Tail-gaters

[str]

Is anyone else experiencing an increase in this phenomenon? I travel on the A1 motorway every day to work and over the past 6 months or so I seem to be tailgated all the time, and even undertaken regularly. Drivers always seem to be in such a hurry now. Its not like I'm crawling along, but maybe my mistake is to stick to the speed limit.... The thing I've noticed recently is that there seems to be an increase in the number of female drivers doing it. Usually in their 4-wheel drives. Why does everyone have to be agressive on the road? Tip for all you tailgaters out there - it won't make me speed up, I'm more likely to slow down.

[Drisgirl]

If its the A1 then unless i'm mistaken you are exceeding the speed limits -correct me if im wrong !
They do take a dim view of motorists who are pedants who purposely remain at 70mph in the outside lane - fact.
Re -bikers -that is not a fact -fact !!!!!!!!!!!!! (atypical car driver).Im not being mean but you are wrong and i drive a car.
oops -you must stay in the outsdie lane if you felt it necessary to post about it as im sure its not one rogue driver who has tried to unertake you.Its a dangerous game -a game which ulimately takes out innocents.

Tailgaters are a pest but we have given you a safe remedy .

[str]

As i stated I don't stay in the fast lane I get tailgated in the slow lane too as do most of my work colleagues who drive the same road. And I will correct you you are wrong about the speed limit it is 70 mph. You still seem to be fixated on the belief that I stay in the fast lane - never mind that's your cross to bear. I am not a pedant - I was witness to a four car pile up last week, on the same stretch of the road, caused purely by cars driving too close to each other at too fast a speed. It wasn't nice to see and we all knew it was going to happen, cut and dried case. It caused a 3 mile tailback at rush hour - isn't that more frustrating to motorists than someone sticking to the speed limit? And I am not lying about the bikes - i am a biker too......

[Drisgirl]

I stand corrected then str as I thought single carriageway was 60mph -which part of the A1 is.
Im not fixated at all -I think you have read me wrong -and i obviously have lost your thread along the way.
My husnadn drives the A1 everyday and he does say that a number of drivers do purposely stick to the 70mph dead on just to prove a point -I think as drivers that is irritating not to just speed up to pull over.

I wont concede on the bikes tho -despite you being a biker and i have good cause -I come from a very long line of bikers and have been pillion more times than I care to remember and cars drivers simply dont see bikes.There are rogue boy racer bikers as is there are rogue boy racer car drivers but the bikers i have known are also car drivers and know the craic.We only weaved in and out at traffic lights when the cars were static and that has been the done thing since time immorial.

[str]

The stretch of A1 I drive on is East Lothian, to Edinburgh all dual carriageway and is 70 mph

[str]

You do seem to have lost the thread here. My complaint was never about bikers - I am fully aware of the training they receive - it was about drivers in general getting too close to the car in front, in both the slow and the fast lane. Its dangerous and stupid and there's no excuse for it. Whether a driver thinks the car in front is going too slow or not, it's still a dangerous idea to tailgate, it costs lives, pure and simple.

[Drisgirl]

Hey I agree and wish you a good night -I didnt lose the thread its just as with all discussions we often go on tangents -its not to say we wouldnt have a perfectly civil conversation off line -its just the written word seems harsh at times when you (me) are trying to be succint and I dont do succint lol.
I had left to have a shifty at the papers but came on in case I missed a good night post.

Night str - and safe driving:)

[derekpara]

And let's all remember, there's no such thing as 'fast' and 'slow' lanes. There are lanes one, two, and possibly three (or more) and lane one is for driving and the others are for overtaking only. You should always move to the left lane after overtaking, unless slower traffic would require you to keep moving in and out again

[carrot99]

I regularly PASS on the inside, and I'm not breaking and rules in doing so

but surely mdoo you are breaking the rules as you are undertaking?

This bothers me a lot when I'm driving on the M25. I always drive on the left and it's not unsual (I don't drive at peak times) that I'm the only car on the left forwards or backwards for as far as I can see. However, the second lane will be busier and as I'm doing 70mph on the left I often come up to a car doing less than 70mph in the second lane. I tend to dawdle back so as not to undertake as although I'm happy to drive in the second lane to overtake cars on the left I don't want to go into the 3rd lane unless it's really necessary because of the speed of my Fiat Panda v, every other car (unless it's downhill on a windy day)!

So are you saying that it's ok to undertake a car in the second lane if it's not keeping up with the traffic?? I can't see that myself.

[TWR]

Hi Str,
simple answer to stop this ,bye a High Vis jacket & place it near your rear widow but do not obstruct your rear view, I would not advise the foot brake TAP, this can cause repercussions i have seen this happen, If you are Intimidated by any other motorist, take their No/ record the time, the date, if the Justice system does their job right the offender should receive a nice Xmas request.

[derekpara]

Carrot, I have the same experience all the time on the motorway. Lane one is very often the emptiest and therefore the fastest lane, so I agree with you that if the middle and outside lanes prevent you overtaking a middle lane hogger then those two lanes are being held up so what you are doing is 'passing' on the left. I have done this, with caution, and found myself sometimes a mile or two ahead of those who think it beneath them to drive in what they wrongly consider the 'slow' lane.

[Nosha123]

I have on rare occasions come up behind someone in the middle lane - oblivious to the fact there is nothing on the first lane.. I flash them to pull over as I too do not want to undertake - not be forced into the third lane cos they arent using road properly. They either flash me back once I am past them.. or pull into lane one - wait for me to pass and then pull BACK into lane two - and continue.. overtaking nothing at all!

It drives me mad.. they should make road signs reminding people that the lanes are for OVERTAKING....
ANd yes I agree - if someone has time to undertake you whilst you are apparently overtaking in the middle lane - then you probably arent really ready to be in the overtaking lane! Not unless they are nearly taking your front wing off as they pull out ahead of you...

[cherrychapstick]

it is dangerous to drive in the middle lane though as 2 weeks ago i was driving from Scotland to England and on the m74 45 miles from carlisle there was an accident i was far enough back from the car in front but i was doing the speed limit the driver in front of me shouldn't have even been on the motor way by the looks of him as when the accident occurred he didn't even need to break he was going that slow i only just managed to stop as i noticed the lorry driver that was traveling beside him put his hazards on ,btw the driver in front of me never even done that!!!!
i am glad i am an experienced driver and was able to stop without causing another accident and i am very thankful to the driver of the lorry for doing what he is trained to do in an emergency PUT YOUR HAZARDS ON and let other road users no what is happening!! btw the guy in the motor in front of me got out his car when he stopped (remembering he was in the middle lane of the m74 on a Wednesday night in rush hour traffic) he proceeded to go to his boot and take his laptop out !!!! i really hope he is reading this this guy has a death wish

i am a woman driver and usually find its a mix of both men and women to blame for accident there are plenty of women like me who can drive safely and plenty of men too

[Nosha123]

Nicely put Cherry.....
I am a woman driver too - and cringe when I see careless female drivers giving us a bad name...

Lets all be careful out there eh!!! Especially on these dark wet evenings!!!

[Electrochem]

It really gets my back up when I am tailgated. i travel to and from work via the M6 and at the moment there are 50mph limits everywhere. I keep to the inside lane and do 50mph, where contitions allow. I generally get some moron driving on my bumper. I simply increase the gap between me and the car and front.

Never dab your brakes when you are being tailgated. Advanced driving will tell you to increase the gap in font of you. I have also been told to put the windscreen washers on for a few seconds, that usually causes them to drop back.

There are also a lot of people who tow trailers and caravans who would do to learn that the speed limiot for them on motorways is 60mph, and they are not allowed in the third lane.

Regarding undertaking. It amazes me that a lot of people think that you can't go up the inside of slower moving traffic. Nonsense! It's only undertaling if you come up behind the vehilce, pass it on the inside and then pull out in front of it.

Modern cars do not seem to have indicators fitted!

[cherrychapstick]

i have been undertaking though i was doing the limit and was overtaking a lorry i was just about to pull back in because it was safe to do so and the idiot behind me instead of going in 3 lane decided he would go in first lane now that could have been severe the lorry nearly him him there are some idiots on the road

[carrot99]

Electro, I know you can pass on the inside of slow moving traffic but hadn't realised that, as you and derekpara have explained, I wouldn't be undertaking when passing a lone car dawdling in the second lane. I shall proceed with caution but pass on the left in future.

thankyou - this has bothered me for a good while - I should have checked the highway code!

[carrot99]

Highway Code:

"268
Do not overtake on the left or move to a lane on your left to overtake. In congested conditions, where adjacent lanes of traffic are moving at similar speeds, traffic in left-hand lanes may sometimes be moving faster than traffic to the right. In these conditions you may keep up with the traffic in your lane even if this means passing traffic in the lane to your right. Do not weave in and out of lanes to overtake."


So on the motorway where we are mainly moving at 70mph apart from some idiot doing 50mph in lane 2 it is permissable to pass on the left. It's the weaving that not allowed. Thanks folks.

[ummmm]

I was just going to say that about passing in the left lane. Some of you seriously slowed down as to not pass a car on the right....