Tailgating – Rule #17

#17 – Don’t follow so close to the back end of big trucks that you can’t see potholes in time to swerve around them.

On Sunday I was out running some errands and due to the very nice weather and dry pavement there were some guys out with their fast cars getting in some wheel time. One in particular caught my attention… mostly because I was “only” going 38 MPH in a posted 35 MPH zone and he was ridding right on my rear bumper.

I’m not one to get too concerned over how someone behind me thinks I should be driving. I’m in a big diesel truck and the guy behind me is driving an older Jaguar. In silver. Very, very silver. Anyway this guy is right on my tail and I’m keeping on eye on him in the rear view on and off and I can really see he’s getting heated. As my eyes come down from the rear view for about the 5th times over the span of a couple minutes of watching this guy pound on his steering wheel and act all flustered I spot a monster of a pothole a split second in front of me. I swerve slightly to straddle the pothole. If you had been watching me drive by you would have hardly noticed the course correction.

The guy behind me is not so lucky. No kidding… his entire front end looked like it rebounded upwards like one of those hydraulic jumping cars. In all honesty he’s lucky he didn’t lose the front tire/wheel on that side because this pothole was pushing 10″ deep. The pothole was so nasty looking I remember thinking to myself that a black bear could have just wintered in there and just got up and walked away before we drove down the street leaving this import eating crater.

Anyway… after the impact I watched him in the rear view as I continued on at 38 MPH… he stays on the gas for a second trying to act like nothing happened but within a second or two he was off the gas and pulling over.

My guess is his riding of my kiester cost him an alignment if he’s lucky. Of course he did hit really, really hard.

Thats perfect

That’s late winter in the big city. Not that we’re the only place with potholes but we do grow some doozies.

I find the same thing happens when you drive a 1 ton Van, basically a tank, man do people get PO’d when you are in traffic and they cant see around you. It is amazing how close they get, I cant see them in the mirrors, go ahead make my day, all you will do scratch the bumper when traffic stops in front of me. The pothole thing

It’s amazing how worked up they get huh?
Back in the old big-truck’in days people would do ALL the time to me……
UNTIL I would lose a cap on 1 of trailer tires..,or kick up a piece of road junk…They REALLY didn’t like that.
oh well……

It will give a nice boost to the auto parts economy this spring. Tire, rim, tie-rod ends, ball joints, alignment,……

I’ve had my boat rear ended twice. First time was over $4,500 in glass work. Never understood why people are in such a hurry, when you can’t drive any faster than the obstruction in front of you

Thanks James. Got to love starting my day with a smile on my face.

Karma? Justice? Awesome! I really hate tailgaters with a passion. If I see you in my rear view getting all heated, I am not going to make your life any easier. In fact, I am probably going to just try and frustrate you more with my driving.

While I’m a firm believer in, if you don’t like tailgaters, get out of the way, I also know this isn’t also possible, when that happens it’s open season on them…good to here you got one James…keep up the good work.

Al…who has a equalizer hitch on his truck for a reason..:)

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While I’m a firm believer in, if you don’t like tailgaters, get out of the way…

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They can go around. If I am driving the speed limit or less, that’s a different story. If they are in such a hurry, they can go around instead of endangering peoples lives.

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I really hate tailgaters with a passion. If I see you in my rear view getting all heated, I am not going to make your life any easier. In fact, I am probably going to just try and frustrate you more with my driving.

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I’m with you there. I’ve been known to antagonize a tailgater or two by driving a little slower than I intended. Having a sunroof in the car, it’s a great place to empty the coffee out of your cup. It’s not my fault the guy behind me was driving so close they got coffee on their car.

To tailgaters: I understand they are in a hurry and want to speed. However putting my auto and my life in danger by riding my tail isn’t doing anyone any good. Hang back a bit and then pass when you can. Heck I’ll even try to assist you when/if I can.

Now if I’m driving like Ethel doing below the speed limit. That’s a different story. I deserve to be tailgated.

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To tailgaters: I understand they are in a hurry and want to speed. However putting my auto and my life in danger by riding my tail isn’t doing anyone any good. Hang back a bit and then pass when you can. Heck I’ll even try to assist you when/if I can.

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It really ends up being the kind of mood I am in to be honest. If I see traffic coming up on me moving faster, I am more than happy to get out of the way. Especially when I can use you as a canary in the cage for any troopers and cops that might be ahead.

Hmmm…I feel if you can’t at least drive the speed limit I should be allowed to run you off the road. This has been a horrible winter being stuck behind people going 5, 10, and 20 BELOW the speed limit. Or taking a half mile to get up to speed. I’m a 5 over guy when I can and if you drive the speed limit, then fine. Drive under, my blood boils. I say the slow, defensive drivers are more of a danger (right behind people on their phones or texting). Perfect example is I take Hwy 3 from Farmington to Eagan every day. At least twice a week I get behind someone so slow that it causes such a gap between them and the car in front of them, it allows cars on the side streets to pull out, causing everybody in the ‘train’ to slam on their brakes because we just went from being 10 under the speed limit to 40 under the speed limit. If you are too scared to drive the speed limit, stay off the flipping road!

The nice thing about driving a truck is your lights shine right in on those people in their prius. I have been known to turn my brights on too.

Good pothole story

If it’s day time I like to switch on the headlights so it looks like I’m stepping on the brakes. People see the tail lights come on and usually they brake themselves. A fun thing to do is if you’re pulling a trailer with electric brakes is to hit the stop bar and lock up the tires momentarily. That really freaks out people.

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While I’m a firm believer in, if you don’t like tailgaters, get out of the way…

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They can go around. If I am driving the speed limit or less, that’s a different story. If they are in such a hurry, they can go around instead of endangering peoples lives.

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Maybe quote my whole statement, if your doing 45 in a 65 and in the left lane of a 4 lane road, you need to get out of the way, YOUR the one who’s causing the problem.

Little common courtesy goes a long way in making traffic flow smoothly.

Al

That puts a smile on my face James. Hate is a strong word but I hate tailgaters.

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Maybe quote my whole statement, if your doing 45 in a 65 and in the left lane of a 4 lane road, you need to get out of the way, YOUR the one who’s causing the problem.

Little common courtesy goes a long way in making traffic flow smoothly.

Al

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Yeah, I was going to go another way when quotign you and then changed my thought, but not the quoting.

I am not the problem either. I shoot for 7MPH over the limit on highways and freeways and I am always going at least the speed of traffic around me.

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good to here you got one James…

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I don’t think I can take credit. This was divine intervention my friend. All I did was observe natural justice in action and report it here.

You still get a “atta boy” in my book…

Al

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You still get a “atta boy” in my book…

Al

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Fair enough. I’ll take all I can get.

Similar to trailering a boat, doesn’t matter how fast you’re going, people HAVE TO get in front of you or pass you. Back with my Little Lund I took exception to it, even when already going more than enough over the speed limit. The truck has more then enough power to make it very difficult for those guys, with the “new” boat forget about it, I just let them go. Better yet when you’re stuck behind a row of cars, and they have to edge you out so they are 30 feet further than you are, even though you are all still stuck behind the same cars…

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Similar to trailering a boat, doesn’t matter how fast you’re going, people HAVE TO get in front of you or pass you. Back with my Little Lund I took exception to it, even when already going more than enough over the speed limit. The truck has more then enough power to make it very difficult for those guys, with the “new” boat forget about it, I just let them go. Better yet when you’re stuck behind a row of cars, and they have to edge you out so they are 30 feet further than you are, even though you are all still stuck behind the same cars…

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My favorite is when they burn 1/2 a tank of gas just to get around you and maybe another car. Then at the next stop/light they are stopped 2 cars in front of you.

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Better yet when you’re stuck behind a row of cars, and they have to edge you out so they are 30 feet further than you are, even though you are all still stuck behind the same cars…

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Oh I love that. People are brilliant.

I just wish all you idiots would stay off MY roads!

No doubt Thankfully I don’t drive the city roads much. But on friday night when there is 30 of you underpowered in front of me, pulling your big boat, heck yeah….. I will pick you off one by one & by 2, safely of course…. and beat you to the campfire Don’t hate me because I pass you….

not much of a city driver but still get tailgaters on the rural roads, i like to drift on to the gravel sholder, that usually backs them off.

Wanna have some fun? Wait for the little imports to pass you when you are doing the speed limit pulling the boat. Kick the diesel down till she blows black smoke. You can run from here to Canada and those guys won’t get past you. Really, really ticks them off.

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Wanna have some fun? Wait for the little imports to pass you when you are doing the speed limit pulling the boat. Kick the diesel down till she blows black smoke. You can run from here to Canada and those guys won’t get past you. Really, really ticks them off.

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I have never done such a thing….

I loved my Suzuki 750 two stroke 1975 model year.

Spite two stroke oil out just enough to make people think it was sprinkling when they were too close. Always turned on their wipers.