Do you think its appropriate to break when someone won't stop tailgating you??

Question

have you done it yourself?

Answer 1

Heck yes. If I have no kids in the car I press my head against the head rest as hard as I can to avoid getting whip lash and I slam on those duckers!! Where I live it's ALWAYS the rear-ender's fault. So, don't ride my tailgate.... m'kay!

Answer 2

No, of course not.  Why would you let them control your behavior?  That's silly.

Here's a plan for you:  PULL OVER and let them go!  That's what a thinking person would do. Thinking people set goals that aren't idiotic.

Answer 3

Tempting to brake, but way too dangerous. However, in spite of Betty's sanctimony, I disagree that this is a trivial question, in that it touches on something that people (around here at least) don't seem to take seriously enough. I sometimes get nettled at being tail-gated because it's obnoxious, but more often because it wears on the nerves. I drive around all day with one child or another or all three, trying to be careful of other drivers, and it distracts me from driving safely when people tailgate, either from carelessness or from the ignorant position that it is somehow justified by my not going fast enough.

And how fast is fast enough? I try to stick with 5 mph over the speed limit, sometimes a bit faster to blend with heavier traffic. I only go faster even then because of a road rage pamphlet the police handed out a few years back. And people think I am causing them some sort of personal injury in going so "slowly" on the road. And so they drive too close, and I mean 90% of the drivers here do so. This is not an exaggeration. This is Southern California. We're not even in L.A.

So I get frazzled, I get mad, I have to work to keep calm, when I am in traffic behind tail-gaters, the extra distance before me barely sufficient to compensate for their repeated sudden braking as a result of their own tail-gating, and some idiot behind me has seen fit to "inform" me that I am not going fast enough, thus creating the ever-present fear of being struck. This stress has to have an effect on a person. They seem to think that driving closer equals driving faster. Not behind me, it won't.

I've been known to tap my brakes, but more and more I think that even that is mere self-indulgence that could lead to self-destruction. So I'll have to try to be the grown-up among a pack of bratty children obsessed with what they feel they are entitled to... whatever piece of road I'm on. And hope they don't succeed in hurting or killing one of us. It sounds dramatic, but I only wish that was all it was.

Answer 4

Absolutely NOT acceptable under any circumstances.  Aberrant behavior like that only shows a person's inability to handle a situation using rational means.

A person who intentionally initiates or attempts to initiate an accident sequence is at fault.  People have been caught and have been convicted, in addition to being liable for damages resulting from this and other road rage actions.

Edit:  Firebird is correct about this.  Allowing yourself to be affected by other peoples' behavior, is a serious problem.  In my opinion, it is an issue of mental well being, as you're not able to control your temper in a manner that is socially acceptable (or legal, for that matter).  Yes, other people do it.  That does not make it right.

It sounds as if you need to find some more important pursuits in your life.  If tailgaters worry you this much, you probably have a little bit too much free time, and invest too much pride and honor in driving, much more than is healthy.

Edit:  I'm enjoying the Jerry Springer qualities of some of these posts.  I try to stay out of the dumpier areas to avoid traffic chaos, and don't even like driving to the Cape, because it seems you quacks are everywhere... it's positively a sign of how trashy this country is becoming.  People stabbing their brakes to show others who's boss?  Please, get a life people.  You sorely need one.

This thread just shows that people in the United States are too caught up with the downscale issues of "respect" and "teaching people a lesson" on the road, rather than doing something meaningful to contribute to society.  What a shame.  People like this are why I thank God every day that my husband and I are educated, successful, and have better things to do than worry about showing someone up on the road.  How pitiful!

Oh, one last thing that I noticed.  The people who jam on their "breaks" seem to not know that the proper spelling is B-R-A-K-E-S.  This proves my longstanding notion that lower socioeconomic classes tend to be more responsible for road rage events, than the more educated members of society.

Answer 5

no i dont think it is... there being a jerk

Answer 6

I used to do that hoping that he or she would hit me, but now that I am older and smarter, I don't do that. I just move over 1 lane if there is room and let them harrass some one else. There are 2 things that p--- me off when driving, tail gating and people on cell phones, other than that I love to drive, except for paying $4 dollars a gallon.

Answer 7

Agressive much? No you shouldn't break. Tailgating is bad, don't get me wrong. However, you have a duty to be a defensive driver when on the road. Try slowing down, or change lanes and let the tailgater pass.

Answer 8

You just slow down so that they understand that you won't speed up cause they're in a rush and if they're smarth they'll go around. If its a one land, its too bad that he's under pressure to get somewhere but you won't be reckless just so the car behind you can intimidate you into speeding up.

Answer 9

I did when I was a teen and was "indestructible"  As an adult, no I don't

Answer 10

Unfortunately if the tailgater hits you it'll be your fault.

I wish I had a compartment in the back off my car that shoots out paint balls if they come too close. lmao!

Answer 11

no it means get the h**l out of the way

Answer 12

lol.. If I didn't have kids in the car I would. I HATE that. It makes me even more mad that they do it when its clear I've got my kids in the car. I even got one of those stickers that says to be cautious. I always go the speed limit and I could care less how "important and urgent" these people think their lives are. good luck.. Some people are just jerks.

** lol.. yeah I do slow WAY down sometimes just to annoy them.

** yes you will get in trouble if they find out you hit your brakes maliciously BUT the person in the back has a responsibility to stay at a good distance so it's hard to prove that you were in the wrong because what if the car in front of you did break suddenly... you'd have room to slow down but the jerk behind you wouldn't and it would be ALL their fault.

Answer 13

Break as in cant take it anymore or BRAKE as in slowing the car down?. I just take my foot off the gas and the point gets across, or just change lanes.

Answer 14

Hit your headlights/taillights and the idiot behind you will mistake them for brake lights.

Answer 15

Why?  If the car hits you, fault doesn't mean diddly when your car is damaged and you have whiplash.  Tapping the brakes to flash the lights is one thing, actually braking is stupid.  Far better is to just gradually slow down until the person gets frustrated and passes, if flashing the brake lights doesn't get the message across.

Answer 16

It depends on the circumstances. Lightly tapping your brakes might be ok unless the car tailgating is far too close to risk it.

I have done this when I notice a car speeding up behind me and I know they are going to be riding my bumper. I do it as a warning so they pass me. I usually travel in the right lane so there is no need for the driver to do this. It's just them being a jerk.

Safety first always!   Forget revenge.   I usually put my arm and hand up and motion for the driver to back off or just slow down (not too slow) but enough to send a message. The closer they get to my bumper, the slower I will go. It's for safety. I don't want them speeding and then slamming into me. I've been there before.

Safety first and always. Drive defensively. Expect there to be jerks and people not paying attention.

Answer 17

Officially no... unofficially it is extremely tempting at times.  It is not a good idea though as you end up contributing to a potentially dangerous situation.  I have been guilty in the past though of simply letting off of the gas pedal and turning my headlights on/off (to the driver behind you it looks just like the brake lights!).  If you have others in the car (especially kids), just get out of the jerk's way (and maybe jot down the lic. plate if possible and phone it in to the hwy. patrol).

Answer 18

Appropriate? No. Do I do it? Frequently.

If someone is tailgating me, I'll get out of the way, no problem. But I have the right to pass vehicles slower than me as well, and if I am passing vehicles, and there is no safe place for me to merge, and you're still freakin tailgating me... I'll keep my foot on the gas, and maintain speed, but I will gently with the other foot tap the brakes very gently a few times to let the tailgater know "Hey buster, I see you back there, back the heck off of me!"

Answer 19

no it is not appropriate. think about what you are doing, someone is to close to you so your going to hit the brakes dddaaa.and just because someone hits the back of your car does not completely absolve you of blame. the insurance industry has a neat term called contributary negiglance, this means your unsafe actions contributed to the accident and you will be assigned a percentage of the  blame. you seem to want to do what ever you want and it is up to everyone else to avoid you. it doesn't work that way.

Answer 20

I can understand your impulse to scare the tailgater with a dose of brake lights.  But it's a dangerous game.  You'd be counting on the other driver's reaction time and brake efficiency to keep him from hitting you -- and you really cann't know about either, can you?  You can be hurt just as bad as the other guy -- and, by the way, it won't all be his fault, either.

Answer 21

Safety first. That means safety is a higher priority than "punishing" people for being stupid and rude. You have no business making an unsafe situation even more hazardous. Just take your foot off the gas and gradually decrease your speed. If you are in a situation where the tailgater can pass you, he/she will. If not, then when you are able you accelerate quickly to create a safe following distance between your rear bumper and the car behind you, then return to normal speed. It is to be hoped that the tailgater will 'catch on' but don't count on it. Some people are just too dumb to ever figure out that is their own actions creating the unpleasantness in their lives.

Answer 22

I don't jab the brakes like to cause an accident, I just lift off the gas and slow down until I become unbearable to be behind and he goes around me.  

If you are on a 1-lane-your-way road, pull off and let him go by you before he kills someone trying to get around you.  

We can't fix all the tailgaters in the world or teach them lessons, all we can do is get them away from us.

It is a crime to deliberately attempt to cause an accident.  You don't get a ticket for that, you go to jail and when you get out, you lose your license.

Answer 23

Tailgating

When someone is tailgating behind you, come off the accelerator and let them suddenly realize they are too close and they will back off.

The other solution would be to get out of their way if you can by making a lane change.

If you "touch" the brake lights briefly this may result in some road rage.

If you DO decide to "touch" the brake pedal for a couple of quick instances, it should let the driver behind you know that you are irritated, but it could escalate further than you want.