You know what I do if someone’s tailgating me? I imagine that they’re a bomb disposal expert on their way to diffuse a nuke at a school for blind orphan kittens, I pull over and let them on their way, and smile at the thought of all those kittens who’ll be saved. Stress level 0.
I use a maneuver that I call a “reverse pass.” I make them pass me whether they want to or not!
Turns out, when a vehicle is traveling at highway speed, it’s a lot easier to slow it down by 20 mph than it is to speed it up by 20 mph. This means it takes less distance. You can slow down in a shorter clear lane window than you can speed up.
If someone clearly wants to go faster than me but they’re too chicken shit to pass, I’ll force them to pass. When an opening forms, I’ll quickly move to the left lane, push hard on the brakes, drop my speed down, and move back to the right lane. By the time the dumbass has even figured out what’s happening, they’re already in front of me. They do not get a choice in the matter.
There’s a minimum safe following distance that’s necessary to avoid accidents.
If they’re too close, I’m in danger of getting rear-ended.
The safe following distance depends on the speed we’re going.
I can’t control how close the car behind me is driving.
But I can control my speed.
So I blip the brake just enough for the brake lights to come on and get their attention, then coast without gas and slow down until my speed matches their distance.
You know what I do if someone’s tailgating me? I imagine that they’re a bomb disposal expert on their way to diffuse a nuke at a school for blind orphan kittens, I pull over and let them on their way, and smile at the thought of all those kittens who’ll be saved. Stress level 0.
I just think “dickheads to the front”. I’d rather have bad drivers in front of me, where I can see them and avoid their bad driving.
Think of it this way: do you want them driving toward you or away from you?
What do you do if they still stay behind you, refusing to pass?
I use a maneuver that I call a “reverse pass.” I make them pass me whether they want to or not!
Turns out, when a vehicle is traveling at highway speed, it’s a lot easier to slow it down by 20 mph than it is to speed it up by 20 mph. This means it takes less distance. You can slow down in a shorter clear lane window than you can speed up.
If someone clearly wants to go faster than me but they’re too chicken shit to pass, I’ll force them to pass. When an opening forms, I’ll quickly move to the left lane, push hard on the brakes, drop my speed down, and move back to the right lane. By the time the dumbass has even figured out what’s happening, they’re already in front of me. They do not get a choice in the matter.
Slow down until they do, or even pull over if it’s safe to.
There’s a minimum safe following distance that’s necessary to avoid accidents.
If they’re too close, I’m in danger of getting rear-ended.
The safe following distance depends on the speed we’re going.
I can’t control how close the car behind me is driving.
But I can control my speed.
So I blip the brake just enough for the brake lights to come on and get their attention, then coast without gas and slow down until my speed matches their distance.
(They’ll pass me long before that)
shoot