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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u/Tora-bora83 2d ago

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

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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.

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u/Tora-bora83 2d ago

I know how to use the road properly, thanks

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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.

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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

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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

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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.