal. This is a preliminary warning to the driver behind that you do not appreciate his behavior and that no more will be tolerated. Often times this point is accepted by the other driver and he or she then backs off. The third option is that the driver is totally ambiguous of his or her behavior and how it is affecting you. This is a problem. This means that they are not paying attention to the signs around them and not paying attention to other drivers. This means that they are not driving well. They are most often preoccupied, either talking on the cell phone or singing along with their favorite tune on the radio. There is a good possibility of an accident in this case.
I do not feel that it is good for the driver in front to be so consumed with anger toward the driver directly behind them that they should feel the need to take matters into their own hands and give that rude driver a quick lesson in driving courtesy. They should pay attention to the road in front and not get into an accident for having been paying too much attention to the driver directly behind them.
Tailgating is a decision like any other on the road. It is a choice whether to take your life into your own hands. You must weigh the consequences. On one hand you need to get to someplace quicker than everybody else and on the other hand you are driving in an unsafe manner and putting other people's live in jeopardy. It is not fair to the person in front of you. But some people on the road are Sunday drivers who do not follow simple facts about the road. There is a slow lane and there is a passing lane. If you are in the left lane, which is the passing lane, then you need to go faster than the car in the right lane. It is simple and easy to understand. But people rarely find themselves faced with a day in which there is some person who is poking along at 5 mph below the speed limit in the fast lane. And worst yet they are keeping pace with a city bus. Going uphill. Give me a break. If the horn were more accept to use as a driver communication device I would use that instead of tailgating. But the simple fact is that tailgating is a tool used by drivers on the road.