Someone just brake-tested me

waynedance

Hintza wrote: »

My rule of thumb (outside 30 mph limits) is I can't see their headlights I will dab the brakes a couple of times if that doesn't work then these days I just get slower and slower.

In the days of my youth (or if they really annoy me) it would have been a brake test!

Just what I do, except I do sometimes do a slight brake test on them!!
Happened this morning car following me at approx 50mph and was 2 car lengths behind, put brake lights on slowly slowed a little and still close behind so hits the brakes and guess what they backed off.

A few months back I was on a duel carriageway doing 65mph with cruise control on overtaking, car came up very close behind and flashed me a few times. I saw red and hit the brakes and slowed down that much I need 2nd gear to pull back off again. I know its wrong but does my bloody head in.

You should be able to stop safely if the car in front comes to a quick stand still. Allot of accidents are due to drivers travelling to close to the car in front.

Ok go on then tell me off.

Lum

65 in the outside lane (of a 70) is a little annoying I'll admit but so long as, once it's safe to do so, you finish your overtake(s) and move back over it's all fine.

Problem is, the kind of person who tailgates like that is also the kind of person who thinks it's acceptable to pull back over once you have a 2 metre gap between your car and the car you've overtaken, when really you shouldn't be pulling back over until the car you overtook would be at a safe following distance.

Road_Hog

lostsheep wrote: »

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.

I often brake test people who drive a few feet from my bumper. I'm not a slow doddery driver (look at my user name), but there seems to be many idiots these day that hang off your rear bumper. And the only way to educate them is, to dab the brakes, and if necessary get out at the first junction (I'm a big tall chap) and reinforce the message.

It is quite clear, do not drive within a few yards of the car in front, even if they are an old git that is driving slowly.

Loganfire

I bet he was trying it for a insurance scam for him and his kids kids=more money. and yes believe it or not there are people that would put there kids in harms way to earn a quick quid, I see it all the time as a HGV driver

andygb

Rather than brake test people who drive too close, I generally flick the fog lights on and off a couple of times (at night) or the headlights (during the day) - they cannot fail to see them.
The worst incident of brake testing which I faced, was a couple of months ago. I was indicating to come off a dual carraigeway, still doing around seventy, had just gone past the 100 to go sign, and someone came across from the fast lane (across three lanes of traffic), and cut in front of me one car length ahead, then put his brakes on hard, forcing me to do the same. I flashed him and beeped the horn, whereupon he did an emergency stop on the slip road. I stopped well short of him, but the car behind was only inches away from me. He then drove slowly up the slip road, repeating this procedure.

nellytheelephant

Doozergirl wrote: »

It sounds a bit like that doesn't it. I've sort of changed my mind as I thought about at and was just about to explain the same thing that you've described. An older lady must have hit the wrong pedal coming out of a very wide roundabout as she slowed down rather suddenly for my liking at the point that she should have accelerated away, so I ended up a bit closer to her than I'd have liked.

I have to slow right down from a wide roundabout every morning to get to work, I have to turn left immediately after the roundabout but it's quite an unknown entrance and it's very tight, so many people get so close even though I make a point of knocking my indicator off and then re-applying it, more often than not they have to swerve round me. I think because the roundabout it off two 40mph roads they just floor it.

pulliptears

I usually find its the main road I mentioned earlier where people like to sit up your backside, even though your doing 34ish in a 30 its a long straight road so they think speed limits dont apply.

Now, I use this road to go to my Mums house, there is a right turn filter lane. If I have someone up my arris thats particularly bad I don't use it, I carry on to the next right turn which all leads to the same place. That turn has no filter lane and involves me stopping in the road which isn't wide enough for knob behind to get past. I then make very very very sure I have ample room to turn right

Winds em up no end. Petty? Probably, but great satisfaction to know I've held them up for that little bit longer.

Strider590

I never brake test anyone, it's asking for trouble..... Never ceases to amaze me how short sighted people can be :rotfl:

Funny to watch when at the next set of lights 4 muscle bound black guys with baseball bats jump out and rip apart the offending brake tester.

pulliptears wrote: »

I usually find its the main road I mentioned earlier where people like to sit up your backside, even though your doing 34ish in a 30 its a long straight road so they think speed limits dont apply.

Now, I use this road to go to my Mums house, there is a right turn filter lane. If I have someone up my arris thats particularly bad I don't use it, I carry on to the next right turn which all leads to the same place. That turn has no filter lane and involves me stopping in the road which isn't wide enough for knob behind to get past. I then make very very very sure I have ample room to turn right

Winds em up no end. Petty? Probably, but great satisfaction to know I've held them up for that little bit longer.

This ^^

Many a time ive made use of the entire lane for a right turn if i've got someone behind me who's driving too close or who decided to act like a knob and race up the inside to stop me changing lanes/merging (etc etc etc).

The other trick is to lightly feather the brake pedal to get the brake lights on and then boot it
But my current car won't do this as once the brake lights are on, it's cuts the throttle electronically

AlexisV

No matter how close somebody is behind you and however much of an !!!! they are, brake testing them is inexcusable.

Yes, nobody should ever be up to close behind, but brake testing doesn't help the innocent guy coming the other way, or the pedestrian on the pavement who may be caught up in any shunt.

Lum

It also doesn't help the person behind (I'll call them Car #3) who is following at a reasonable distance but hasn't noticed that the car #2 is tailgating car #1. In the event of a collision car #2 will stop a lot faster than a car should be capable of and then car #3 might either join in the collision or at least have to slam on pretty hard to avoid one. Sure their driving may not have been perfect if they end up in this situation, but they're not the one driving like a !!!! yet they still end up 'punished' by your actions intended for car #2.

As my grandma always used to say "Two wrongs don't make a right". Drivers would do well to remember that.