This is Why Tailgating is a Bad Idea

[gravitylover]

Front car was passing and couldn't move to the right yet because there is an entrance ramp there and that Jeep had just entered the traffic lane. Sometimes that leaves people a bit flustered and they tap the brakes. The tailgater should have been prepared for the potential. Because he/she wasn't they got what they deserved even if it was a brake check.

[justatroll]

Originally Posted by daiheadjai

I dislike left lane hogs (I rarely get tailgated because I move over), so I can understand the frustration. Brake checking is just d1ckish though - it means you are aware of a faster car behind you, but rather than moving over, you feel compelled to assert your "right" to hog the lane. I'd say brake checking is more dangerous than tailgating, because there is some malicious intent there.

What if you are following in traffic, at speed, at a legal distance from the car in front of you, and some asshat wants to drive up your ass to make you move over, when he has no where to go except up the ass of the next person?

I say you cant park in the fast lane when faster traffic wants to get by you (and the road is open in front of you)
I also say, If I am in line following at the legal gap that doesnt entitle you to drive negligently so close to my bumper that I cannot see your headlights anymore.

I'll brake check that bitch.

Or what about that same guy that decides he deserves your spot and tries to go around you on the right to wedge himself in the legal gap in front of you?

I'll close that gap (temporarily)

[daiheadjai]

Originally Posted by justatroll

What if you are following in traffic, at speed, at a legal distance from the car in front of you, and some asshat wants to drive up your ass to make you move over, when he has no where to go except up the ass of the next person?

I say you cant park in the fast lane when faster traffic wants to get by you (and the road is open in front of you)
I also say, If I am in line following at the legal gap that doesnt entitle you to drive negligently so close to my bumper that I cannot see your headlights anymore.

I'll brake check that bitch.

Or what about that same guy that decides he deserves your spot and tries to go around you on the right to wedge himself in the legal gap in front of you?

I'll close that gap (temporarily)

No doubt. It's the ones where there's an open lane ahead of them that cause trouble. I never tailgate people who aren't holding up a line of vehicles. I might slide a bit toward the driver side of the lane so the driver in front sees me behind them (sometimes they get the hint, move over to allow me to pass, and I'll flash my hazards as a thank you)

Sent from my SGH-I747M using Tapatalk

[Dadhawk]

Originally Posted by Tcoat

I think you are optimistic there M! The "normal speed of traffic" can not legally be over the posted speed limit. Just because cars go 100 all the time that does not make it the "normal" nor legal speed. The "normal" speed of traffic in your example would be 55 no matter how fast the cars normally drive. Try fighting a speeding ticket there with the defense "well cars normally go 74 and I was only doing 72" and let us know how you make out.

Georgia's slowpoke law was amended in 2014 to explicitedly remove any mention of driving the speed limit. The current law means if you are driving in the left lane at 100MPH and someone comes up behind you doing 120MPH you are required to pull over, except in some specific cases such as a left exit, or "congested traffic".

Originally Posted by Random Atlanta Traffic Lawyer Website

On July 1, 2014, a new Georgia law went into effect in an effort to eliminate these dangerous situations. O.C.G.A. § 40-6-184, "Minimum Speed Regulation", states that "No person shall drive a motor vehicle at such a slow speed as to impede the normal and reasonable movement of traffic...." Further, the new law states that "...[N]o person shall continue to operate a motor vehicle in the passing lane once such person knows or should reasonably know that he or she is being overtaken in such lane from the rear by a motor vehicle traveling at a higher rate of speed."

The new law makes no reference to whether the vehicles are obeying the posted minimum or maximum speed limits. Even if a vehicle is exceeding the speed limit, it must still yield to a vehicle exceeding the speed limit by a greater amount. In addition, a driver does not have to be moving below the minimum posted speed to be pulled over for being a slowpoke.

Being pulled over for a violation of the new law can result in more than just the proverbial slap on the wrist. Drivers who stay in the far left lane after a faster-travelling car has approached from behind can be convicted of a misdemeanor and sentenced accordingly to up to a $1,000.00 fine and 12 months confinement. In addition, convicted slowpokes are subject to additional administrative penalties such as points on their licenses and increased car insurance rates.

[Tcoat]

Originally Posted by Dadhawk

Georgia's slowpoke law was amended in 2014 to explicitedly remove any mention of driving the speed limit. The current law means if you are driving in the left lane at 100MPH and someone comes up behind you doing 120MPH you are required to pull over, except in some specific cases such as a left exit, or "congested traffic".

Yes, but the ones speeding are still eligible for a ticket as well.


The fun part would be the poor sonofabitch that was doing 100 when everybody else was doing 110 and he got a speeding ticket and one for obstructing traffic at the same time. Pretty sure he could get on or the other thrown out.

[justatroll]

Originally Posted by Dadhawk

Georgia's slowpoke law was amended in 2014 to explicitedly remove any mention of driving the speed limit. The current law means if you are driving in the left lane at 100MPH and someone comes up behind you doing 120MPH you are required to pull over, except in some specific cases such as a left exit, or "congested traffic".

In my state I have heard the state patrol say "I'd rather have 10 happy speeders than ONE pissed off road raging asshole that cant get past the guy parked in the fast lane at the speed limit".

[ZionsWrath]

Seems a pointless accident.

When I drive aggressively and I think someone is too slow i go around them even if I have to pass on the right. If I can't go around them traffic is probably too heavy.

Tailgating is silly. You don't walk 2 centimetres behind someone you think is walking too slow on the street right?

[mdm]

Originally Posted by justatroll

In my state I have heard the state patrol say "I'd rather have 10 happy speeders than ONE pissed off road raging asshole that cant get past the guy parked in the fast lane at the speed limit".

Of course they would. 10 tickets vs. no opportunity to give a ticket, that's ∞ times more profit.

[Tcoat]

Originally Posted by justatroll

In my state I have heard the state patrol say "I'd rather have 10 happy speeders than ONE pissed off road raging asshole that cant get past the guy parked in the fast lane at the speed limit".

Yesterday on the highway I drove beside a cop that was riding about 6 inches off the bumper of the car in the left lane. We were already 30 (KPH) over the limit and the poor guy in the car didn't seem to know what to do.
Speed up and let the cop past, going even more over the limit?
Slow down and try to get into the right lane between cars and risk the cop hitting him?
Brake check was of course right out of the picture for the guy.
After a few miles (I wanted to see if the cop would back off. He didn't) I slowed down and let the guy into the right lane in front of me. The cop took off like a bat out of hell (no lights so not a call).

[Pat]

Originally Posted by Peaty

I watched the video a few times and it seems like there was more going on than just the brake checking for the driver. They seemed to be passing a semi and coming up to a merge area at the same time the tailgating person ran up the back of the driver in the left lane. To me the driver in front didn't want to cut off the Semi and at the same time they wanted to give the merging driver room to get in. If they pulled over, besides cutting off the Semi, who know's how slow the merging car would be going. They'd be sandwiched between the semi in back and possible slow car in front. Not a good position to be in. Having said that they could have just stayed in the left lane and sped up enough to get past everyone then pulled over into the right lane. That's what I would have done. However, not knowing the actual speeds it's hard to say if they were truly in the wrong. I can say for sure that the tailgater was though. They were way too close and I bet, like someone mentioned, distracted till the last second when they got brake checked. Tailgating is a huge pet peeve of mine, for some reason it seems to happen a lot to me when I'm in a small car, my Miata or the BRZ. Mostly on a single lane where I'm leaving room in front and the car behind is up my trunk. I live in the land of huge PU trucks and I know I can stop a lot faster when needed than they can. Most of the time I will tap my brake but not slow down to say please move back and give me room. If I'm on the highway I only pass in the passing lane end of story, I also don't like passing on the right. Too risky. I've got a third brake light pulse on my Miata, I've been thinking how to add one to the BRZ.

I can't believe no one else has commented on this yet. The vehicle being tailgated:
a. passed in the left lane properly
b. was considerate to merging traffic and the big rig
c. stayed in the left lane as it was going faster than the silver minivan up ahead in the right lane that it would soon pass

Am I really the only one here that sees that?
Yes, the left lane is called the passing lane for a reason. The vehicle being tailgated was going fast enough to pass the silver vehicle in just a few seconds. I don't feel bad at all for the vehicle that crashed. Not one bit.

EDIT: The funny part about the whole thing is if he wasn't tailgating he could probably have seen the silver vehicle that was about to be passed. But because he was tailgating the vehicle in front blocked much of his field of vision. What a shmuck.

[Dadhawk]

Originally Posted by Tcoat

Yes, but the ones speeding are still eligible for a ticket as well.


The fun part would be the poor sonofabitch that was doing 100 when everybody else was doing 110 and he got a speeding ticket and one for obstructing traffic at the same time. Pretty sure he could get on or the other thrown out.

True. This is how it would go down (I think):

100MPH Car: "Speeding"+"Super Speeder"+"Slow Poke"+"Reckless Driving" (last one for slamming on brakes)

120MPH Car: "Speeding"+"Super Speeder"+"Following Too Close"

Both would be in for some serious fines, points, etc. and probably a few meals in the local jail.

[daiheadjai]

Originally Posted by Pat

I can't believe no one else has commented on this yet. The vehicle being tailgated:
a. passed in the left lane properly
b. was considerate to merging traffic and the big rig
c. stayed in the left lane as it was going faster than the silver minivan up ahead in the right lane that it would soon pass

Am I really the only one here that sees that?
Yes, the left lane is called the passing lane for a reason. The vehicle being tailgated was going fast enough to pass the silver vehicle in just a few seconds. I don't feel bad at all for the vehicle that crashed. Not one bit.

EDIT: The funny part about the whole thing is if he wasn't tailgating he could probably have seen the silver vehicle that was about to be passed. But because he was tailgating the vehicle in front blocked much of his field of vision. What a shmuck.

Nah, I think most of us are onboard with the view that the tailgaiter (in this case) was more at fault (especially after more review of the context).
I think at this point, most people are venting about left-lane hogs in general, and those who do intentionally brake check (probably not the case here).

[Pat]

Originally Posted by daiheadjai

Nah, I think most of us are onboard with the view that the tailgaiter (in this case) was more at fault (especially after more review of the context).
I think at this point, most people are venting about left-lane hogs in general, and those who do intentionally brake check (probably not the case here).

I don't think that was a left lane hog. I am a passing lane Nazi, but see nothing wrong with that person's usage of the left lane.

[daiheadjai]

Originally Posted by Pat

I don't think that was a left lane hog. I am a passing lane Nazi, but see nothing wrong with that person's usage of the left lane.

I think the discussion is now split into 2 camps:
Those who are still talking about the drivers involved in that specific vehicle (i.e. left lane person had a lot of good reasons for staying there, tailgaiter likely wasn't paying attention, etc.), and those who are debating the merits of tailgaiting, brake checking, and passing-lane discipline in general.