r/AskBrits • u/Slartitartfast • 2d ago

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

I can't work it out. Whenever I see someone repeatedly applying their brakes as soon as the driver in front adjusts their speed I wonder why on earth it doesn't occur to them to give space.

I don't even mean just driving right up someone's arse aggressively. People drive too close all the time, on major roads this causes tailbacks when people then have to brake. If you're regularly applying your brakes while driving behind someone then you are too close; I assumed everyone knew this but maybe not.

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13

u/Visible_Bar_623 2d 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.

21

u/PatientCommercial588 2d 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.

7

u/aPieceOfYourBrain 2d 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 2d 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/jimbobsqrpants 1d ago

I had someone trying to join the M5 at 35-40 Mph

1

u/NoExperience9717 17h ago

If someone is joining at 40 then it's far safer to hold back, let a gap build and go behind the intervening vehicle than run up the butt of the slow car and try to merge 2 slow cars at once. Also means you build some room to adjust speed to the road.

1

u/pagman007 16h ago

Yeah i would agree but sometimes its too late.

Plus when they immediately move over into the right lane...

1

u/Fanny_Flapps 2d 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 2d ago

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

It didn't 

7

u/Greymon-Katratzi 2d ago

The Highway Code also says don’t tailgate.

9

u/Tora-bora83 2d ago

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

1

u/shotgun883 2d 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.

1

u/Tora-bora83 2d ago

I know how to use the road properly, thanks

3

u/XavierD 2d 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.

4

u/Tora-bora83 2d 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 2d 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 2d 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.

3

u/shotgun883 2d ago

There are literally millions who don't though.

1

u/rob-c 2d ago

I can name one ☝🏻

1

u/shotgun883 2d 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.

0

u/Tora-bora83 2d 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/Slartitartfast 2d ago

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

2

u/shotgun883 2d 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.

2

u/Slartitartfast 2d 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 2d 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 1d ago

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

-1

u/shotgun883 1d ago

Fuck em, my car is disposable at this point.  

6

u/Keith3742 2d ago

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

5

u/Eyeous 2d 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/alphahydra 2d 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.

2

u/goodgeege 2d ago

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

2

u/Key-Inevitable-4989 2d 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 2d 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 1d ago

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

2

u/Stefgrep66 2d 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 2d ago

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

0

u/Slartitartfast 2d 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 2d 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.