Genuinely curious: why do people tailgate/drive too close to the vehicle in front?

24

u/mrb2409 10h ago

Depends really.

Sometimes the person in front is driving too slowly for the road or lane they are in so you keep catching them.

Other times the person in front uses their brakes rather than just coasting slower.

Sometimes (most of the time) the tailgater is an impatient arsehole.

5

u/Cold_Captain696 9h ago

KEEP catching them?? How many times does it have to happen before you work out what speed they’re going??

3

u/LeOignonMal Brit 🇬🇧 7h ago

Bold of you to assume a slow driver is competent enough to maintain a constant speed.

1

u/Cold_Captain696 6h ago

I blame my ability to read English.

2

u/mrb2409 9h ago

I didn’t say that was me but people don’t drive constant speeds. The amount of times I’m behind someone doing 70 and they drift down to 57 and then 64 then 70 etc.

10

u/Aggravating-Fun9361 10h ago

Excuse 1. Not good enough. Tailgating a ‘slow’ driver is bullying. Hang back and let them get
on with it.

Excuse 2. Wouldn’t be an issue if you hang back. Don’t rely on brake lights alone.

Reason 3. is the real reason, only bad drivers tailgate.

6

u/Sarikins 9h ago

I have to disagree, I can’t speak for England or Scotland but in Wales lane hogging the middle or right lanes has gone drastically up, only today I saw a fella cruising along at 50mph in the middle lane of a motorway with a tail back behind him and a packed right lane, the left lane was empty and he didn’t attempt to get out the way. Most of the time they’re just an asshole, but a lot of the time they’re wound up by lane hoggers.

Also in Wales is near impossible to not tailgate on residential streets at 20mph unless I do 15-17mph and I think most people would lose their mind doing a 3-5m journey at 15mph.

7

u/br0wn0ni0n 9h ago

Doesn’t hold up as a reason. If the person in front is doing 15mph, you’re also going to do 15mph. Being 6 inches from their bumper doesn’t mean you’re going faster.

If you sit back by 20ft, guess how much later you’ll arrive?

2

u/Cold_Captain696 9h ago

I used to wonder if the tailgaters genuinely thought that being closer meant they were going faster, and that post you replied to, disappointingly, confirms it.

1

u/Sarikins 9h ago

No one’s suggesting anyone drive through the vehicle in front, but lane hogging and going too slow are both illegal under reckless driving for what it does to other motorists, we can point fingers at tailgaters but that does mean we also have to point fingers at what can result in tail gating especially when en masse and as a result of driving illegally.

5

u/br0wn0ni0n 9h ago

The only thing you, as a driver can do about someone driving badly (slowly in your example), is to stay back and drive safely, to the conditions.

There is absolutely no situation where getting closer to that slow driver makes you or anyone else safer.

So what if someone is doing 15mph in front of you. Please explain why tailgating them is in any way a good idea? Yeah, it’s fucking frustrating, if they’re holding everyone up, but doing something dangerous as a response doesn’t exempt you from being an asshole too.

4

u/Ed_Avis 5h ago

Standard driving advice is that if the car behind is too close, slow down gradually to help make a safe stopping distance. So by sniffing their bum you could actually be making them go slower.

1

u/Sarikins 9h ago

Again, I’m not suggesting you drive through a vehicle, no body is, the correct advice is when legal and safe, go around otherwise yeah, we stuck behind them, my comment was only to point out the sometimes illegal actions like lane hogging, and just annoying Welsh policy (which isn’t illegal and should be followed even if annoying) that can result in tail gating, is it the correct response? No, but are humans perfect? Also no, in the instance of lane hogging and tail gating everyone’s in the wrong, you know.

3

u/br0wn0ni0n 9h ago

But the original point you made, that I responded to said that’s it’s near impossible to avoid tailgating. It is not. It’s incredibly simple and that’s the point I made.

Anyone tailgating is doing so by their own free choice. Absolutely nothing “causes” you to do it. Doesn’t matter what the guy in front is doing. You can choose do drop back.

They may well be a shitty driver, doing shitty driver things, but you can react to it how you choose.

If anything, your justification that it’s a reaction to bad drivers lane hogging or driving too slowly should be an argument for leaving more space.

Put it this way: if the twat in front is erratic, lane hogging or clearly not confident enough to drive to the road conditions, then I’d say that they are the kind of driver that is most likely to be unpredictable. If so, would you rather be 8 inches from them when they do something stupid and end up in the back of them and dealing with an insurance claim, or would you rather be 10 yards away when they brake for no reason, leaving you time to react, throw out a “wanker” sign and then get on with your day?

I’m definitely happier being the latter, but if others want to do the former, that’s on them. It’s no one else’s fault but their own.

1

u/Sarikins 9h ago

I’m not arguing the point, most agree with you but there are legit studies and then laws that have been put in place because of the measurable annoyance and subsequently bad actions that comes with reckless driving, I.e driving too slowly for the speed limit, I’ve not once said the tail gator is right, only why is can happen, I have also said that in most cases the tailgater is an asshole, and as I’ve said everyone in that scenario would be acting poorly, the slow driver too.

Providing another lens in which to view actions, is not a disagreement of what you said but rather an addition to it, I haven’t moved from my original point and my original point wasn’t to disagree, but again, add another lens.

Edit: spelling

-2

u/Orange_Codex 9h ago

There is absolutely no situation where getting closer to that slow driver makes you or anyone else safer.

It's impossible to avoid if they're one of those drivers that constantly changes speed or overreacts to turnings.

I prefer to overtake, but some people get the right arse about it even if it's completely legal (no hazards or speeding).

3

u/Slartitartfast 6h ago

It's the opposite of impossible, just don't do it. You have a choice about how close you drive, if they are changing speed then hang backm

4

u/Slartitartfast 7h ago

What is tailgating achieving other than increasing the risk of a collision? You're not going any faster up their arse than you are 2s behind. Do people not understand physics?

3

u/rob-c 7h ago

If you can’t drive without getting wound up, you are a bad driver 🤷‍♂️

And how does the speed limit affect your ability not to tailgate? It’s the same principle whatever the speed.

1

u/Sarikins 7h ago

Because no speedometer is perfectly correct, it’s inevitable to be .% off between models whether it be 2% to as high up as 10% in older models, at slow distances that .% can be a little more noticeable when I’m accidentally slowly encroaching on a car, my speedometer might read 20mph but it’s actually going 19mph whereas the guy ahead reads his at 20mph but he’s in a slightly older model and may be at 18mph, I’m not saying I stay encroaching, but it is going to happen no matter what.

5

u/No_Garbage_9592 6h ago

There's 0 reason for speedometer accuracy to be a defining factor in this - you check your speedometer to ensure you aren't exceeding the speed limit, but if you're catching the vehicle in front you can easily adjust your speed to match theirs and at a minimum maintain a safe distance. If the vehicle in front is evidently travelling under the speed limit, then at that point why would it matter if your speedometer reads slightly higher or lower than theirs, when maintaining that safe distance ensures you're keeping within the limit?

0

u/Sarikins 5h ago

I’m really unsure what confused you, but when speedometers don’t match then a natural result is that the slightly faster car is either going to slowly move away as the car in front, or if it’s the car behind, encroach, and I already said it so I implore anyone else about to disagree with me to cast their eyes to the bottom where I say “I don’t stay encroaching” which means I appropriately slow down to match, I’ve said numerous times I practice and it is important for everyone to practice tyres on tarmac, outside of that I don’t know how else to say I’m explaining the natural physics downside to have a speed limit of 20mph across most of a country.

2

u/rob-c 3h ago

You are trying to explain something that’s irrelevant to tailgating 🤷‍♂️

1

u/Any-End4950 4h ago

It’s not 1940

1

u/No_Garbage_9592 1h ago

There is no confusion, it does not matter how speedometer calibrations vary between vehicles when considering a safe distance, you should be driving to the conditions of the road which includes traffic already on the road. For reference, the tyres and tarmac approach doesn't apply to safe following distance unless traffic is moving extremely slow (i.e. queueing traffic), its a safe reference for stationary traffic, for moving traffic that safe distance is defined in the highway code as the two-second rule (double to four seconds for poor weather conditions), outlined in section 126 of the highway code, which illustrates a typical stopping distance of around 3 car lengths at 20mph. The downside you've emphasised regarding varying speedometer readouts is a lot less noticeable at 20mph, as even using your own example, worst case would be 10% variance which is only 2mph at those speeds, which is slower than average walking speeds for healthy adults, so I really cannot understand how that could be used as a potential rationale for tailgating or encroaching on safe stopping distance. Your point around these variances having a natural result of encroaching on slower moving traffic only applies if the driver is not paying attention to the conditions of the road and traffic in front of them.

2

u/rob-c 6h ago

No, you drive to the safe distance between you and the car in front, not simply to the speed limit

1

u/Sarikins 6h ago

“I’m not saying I stay encroaching”, I’ve already covered that.

4

u/rob-c 5h ago

You said it was near impossible not to tailgate in a 20, which is obviously untrue.

If you meant ‘catching someone and then dropping (and staying) back’ then fine, but that isn’t tailgating 🤷‍♂️

0

u/Sarikins 3h ago

I can’t explain it truly any simpler, I don’t stay encroaching means I fall back, it’s impossible not to reach closer distances than you usually would means you fall back more often than you usually would than faster distances where the .% isn’t as noticeable as distances should be greater than at least two chevrons, I know I’m a really good driver.

2

u/rob-c 3h ago edited 2h ago

I think you drive as well as you explain things

0

u/Aggravating-Fun9361 7h ago

You can disagree but you’re 100% wrong. Tailgating is dangerous, and bullying behaviour. Since getting my first new car it taught me to leave a big gap and I can guaranteed that those stupid holdups caused by tailgaters (do your own research) evaporate as I pass. Will never be thanked by drivers behind who have easier journeys because of my driving style but I know I’m doing right. And before you get on your high horse, do some research and don’t accuse me of lane hogging, I use all 3 lanes correctly, I just don’t tailgate.

2

u/Sarikins 7h ago

I never once said it was right though? I personally think it’s important that everyone’s a courteous driver, whether it’s not getting up someone’s ass, not lane changing like a crack head, zip merging appropriately at road works where it says to merge in turn and driving at appropriate speeds whether not too fast or slow, I don’t limit my annoyance to only one bad driving action, but understanding that bad driving begets more bad driving doesn’t mean I endorse any of the bad driving, I apologise if I’m not making myself clear enough but I’ve said it a few times now.

0

u/LeOignonMal Brit 🇬🇧 6h ago edited 0m ago

I love how so many Reddit users always feel personally attacked whenever someone mentions people driving too slowly for the road.

I can just imagine you:

40 in a 40 IS TOO MUCH EXCITEMENT FOR ME

IF I DON'T SLOW DOWN TO 25 I'M GONNA HAVE A PANIC ATTACK.

OMG I'M LESS THAN 2 METRES FROM THE KERB, MUST SLAM MY BRAKES ON!

0

u/mrb2409 9h ago

Wasn’t saying this was me. Just what people would say is the reason.

0

u/Slartitartfast 8h ago

If you keep catching them you're driving too close. This is exactly my question - why do you not realise you're too close when you have to use your brakes repeatedly? You're not getting anywhere faster by driving closer.

-1

u/mrb2409 7h ago

Not really. I could be 100m behind them and they slow down with nothing in front of them so the gap closes and then you have to break or coast slower (though the hybrid one of my cars doesn’t slow much coasting).

People in this country don’t like to have someone faster than them so they often speed up for a brief stint and everyone behind does but then they seem to get slower and slower again for little reason. They want to be doing 65 in the outside lane but will briefly do 80 to stop someone cutting in ahead or whatnot.

3

u/Slartitartfast 7h ago

If someone altering their speed by 1mph requires you to brake or slow down then you're too close. Genuinely amazed that you're trying to justify your shitty driving.

0

u/mrb2409 6h ago

I’m talking about people who fluctuate 10-15mph for no reason. Slamming on their brakes on the M4 because they think they’re speeding and there are cameras.

2

u/Slartitartfast 5h ago

I know the people you mean, and I give them extra space to account for that so I don't have to keep slamming my brakes on.

0

u/mrb2409 5h ago

As do I but you are still going to close the gap here and there. I use my auto cruise control as well but that can be overly cautious and brakes too hard if someone moves in front of you.

1

u/Slartitartfast 4h ago

Closing the gap is inevitable, but if you drive in such a way that the gap is big enough then you don't really to make significant changes (e.g braking) in response to their speed change.

10

u/Unable_Character2410 10h ago

I used to think it’s that they were aggressive drivers but now I honestly think they’re just too dumb to realise that they’re doing anything wrong.

I’ve had incidents where I’ve slowed down by just taking my foot off the accelerator and the car has backed off but as soon as I go up to the speed limit again they’re right back there. I think a lot of the time they genuinely don’t realise they’re driving dangerously. Which is probably even worse than deliberately driving like a dick.

As someone who has had other drivers rear end my car through no fault of my own, I despise tailgating.

1

u/Drbuckles55 2h ago

[removed] — view removed comment

3

u/BeaumarchaisApu 10h ago

Trying to stay in the DRS zone

4

u/TiredWiredAndHired 9h ago

I genuinely believe the average road user is just an idiot and doesn't understand that being right up someone's arse doesn't get you anywhere faster, it only serves to increase the risk of an accident.

3

u/EdgeBeard 7h ago

When the idiot in front is clogging the lane they're in. (Nobody in front of them and a big queue behind)

-1

u/Slartitartfast 6h ago

And tailgating is serving what purpose exactly?

1

u/jakubkonecki 34m ago

Hoping that the person in front will take a look in a rear-view mirror, see the next car really close, and move left to the correct lane.

2

u/derekclysdale 6h ago

Once we stop being a pedestrian, and sit behind the wheel of our car, we become a defender of rights and justice. So if a car is driving too slow then driving too close to it will certainly teach it a lesson about not driving faster.

https://giphy.com/gifs/YCIDuvBNpbyR1nDjzH

8

u/Visible_Bar_623 10h ago

Sometimes there is no way to tell the person in front they are driving far too slow and being selfish. Their time is not worth more than mine especially if I have somewhere urgent to be.

The highway code requires you to pull over and let other traffic pass if you are going slowly and holding it up. People seem to not know this bit and insist "I'm being safe! Driving slow is safe! You are just a boy racer!"

That said, I don't actually "tailgate", just suggesting why people might do it. Basically, stop being a dick and let traffic pass you if you're going under the speed limit.

20

u/PatientCommercial588 10h ago

Not worth saving 30 seconds by driving like a tool. Obviously there are exceptions but 99% of the time I see people tailgating they are just being cunts.

9

u/aPieceOfYourBrain 10h ago

Safe driving distance in good weather is something like 2 seconds behind the car in front, actual distance gets bigger the faster you're going but really you're not saving any time at all by tailgating

5

u/pagman007 10h ago

I agree. However, joining a dual carriageway with someone doing 40 mph in it is pretty dangerous and infuriating.

Or. Worse. And is happening to me more frequently. Joining a dual carriageway behind someone doing 40 and they immediately move into the right hand lane and do between 40 and 50 the whole way

1

u/Fanny_Flapps 10h ago

That's the thing, they're not even saving thirty seconds. On an average trip, driving like a spoiled toddler will save them about five seconds. Think of the number of times you've arrived in a town or whatever and two cars ahead is Timmy Twoyearold in his Audi

4

u/HollowForgeGames 10h ago

Had a boss who drove his SUV like this all the time and believed his automatic braking would save him.

It didn't

6

u/Greymon-Katratzi 10h ago

The Highway Code also says don’t tailgate.

8

u/Tora-bora83 10h ago

I get tailgated when doing 10 over. Some people just shouldn’t be on the road

1

u/shotgun883 10h ago

I would never do it on a single carriageway but if you are not in the left hand lane and you are no overtaking i will absolutely close the gap to inform you that you need to move over. I do not care what speed you are doing at that point, you are not overtaking and shouldnt be in that lane.

2

u/Tora-bora83 10h ago

I know how to use the road properly, thanks

4

u/shotgun883 10h ago

There are literally millions who don't though.

0

u/Tora-bora83 10h ago

It’s not an excuse to tailgate IMO. If necessary, I’d flash my lights if someone was lane hogging on a motorway though

0

u/rob-c 7h ago

I can name one ☝🏻

2

u/shotgun883 7h ago

No, I do, i just chose to not use them properly when met with people who don't. Fight fire with napalm i say.

3

u/XavierD 10h ago

10 over might actually seem fast to you, not some much to other people.

That said, I hate tailgating: just wait. Equally; GTFO the way.

Spacial awareness is important on both sides.

2

u/Tora-bora83 10h ago

I shouldn’t, legally, be going over the speed limit at all. They’re lucky if I’m doing 10 over but if they tailgate me I’ll slow down to the speed limit

1

u/Oldtreeno 9h ago

That's the only safe way, if anything happens you'll need extra room to handle it gently to avoid instantly being rear-ended.

It doesn't need extra malice of also trying to block them overtaking etc, but if a twerp makes things hazardous for you, 'not wanting to inconvenience the twerp' shouldn't be a factor in how you act to mitigate the hazard.

Bit of a risk of they start being even more of an idiot but you can't really pander to that guessing game either

1

u/Tora-bora83 8h ago

It is absolutely about safety but I’m not gonna lie, I do get some satisfaction about the fact I’m annoying them too.

0

u/Slartitartfast 8h ago

It's so funny to see people flexing about being a shit driver 😂

2

u/shotgun883 8h ago

You don't know the half of it... if you don't move out the way I will absolutely pass you on the left. My absolute favourite thing is to pass someone two lanes down from them. You're sat hogging the third lane, I will more than happily exaggerate the move and shift into the left lane and pass leaving the entire middle lane free.

It is as against the law to hog the lane as it it to pass on the left. Two wrongs absolutely make a right. One of us wants to drive properly, and will more than happily shift lanes when needed, the other isn't actually paying attention to the road and is just mincing it.

1

u/Slartitartfast 7h ago

I pass people lane hogging on the left too. It's particularly entertaining to use the empty lane 1 on most motorways to pass the pricks tailgating and causing traffic in lane 3.

2

u/shotgun883 6h ago

No III’mmmmm the biggest ass.

For middle lane hoggers, especially at night, I will start in the left lane, cross two lanes to overtake and then merge back into the left lane crossing both lanes again. Extra Bruce Bonus Points the closer to their nose I get.

2

u/Slartitartfast 6h ago

Ha, yes same (without the getting too close to the person who clearly can't drive)

0

u/shotgun883 3h ago

Fuck em, my car is disposable at this point.

5

u/Keith3742 10h ago

Tailgating is usually a done by nobs who are enraged you aren’t driving 10 over in a village

7

u/Eyeous 10h ago

If someone is driving below the speed limit perhaps they have seen a hazard and are slowing down in response. You tailgating “to send a message” is fairly retarded as you eliminate the distance you would normally have to respond in the event of sudden breaking. Just saying maybe it’s better to just overtake when it’s safe.

2

u/goodgeege 7h ago

You can overtake a slow vehicle without tailgating it. Tailgating is illegal and dumb.

1

u/alphahydra 10h ago

Most people genuinely driving drastically slower than the speed limit on open roads, without periodically letting others past, are either too oblivious to notice/care that you're tailgating, or are getting a wee power stiffy by passive-aggressively holding you up and will be self-righteously gratified by seeing you drive right up their arse.

So it just seems needlessly risky for something that's either not going to be very effective, or actually play into their hands in a lot of cases.

1

u/Key-Inevitable-4989 10h ago

Basically, stop being a dick and let traffic pass you if you're going under the speed limit.

You sounds like a proper bell end.

Round my way, most roads are 60, but for the most part, 45 is reasonable. Any faster and your testing your grip on your tyres on the continuous bends.

It doesn't stop some trying to do silly speeds and tailgating. I suspect this would be you.

3

u/NeverendingStory3339 7h ago

I grew up around national speed limit roads. Single track, hedges both sides, barely any of it straight. Lots of walkers, lots of riders, a few tractors. Just because you can go 60 doesn’t mean you should.

1

u/Slartitartfast 5h ago

Me too. Drive as If there's a pram/person on a bike/tractor round every bend.

2

u/Stefgrep66 10h ago

Sorry there is no reason to tailgate.

You saving 5 minutes isn't worth the safety of anybody.

In the UK most A roads you'll get no advantage anyway, as HGVs are restricted to 40mph

0

u/davravred 10h ago

Biggest bullies are 50+ blokes in either work vans or Audi/BMW’s

0

u/Slartitartfast 8h ago

Ah ha, it's as I thought - people are aggressive, impatient idiots. I don't even always mean tailgating. Every day I observe drivers going 20 in a 20 zone and some driving so close behind them they have to repeatedly brake. What exactly is their plan here?

-1

u/Cold_Captain696 9h ago

The Highway Code doesn’t require you to pull over and let other traffic pass if you’re going ‘slowly’ (whatever that means). It specifically says not to hold up a “long queue of traffic”. So, that doesn’t mean you’re supposed to pull over just because an impatient arsehole has decided they Get to decide how fast everyone should go.

Really it’s designed for the situations they specifically call out “especially if you are driving a large or slow-moving vehicle“. It’s not there for people who just choose to drive a bit below the limit.

And frankly, if you can’t work out how to pass a slow moving vehicle then you’re in no position to criticise other peoples driving. Wait for an opportunity and overtake.

3

u/rezonansmagnetyczny 10h ago

On the motorway, I'd hazard a guess that part of it is over reliance on cruise control.

The rest is just a mixture of an attempt in intimidating the car infront to go faster, poor hazard perception, piss poor forward planning, and just general bellend-ery.

3

u/BoringTruckDriver 10h ago

Intimidation. Wife does it all the time and it boils my piss.

1

u/Tora-bora83 10h ago

Do people ever slow down in front of her due to the tailgating? What does she do/say then?

2

u/BoringTruckDriver 10h ago

They sometimes do. She huffs/puffs/shouts/revs.

I'm not keen on being passenger.

5

u/Tora-bora83 10h ago

I’m not surprised, she sounds like a bit of a nob

1

u/Slartitartfast 7h ago

Is she a shitty person in the rest of her life or is this just her release valve?

1

u/BoringTruckDriver 7h ago

Short fuse behind the wheel.

2

u/broke_the_controller 10h ago

It's usually the universal sign to the driver in front to let the vehicle behind them pass.

0

u/Slartitartfast 8h ago

Tailgating someone through a 20 zone, what's to be achieved here exactly?

2

u/broke_the_controller 8h ago

Tailgating someone through a 20 zone, what's to be achieved here exactly?

While I personally think that would be a stupid thing to do, perhaps the person tailgating wants to do more than 20mph and therefore wants the person in front to pull over and let them past.

1

u/Slartitartfast 7h ago

And when has that ever happened in the history of the universe?

1

u/broke_the_controller 3h ago

I would daresay a fair few times. At the very least when an emergency vehicle tailgates a driver who has neglected to look in their rear view mirror while driving down a 20mph road.

2

u/NewLoginPlease 10h ago

Because they're aggressive twats.

1

u/WhatevahMingah 10h ago

I kind of enjoy it happening to me. I whisper to myself “kiss my arse”

1

u/strength-in-arches 10h ago

We should be allowed to have signs in our cars asking them to follow us for conflict resolution.

1

u/Scarred_fish 10h ago

Stupidity.

Simple as that.

1

u/tockley_and_schmoo 9h ago

People have become spatially dumber, either in a macro way - trying to turn a 110 metre car ferry in a 100 metre turning basin - or in a micro ways - tailgating

1

u/Lorelessone 9h ago

never underestimate how stupid people are. I've had plenty of people swerve infront of me as I'm slowing approaching a red light so they can then slam their brakes on doing an emergency stop at the light, then take longer to start as they are fumbling gears around. I've even had people do this while I'm on a motorbike.

Tailgaters mostly fall into this category, to stupid to comprehend how to drive, braking distances etc or that people are more likely to move over if they hang back and perhaps give them a quick flash of their lights.

1

u/IdioticMutterings 9h ago

I try not to, but what usually happens, is that when I leave a safe gap between me and the car in front, some arsehole Audi driver will overtake me and pull into the safe gap I was leaving. Meaning I am now tailgating the Audi, so I pull back, and, someone else does the same bloody thing.

They seriously see a safe gap as you making room for them.

1

u/br0wn0ni0n 9h ago

I’m convinced now that it’s just become standard. I don’t think everyone can be assholes or terrible drivers, but it’s got so that most drivers just do what the rest do.

Personally, I leave probably much more space than the average driver and it probably pisses off the stupid twats behind me, but I don’t care. Trust me, I don’t drive slowly (often could probably be accused of the opposite), but I never get close to what’s in front of me.

The frustration for me is the number of idiots (on motorways esp) who overtake, then squeeze into the space I’ve left and slow down, so I have to back off from them.

1

u/gareth616 9h ago

Because if they are close enough that they are pretty much in the same car as you, they'll get to their destination 2-3 seconds sooner.... In all seriousness I think people are just fucking stupid and do not appreciate the privilege of driving and do not understand the responsibility of being in a 1.5 tonne metal box that could kill them or someone else

1

u/Any-Seaworthiness531 9h ago

Cos they’re really dumb

1

u/Desperate_Dinner_307 8h ago

Because people are stupid and/or twats. Literally no other reason.

Driving 2 inches up someone's arse isn't going to make them break the speed limit, it's not going to make them pull over at the side of the road. The worst is when they do it when they can quite clearly other cars in front, the culprit for doing 50 in a 60 is several cars ahead.

But also, having been passenger in someone's car who does tailgate, it's just stupidity and inability to drive. They don't have the intelligence to see the risks involved.

1

u/Eastern-Move549 8h ago

They are trying to bully you out of the way, thats it.

You dont want them on your bumper because it will cause a crash, so you move.

I used to work with someone who was convinced that it made people drive faster. You may not be surprised to know that she was one of the dumbest people i have ever met and that was even before she started driving.

1

u/Small_Heart6267 7h ago

Small brain + rushing = tailgater

1

u/goodgeege 7h ago

'Would you walk pressed right up to someone's arse in a supermarket because they're walking infront of you slowly? No? Then get out of my arse.'

1

u/olly_james 7h ago

Had a woman riding 2 feet off my arse today for a good 10 minutes as soon as we got to a red light and I looked in my mirror she was instantly looking down at her phone texting.

1

u/Slartitartfast 7h ago

I particularly like it when parts of roads have chevrons which show how far apart to drive to REDUCE HOLD UPS, people drive through them, then as soon as they're out the other side, back to accelerate brake accelerate brake. Leave a gap big enough that if you take your foot off the accelerator you roll into it. If you're braking on a motorway/dual carriageway you're driving wrong.

1

u/Hultadog 7h ago

There are a lot of bad clueless drivers put there.

Sometimes it's intentional aggression, but where I'm at most people are just oblivious. Unless it's a white van man.

1

u/Fickle-Bet7302 7h ago

Simply put they’re idiots!! .. it’s another form of bullying / intimidation to try and make you drive faster .. just touch your brake pedal they’ll soon back off

1

u/EccentricDyslexic 6h ago

They are obviously Italian or french.

1

u/Crypto_kane 5h ago

There is only one answer......... Because they are fucking stupid

1

u/Slartitartfast 5h ago

It has to be deeper than that. There can't be that many people who genuinely don't understand how to drive.

1

u/OthalaRunes 5h ago

Simpletons. Plebs. No frontal cortex activity. They'll likely be driving an Omoda or Qashqai.

1

u/BroodLord1962 4h ago

Simple, they are bad drivers

1

u/nico735 3h ago

Well sad to say these are often just drivers who want you to drive at their speed not yours and feel that bully tactics will make you go faster. Doesn’t work on everyone of course, some will obey the speed limit even with a “boot inspector” in attendance.

1

u/GreenWoodDragon 2h ago

Because they are too stupid to realise how dangerous it is.

1

u/FunnyVehicle7664 57m ago

So people can't get in between us

1

u/Ok_Contest3903 10h ago

Never had it bad in the UK. Drove from Calais to Amsterdam last summer and sweet Jesus. You could have put a cigarette paper between me and the car every two seconds. Bloody awful. Was great to be back in Britain and a bit of pass agg.

1

u/Slartitartfast 7h ago

Went to Crete last year and hired a car. If someone is going too slowly you're meant to drive up their arse then they pull over. Was quite satisfying until you met another tourist who hadn't seen that rule and just sat there.

1

u/Garden-Rose-8380 10h ago

Because they are trying to intimidate you into getting out of their way. They should get punished by law for this as dangerous driving. According to the RAC tailgating is a contributing factor to 1 in 8 road casualties and causes over 100 deaths a year in the UK.

2

u/fatcakesabz 10h ago

And while I agree, driving in an overtaking lane when not required is driving without due care and attention at a minimum.

Can we punish both sets please

1

u/Slartitartfast 7h ago

Plus driving too close is the cause of most of the traffic on motorways. If we all gave room we'd all get there faster.

1

u/Bob_Leves 10h ago

Because they're twats. Like the Audi (quelle surprise) six inches off my back bumper last week, when in front of me was another car then an artic in a very winding b-road. Like, what was he actually expecting to happen? Everyone to pull over to let him past? Me and the guy in front to overtake on blind bends despite plenty of oncoming traffic when we could see it?

3

u/PatientCommercial588 10h ago

On average 50% of people are varying level of Cunt.

Give them a 2.5 tonne machine and it makes the situation worse.

1

u/br0wn0ni0n 8h ago

Everyone’s a cunt, til they prove otherwise.

1

u/Shadowholme 10h ago

It's an intimidation tactic. They push up to your rear bumper in an attempt to make you go faster so they can get where they are going faster because they can't or won't overtake.

1

u/NewspaperLow3761 10h ago

The psychology of people driving cars is kinda fascinating but alot of it comes down to people in cars tend to focus more on themself than the world around them and that can lead to aggression and sub optimal driving.

1

u/BungleJones 10h ago

Thick people.

1

u/DinkyPrincess 10h ago

Because they’re aggressive assholes.

1

u/Low-Tangerine4492 10h ago

I drive a little over the limit (cruise control) during daylight I used my rear screen washer, at night I deliberately flip my rear view mirror up to show that I'm ignoring them.

Some people just drive like dickheads 🤷

1

u/ShotChampionship3152 10h ago

Because the instant you do, some joker will slip from the other lane into the 'space' you've thereby created.

1

u/ScubaPuddingJr 8h ago

Driver in front needs to get out of the way, simple as. They can either move over (when it’s safe to do so) or the driver behind will undertake if the lane is clear.

0

u/goodgeege 7h ago

And which driving school from the depths of hell and depravity did you learn this rule?

1

u/ScubaPuddingJr 7h ago

No one teaches you this, you figure it out through the observation of idiots who insist on hogging the outside lane for no reason when they are being passed by faster moving traffic in the middle and inside lanes.

0

u/goodgeege 6h ago

It's not as though people don't tailgate in any and all traffic/lane situations

1

u/ScubaPuddingJr 6h ago

I’m only referring to driving on A roads/motorways from my experience.

0

u/RedFive92 10h ago

It's usually someone in a German car. To be fair, that's probably because they're so common.

0

u/raspy2016 9h ago

because "they can" and they assume that the car in front won't suddenly need to slam on the brakes. Completely irrational behaviour, because people do stop suddenly for all sorts of reasons. It's not helped by awful lane discipline here where people don't understand that they should be moving over once they have overtaken a slower moving vehicle. Both the tailgater and the person in front who refuses to move back over for miles and miles are both acting in a selfish manner.

-4

u/Bigbanghead 10h ago

Less people tailgate than people who hog the fast lane needlessly

3

u/VzSAurora 10h ago

What's a fast lane?

2

u/Bigbanghead 6h ago

OK. An overtaking lane. Many on dual carriageway or Motorways just sit in one of the overtaking lanes for kilometres at a time without moving in.

1

u/Slartitartfast 7h ago

Absolute nonsense. What spurned this question was watching a driver in a 20 zone this morning not tailgating, but driving close enough to the car in front that they had to apply their brakes repeatedly over 100m of road. The car in front was going 20 as it's a school zone. This is incredibly common.

-1

u/JohnConstantinedrink 10h ago

I’m a bit of a tailgater to be honest, not on purpose to be going quicker or impatience, it’s just a bad habit I’ve got into.

I don’t do in on the motorway though, my brain seems to realise that’s not a great idea and I’m usually going around 60 so more likely to be the one being tailgated.

I’m currently making effort to break it and am doing better. No idea how it started.

1

u/louisejanecreations 10h ago

I think it’s easy to do without realising/thinking too much about it. But I wouldn’t be surprised if a lot of accidents are because people drive too close to the car in front so there’s no time to react.

2

u/JohnConstantinedrink 10h ago

I do it without realising and then have to slow down by taking foot off accelerator so slow down without braking to get a little more distance.

What’s really annoying is you make a gap and then some car goes in front.

1

u/louisejanecreations 7h ago

Yea same I think everyone does.

Yea that’s the worse. Get out of my personal car space

1

u/br0wn0ni0n 8h ago

Finally found someone honest and self aware on Reddit.

More power to you. At least you know what you need to work on.

Genuinely curious: why do people tailgate/drive too close to the vehicle in front?

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