speed up, give the tailgater the option to get out from behind you, if they dont, then you switch lanes
I should have been clearer -- I meant you are going over the speed limit (ie you are going 52 in a 45 mph zone and you are not in the fast lane or it is a single lane road). I agree that you should not be "cruising" in the fast lane if there is not slower traffic in the slow lane. I also don't think it's someone "right" to drive 100mph and everyone else must clear the roads to let them exert that right.
Anytime someone tailgates me, I slow down. I don't care what lane it is, I'm not going to reward some jackass for driving an inch away from my back bumper. Now if I see someone coming up behind me while I'm in the fast lane and he's clearly going faster than me, I'll switch lanes and let him pass. If I'm in the right lane, however, it's up to them to find an opening in the left lane or slow down until an opening is available. I'm definitely not moving into the emergency lane from the right lane.
Maintain speed. Allow them to pass if possible. Occasionally race. Bird only necessary for extremely close tailgate.
If the road is open in front of me I get over and let them get by. But when I drive in traffic I give the car ahead of me a good amount of space for safety's sake. When d-bags try and fill that space by whipping around me I speed up.
They don't have the right, but you have the responsibility as a safe driver to move over. Do you tell a mugger he doesn't have a right to take your wallet?
A mature enlightened person will get out of their way and let them go and then forget about it and go on with their day. An immature person with an ego problem will toy with them, slow down, tap breaks and try to be more of a man than the tailgater - and then dwell on it and start a thread about it on an internet message board.
lol, its funny that you say this because yesterday I shot up washer fluid to clean all the bug crap from my windshield, and noticed the car behind me turn on their wipers. but to answer the OP's question, I would most likely keep the same speed, unless Im in a somewhat dont-mess-with-me mood, and will therefore, slow down a bit. :grin:
If I'm in fast lane I'll get over, if not, and its night time, I'll turn on my dome light and flick em off and hope they die.
i see where you're going with this, but think you're missing one important consideration - you are less likely to get hurt as badly in accident if going slower. Going slower is inherently "safer". So, certainly, I don't slam on my breaks, but do I slow down? Of course. Do I change lanes if possible? Of course. Typically I do both in conjunction. Why? I'm already driving "excessively" fast. Regardless of what you think about speed limits, they are usually there for a reason - to protect you and others. So I'm already going faster than recommended. Now someone, who is clearly a worse driver, has gotten way to close to me. I'm in a position already that is probably statistically a pretty big jump up in my risk of getting into an accident. In the event that happens, I want to be going slower. I have to gauge that against the likelihood my slowing down further increases the risk of the accident, because I don't want to cause the accident. So, in the safest of situations, an easy lane change or move over, that is "typically" what I'll do, no change in speed. But more often, I will likely ease my foot of the accelerator while taking in all the clues from the situation, and then make the best decision. For example, you have to be extra cautious of mister fast-driver's potential to get up behind me really fast, then as I'm about to switch lanes, he switches and guns it around me.
I'll put on my brake lights, and may escalate to slowing down to get him off my ass. Then, if he's obviously annoyed and tries to switch over and pass me, I'll put on the gas and leave him in the dust. Same for people who honk when the light turns green. Not safe? I never claimed to be a safe driver. Now, if I see someone coming up behind me in the left lane but he isn't driving like an *******, I'll usually move over and let him pass. It'd be nice to have that guy find the speed traps for me anyway. But, this bbs has made me much less charitable to drivers in the left lane than I used to be -- so many people feel entitled in that lane, as if the pass-on-the-left custom trumped every traffic law. It's not the autobahn, especially in or near the city.
If I'm in the left lane, I switch lanes. Any other lanes, I brake check em til they go around me. The only exceptions are delivery drivers (pizza, etc.) When I used to work for Domino's, there was nothing more annoying than multiple people going the same exact speed right next to each other, with no intent of speeding up to let me pass. I hate Sienna Plantation .
This poll/question lacks important information: WHAT scenario? More than one lane? Country road in the middle of nowhere? School zone? One lane during rush hour? It's all about situation. I'm usually the one doing 5-10 miles over on the freeway. If someone is in the passing lane doing less than that, they need to move over. If not, I will ride their ass unforgivably. I don't drive emotionally. It's a message- get out of the way. That's it. On deserted country stretches, it's the same thing. You can move over onto the shoulder for a second to get out of the way. In both scenarios, I expect that treatment, and I give it as well to people who are going faster than me. Unfortunately (and dangerously), most people are in their own little world on the road, especially the ones coasting along in the fast lane. The only way to wake them up is to aggressively ride up on their ass. They have two choices. They can get out of the way, or they can take it personally and be a jerk by slamming on their brakes. Ironically, nine times out of ten, after they slam on their brakes, they will speed up out of anger right away. This gives me my desired end result- getting in front of the slow folks in the right lane. Also, to spice this thread up, turn signals are for suckers in lane-change situations. So you understand the unknown urgency of other drivers but choose to only recognize it for pizza guys? Nice. It's the LAW (la ley) to only pass in the left lane. From your post, you're saying that you're entitled to use that lane for whatever purpose you deem and to allow others to use it for lawful reasons only if you feel they deserve it. The very definition of double standard.
Xerobull, it's a good thing this is a big city. I don't think you and I will mix well on the freeway.
Yeah, so what? If someone has an emergency, use the horn, use the hazard lights, scream out the window. if you don't I'll just brake check you like the rest of em, plain and simple.
I'm in DFW these days. I don't take driving personally. Life's too short to get mad at total strangers about random split-second events. Clouds your judgment as well, which is counter-intuitive to driving. Why make someone make a big deal out of it? Just scooch out of the way. I do the same for people coming up on me in a hurry, if I can.
