Another reason to just let tailgaters past

skivenov

A lot of years ago, I used to do first aid cover at events for a charity. One of the cars we used was a Volvo estate, equipped with blues and twos (normal driver was a professional paramedic), but had removable markings.

I was driving it back from an event in it's civvy guise when a white 10-ish year old BMW came up behind me past a load of other cars he'd barged out of the way. He was flashing his offside high beam, I'm guessing he'd got a headlight wig wag system on and one wasn't working.

Strangely, when I flashed the rear blues back, he backed right off and stopped trying to get past me :rotfl:

James_N

NBLondon wrote: »

If there's room for Lum to pull back in then maybe it's only medium traffic?

I've had cruise control for about 13 months now and I wouldn't use it in heavy traffic - but for the opposite reason - I prefer the flexibility of being able to ease off the gas briefly and then come back to my cruising speed as opposed to explicitly braking or flicking the CC off and back on. What sort of problem means you have to instantly accelerate to get out of trouble?

Not necessarily accelerate, but it is sometimes needed. But, it's more a question of constantly adjusting speed AND "knowing" where your right foot is to brake. I always wonder where to leave my right foot when in cruise control.

Wongsky

Lum wrote: »

Just had an amusing drive home. Joined the M5 from the M42, and soon found myself doing exactly 70 (by GPS) in the outside lane, overtaking cars, and gradually catching up to the car in front. Naturally it didn't take long for me to collect an impatient BMW driver weaving around a few feet of my back bumper.

Some on here advocate slowing down, or brake testing or similar silliness, I just ignored him and moved over when there was a natural break in the L2 cars, moving back out when I encountered the next car.

He shoots off at 90+ only to slam on the brakes and be all over the car in front, so I'm pretty much caught up with him when that car finally moves over and we both overtake.

This is pretty much repeated again and again, sometimes I move over to L2 or L1 and come back out, he stays in L3 at 90+ and then gets slowed down and has to bully another car out of the way, and I catch up to him again just in time for him to finally bully the other car out of the way and us both to overtake.

We both reached the M4 exit at exactly the same time, give or take a few seconds, only difference is I got to stay at 70 on the cruise control, getting 55mpg, while he got to do all the speeding up and slowing down and driving dangerously, while I reaped the benefits at no risk to myself.

Only lost him on the M4 junction because he decided to do 90+ through the SPECS cameras. Anyone know if those are actually active as that's ban territory he's in.

If I'm honest, I actually find tailgaters occasionally useful (in a 1001 uses for a dead cat type manner).

If you're driving along, and the overtaking lanes might be a bit congested with people not moving over when they should - you can try to get passed, but without being aggressive nothing may move over to you.

Thing is, tailgaters and aggressive drivers tend to be fairly easy to spot in your mirrors - many times I've spotted one approaching in the distance, after being unable to get cars blocking the overtaking lanes to move over, slowed down a little and found a gap in the middle lane, let them barrel up and hound the lane hoggers out of the way, and if you time it right you can capitalise move out before the lane hoggers have dithered about moving out again, get past them and move over.

Soooo, 1002 uses for a dead tailgater, then.

Lum

missile wrote: »

Is that a 70 limit? No ban for 90 in a 70 limit.

It's currently 50mph as there are roadworks to put up HADECS gantries, 90 in a 50 is ban land.

James_N wrote: »

My only question is: how do you manage to use cruise control in heavy traffic? I find I can only use it if i am in light traffic. Lots of cars around me makes me want to have my foot there for immediate reaction (I can pull away from most plodders, even in 5th).

That I was able to do a constant 70 means it wasn't heavy traffic, but my general method is to use it as a speed limiter, once it's set to 70 (by GPS) the Mondeo will remember that speed and if I turn cruise off then I can use the "res" button to have it go back to 70.

So basically when the road is clear ahead, I accelerate briskly to 70ish and then press the res button, then remain like that until something happens that requires a different speed.

James_N wrote: »

Not necessarily accelerate, but it is sometimes needed. But, it's more a question of constantly adjusting speed AND "knowing" where your right foot is to brake. I always wonder where to leave my right foot when in cruise control.

It comes with practice. If you're not careful it is easy to hit the clutch (or worse, the accelerator) if you've taken your right foot away. The risk can be reduced greatly by leaving proper following distances and practising good observation.

On most cars the pedals are at different heights, or at least the accelerator is, so you do learn to tell which one you just touched. I see it as being no different to reaching out and finding the indicator or the hazard light button, something you do without looking at the dashboard (I hope).

bosseyed

I'm sure I've posted this on here before, but one of my favourite memories of a tailgater was when I was on the A30 coming out of Cornwall (pre dual carriageway days). I was doing about 60 and a chap behind came flying up behind and was going mental trying to get past, gesticulating, hooting, getting right on my bumper.

When the road became dual carriage he shot past and gave me the finger as he went, so I was more than happy to return the favour 15 minutes later when I cruised past him stood by his stranded car which had exploded going up the hill and was stuck on the hard shoulder billowing smoke :rotfl:

Wongsky

bosseyed wrote: »

I'm sure I've posted this on here before, but one of my favourite memories of a tailgater was when I was on the A30 coming out of Cornwall (pre dual carriageway days). I was doing about 60 and a chap behind came flying up behind and was going mental trying to get past, gesticulating, hooting, getting right on my bumper.

When the road became dual carriage he shot past and gave me the finger as he went, so I was more than happy to return the favour 15 minutes later when I cruised past him stood by his stranded car which had exploded going up the hill and was stuck on the hard shoulder billowing smoke :rotfl:

Occasionally - just very occasionally, there's that sublime moment of schadenfreude when the stars just align perfectly, and that tailgater that whizzed right up to your boot, when you were held up by lane hoggers in the outside lane, you encounter further along your journey, pulled over on the hard shoulder, looking rather less full of his own importance, as he's getting that special kind of congratulation for his driving excellence, by our boys (and girls) in blue.

I've literally spent milliseconds pondering whether it's wrong to find it amusing.

Doesn't happen very often, but when it does, it's pure gold.

Lum

skivenov wrote: »

A lot of years ago, I used to do first aid cover at events for a charity. One of the cars we used was a Volvo estate, equipped with blues and twos (normal driver was a professional paramedic), but had removable markings.

I was driving it back from an event in it's civvy guise when a white 10-ish year old BMW came up behind me past a load of other cars he'd barged out of the way. He was flashing his offside high beam, I'm guessing he'd got a headlight wig wag system on and one wasn't working.

Strangely, when I flashed the rear blues back, he backed right off and stopped trying to get past me :rotfl:

I remember a very similar event, late one night heading north on the M5.

Again I'm doing 70 on the GPS in L3. To my left is a white Volvo estate that is following another car. In L1, just ahead of that car, is a lorry.

One of those spaceship type Honda Civics comes past everyone on the left and pulls in front of the Volvo.

Volvo flashes it's headlights

Civic puts it's rear foglights on

Volvo flashes it's blue lights.

Civic moves to L1 and decides that 56mph is ok after all.

TrickyWicky

Lum wrote: »

Civic puts it's rear foglights on

Volvo flashes it's blue lights.

Civic moves to L1 and decides that 56mph is ok after all.

Lol, good to know the fog light abusers do sometimes get tugged. I don't mind the rear foglights as much as the front ones though which really do annoy the hell out of me.

Lum

He didn't actually get pulled, but we never saw that Civic again.

TrickyWicky

Wongsky wrote: »

looking rather less full of his own importance, as he's getting that special kind of congratulation for his driving excellence, by our boys (and girls) in blue.

I've literally spent milliseconds pondering whether it's wrong to find it amusing.

Doesn't happen very often, but when it does, it's pure gold.

I had similar one day with a motorcyclist. We were on a main A-Road which is pretty wide but this bloke behind me on his bike wouldn't go past me unless I moved over to the left (the other land was empty). Eventually he decided to back off and then came shooting past doing some stupidly excessive speed and shaking his hand at me as he went past. No need for it, he could of easily over taken me on this road - it's about 5 miles long and straight. Anyway got to the end of it a few minutes later and there he was being dealt with by the law

It's great to see people get what they deserve.