Someone just brake-tested me

lostsheep

Someone just brake tested me, and they had their kid in the back! What a ****! Obviously I can't have been that close up behind, because he had to slow excessively for a corner to let me catch up before it could actually be done.

jd87

That's nice.

rodenal

Don't see why anyone would do that if you werent too close (or they thought you were) - Anyway stupid thing for them to do but just move on from it

lostsheep

Sorry, I just couldn't believe someone would do that with their kid... I was registering my shock.

Flearoy

If you were keeping a safe distance, a sudden application of brakes by the driver of the car in front would NEVER be a problem. It's up to you to be able to stop in the distance you can see, regardless of circumstances. While the driver of the car in question was perhaps unwise to court disaster (he evidently thought you were too close, rightly or wrongly) all you can do is drive to the conditions. Very odd that they allowed you to 'catch up' - but you should have slowed down sufficiently for their braking to not be a 'test'.

Strider590

I get the feeling the other driver was driving around that corner/bend/turn/junction with excessive caution and took offence to the OP getting close as a result.....

I was behind someone who crawled around a corner at just 5mph yesterday and because it's so unusual, you have a moment of trying to figure out what the driver is doing, in which you do get a little closer than you normally would (though at 5mph you could be 1inch from their bumper and still keep a 2s gap).

mikey72

It's a good morning for ice, or black ice, so slowing down for a bend doesn't seem to be unexpected, if they think there's something there you haven't seen.

Strider590

^^ I'd be thinking of the potential havoc i'd be causing behind me if the car behind hit my car and set off a pile up of several cars, just because i'd gone round a bend excessively slowly.

Doing the unexpected tends to cause accidents because too many people drive around on autopilot, the "I always indicate automatically" (but not to overtake obstacles/cyclists) crowd are growing exponentially in numbers.

Carpi10

Like others have said, I see no reason other than you were too close to the person in front.

(Drivers who i also can't tolerate when i'm doing the speed limit)

mikey72

Strider590 wrote: »

I get the feeling the other driver was driving around that corner/bend/turn/junction with excessive caution and took offence to the OP getting close as a result.....

I was behind someone who crawled around a corner at just 5mph yesterday and because it's so unusual, you have a moment of trying to figure out what the driver is doing, in which you do get a little closer than you normally would (though at 5mph you could be 1inch from their bumper and still keep a 2s gap).

Strider590 wrote: »

^^ I'd be thinking of the potential havoc i'd be causing behind me if the car behind hit my car and set off a pile up of several cars, just because i'd gone round a bend excessively slowly.

Doing the unexpected tends to cause accidents because too many people drive around on autopilot, the "I always indicate automatically" (but not to overtake obstacles/cyclists) crowd are growing exponentially in numbers.

Don't drive on autopilot and you won't find yourself getting too close.
Then if you do have to brake, you won't be panicing about being on ice with them.
You've been advised how to drive when it's icy before, and you still seem to be doing everything wrong.

pulliptears

Its VERY icy here, the street is white over, added to that having lived here for 15 years I know full well where the patches of black ice are and how they can affect you coming down the steep hill (quiet residential street I add). So when I'm driving down the hill, slowly in 2nd gear because there are cars parked either side and I'm approaching a junction of a main road which I could slide out into I don't appreciate Mr White Van an inch from my rear end.
I know I can stop, he wouldn't have been able to.

I did have some fun a few weeks ago though. Coming up the main road and I'm doing about 34 (30 zone). Very close behind me is baseball capped youth in a saxo. I know as I turn the bend on the main road there is often a Scamera van so I slow to 30 as I come around the corner. Well boy behind me is furious. He's up my behind, mouthing abuse and generally turning redder with rage. Sadly he was so intent on sitting up my arris he failed to notice that indeed the van was there....
As I indicated right and turned off he floored it, about 800 yards in front of the camera. Had to laugh