Just had a lucky escape today. I was driving on the B4507 (brilliant road) SW of Oxford, when an old 80s Metro came bombing up behind me then planted itself right behind my bumper. I cruised along around 65-70 and could see him wobbling around on the bends as followed me. He lost speed on the bends but had no trouble catching up, his car obviously had a bit of poke so was probably modded (not hard to increase the power to weight ration on a Metro!). Anyway, round one bend, without any kind of sign, there was a roadworks with a temporary traffic light on red. Now I knew if I braked hard he would hit me, so I applied moderate pressure and figured he would be able to stop. But no, obviously I overestimated the stopping power of the Metro - I saw him rapidly closing, so I took my foot of the brakes, but he was now swerving into the other lane to avoid me and came up to the right rear quarter of my car. I floored it into the red light (no other cars coming luckily) and saw him spin through 540 degrees in my rear view mirror. I stopped and amazingly he hadn't hit anything - just ended up backwards on the road, then did a calm 3 point turn as if nothing had happened! I wound down the window to check if he was okay - he said "Yeah, sorry about that mate - I didn't want to crash into your car with it being expensive like!" Hmm, what kind of person goes into a 540 degree spin just to avoid rear-ending a car? Then he says "I'm okay - hell of a rush though!" and asks me what type of scoob I had - what a maniac!

I really should have got his number and reported him but in the heat of the moment I forgot. Anyway, when the light turned green I let him pass and saw him go into a 30 zone at about 70 mph. So if any of you go through that area and get tailgated by a Metro, let the guy pass! Then get his number and call the police before he hurts someone. I had to laugh at his extreme nuttiness but someone will get killed if he doesn't get reported.

P.S. this just shows it's best to let tailgating nutters pass. I could have ended up in a bad accident even though all I did was brake moderately from 5mph above the speed limit.

 

matt
...this borders on the hilarious (if you weren't there in the middle of it )....glad you and the Scoob survived OK though - next time you see him tell him we have a forum waiting for him

 

Matt.
Well done for not rising to the bait and becoming an off duty policeman.
All of us should take note of how sensible your actions were.
If there's a buffoon behind you LET HIM PASS!
Your own safety is the major concern!

 

Had a similar experience recently....
Guy in a Corsa was approaching rapidly behind me (in a 30 zone)...as I was going 30 he decides thats too slow & overtakes - not realising that the car in front of me was turning across the road into a driveway......bang.....hits this guy side on at about 55mph.
"Luckily" he hit the car towards the rear & there were no people in the back.
I was livid & made sure the plod & insurance company got a damning statement from me.
What really annoyed me was I had my 3 year old in the back of my car & shudder to think of the implications if he had hit me.

Brew

 

This often happens to me and usually always in a 30mph zone. You enter a 70mph, accelerate away, enter a 30mph and within seconds, the driver behind is right up your bumper, again accelerate gently in the 70mph zone leaving the other driver well behind, and yes you guessed it, the next 30mph zone and Mr 'Up your ****' is at it again!!

The one thing that really angers me is that it is plain to see that I have my two baby daughters in the back of the car. Even when my wife or myself wave the drivers to back off, they still insist in being about 3 cm off my back bumper.
The solution to let them overtake is not always an option as the other side of the roads are usually busy. I just tend to slow right down to 5-10mph so if I had to brake sharply there would be less of an impact.
This seems to send the other driver over the edge but as people have pointed out, you don't want people smashing up the back end of your car!
Next time I may stop the car so that they become stuck behind me, walk round to the boot, open it and then tap on the 'Mr Up your ****'s driver's window and ask him if he wants to drive into the boot!!!!!
I would like to see his answer to that one, also let him know that he must be blind as I have two small children in the back and surely anyone sensible and responsible enough would drive well back and keep their distance.

No disrespect to people who fit the following categories but the people who always do this to me are:

- Snooty women in 4x4 and BMW's
- Fat ageing business men in Vauxhall's.

The thing is I don't tailgate people, it is too dangerous, too stupid and brainless, yet how come people do? These people are just mindless morons and it is about time the police focussed their attentions on them and started fining them!

What does everyone else think?

 

Paul P et al,

I agree with your comments on tail gaters..
Nearly every morning I get an example of this.. instead today I had some young bloke in one of those small daewoo things just refusing to let me pass (he was doing -20mph under the speed limit on a dual carriage way, three cars undertook him and me).. think he was trying to prove some sort of point, not sure what though... he eventually pulled in and i went past..

And yes, it should be punished to a degree, but then again perhaps more driver education would sort this out.

Rgds, Alex

[This message has been edited by DrEvil (edited 11 December 2000).]

 

If it is daylight and people tailgate me, I temporarily put my lights on - they think that I'm braking and back off....

 

I had a narrow escape yesterday driving back home from the London Arena.

A woman with about 17 kids in the back of her Landcruiser pulled out in front of me right outside the arena, made me stop a bit sharpish, mouthed something at me then reversed into the path of a bus . Then she sat about 2cm from my bumper most of the way into town.

Cue Mr. Audi S3 coming in the other direction who decided he was far too important to wait for me to pass the taxi sitting outside a house in his lane, so pulls straight into my path . He then had the audacity to give me the finger as he drove past. Meanwhile Mrs. Landcruiser is making all sorts of noise behind me, but nothing compared to the noise my girlfriend and her mate were making

I understand he was very apologetic when the police visited him at his home address later that evening!

My point being, all the kids in Mrs Landcruisers vehicle hadn't got seatbelts on, and from what I could see in my rear-view mirrors every time we stopped at lights, there was something resembling a chimps tea-party going on in the back. What would have happened if I hadn't had a junction to dive into when Audi tos$pot decided to make his move doesn't bear thinking about.

[This message has been edited by Stuart H (edited 11 December 2000).]

 

I think I must attract the naturally stupid tailgaters, I had one sitting about 6 feet from my bumper last Thursday (on my way home from work, all 30 limit) while I was doing 30, slowing down for the right turn I was taking he got even closer; dab break (to 25 mph) to wake him up (promtly followed by accelerating back up to 30). What happens, they guy almost hits the back of my car, falls back while he picks up speed, them proceeds to sit on my bumper again. grrr. I slowed down for the next set of lights through the gears, and he just kept on getting closer, before eventually standing on his brakes, thankfully he went right so I got home in one piece.
There was nowhere on the road to pull over and let him past, so what am I supposed to do
Have tried slowing down in the past, but they just seem to get closer.

 

Can't say that I get too much trouble from tailgaters but I got a useful tip from an advanced driving instructor - give the windscreen wash a squirt. Chances are they'll get a bit of spray and back off.

I have to agree with the comment about 4x4 drivers - even worse than Volvos. I suppose that if you can't drive it's probably best to buy a tank.

Hoppy

 

On a par with the windscreen squirters, try using the headlamp washer button...

Sends a fine spray right at them.

Alternatively, use a bit of (very light) left foot braking whilst applying the throttle. Very effective in scoobs, thanks to their very bright LED high-level brake light on the spoiler.



[This message has been edited by Squizz (edited 11 December 2000).]

 

Hoppy,

Windscreen wash with a double dose of headlight wash has a better result.

I drive a number of vehicles and the Scoob does seem to attract tailgaters, especially of the maxpower variety.

Lee

 

Hmmm, tailgaters.
Nothing new to add, just want to agree with all the posts above, especially the concept of Mr-45mph-whatever-the-speed-limit. Up your ar$e in 30 zones, nowhere to be seen in a 60 zone...

 

Stuart,

I guess you don't carry your badge and ID when not on duty. I would love to have gone up to the Land Cruiser driver and flashed the ID after receiving verbal for HER mistake.

Bet the Audi driver was supprised.


P.

 

I've had few instances on tailgaters - nothing to serious though. Had a good one on Saturday evening. Just coming out of some nice national speed limit roads and I'm slowing for the upcoming roundabout. See that I'm catching the BMW Convertible in front, so back off some more. Get to the roundabout - Mr BMW thinks he will show off. He is forgetting that it is a wet road, puts his foot down a bit early, promptly spins it through 180 degrees and sits facing me in the middle of the roundabout. Just calmly go round him and disappear down the dual carrigeway. Funny, didn't see him again...
What is it with some people? - they must have a serious inferiority complex.

Stuart - it must be so nice to be a policeman sometimes

Chris

 

Have to agree with ChrisL - It would be nice to be able to report the bad drivers that I come across so frequently

I do have a pet hate for people who don't belt their kids in place when they drive. Some of the morons even have the audacity to put "child on board" stickers on the car, and then don't bother to seatbelt the kids in.

Grrrrrrr.....

 

Sith,

We have to carry our warrant cards all the time, even when we're off duty.

I would have thought twice about it had I had no-one in the car, unfortunately had I done it and Mrs Landcruiser had clocked one of my passengers the tabloid press would have been very interested.

And the earache I would have got from my girlfriend would have been too much to put up with!!

Chris

Having the direct line for the controllers does have its advantages sometimes!

[This message has been edited by Stuart H (edited 11 December 2000).]

 

I get tailgated quite a bit. Probably because people don't have a clue what the black beast is, what with it being debadged and huge exhaust. Then again it could be because they are complete *****.

My problem is that as the rear windows and read windscreen are blacked out they cant see me stick my finger up at them, or the kids n doggie giving them the evil eye I have to open the window and hold aloft my arm with a pinky outstretched, or a closed fist wave ususally works

I've got to pop up to high wycombe tomorrow, so no doubt I'll get some idiot hassling me on the M25. Oh, if you see a black WRX Wagon on the M25 heading towards HW tomorrow, give us a wave or a flash!

 

Stuart

Can you make an arrest at any time, even if you're off duty?

 

<BLOCKQUOTE><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial">quote:<HR>Originally posted by Stuart H:
<B>I would have thought twice about it had I had no-one in the car, unfortunately had I done it and Mrs Landcruiser had clocked one of my passengers the tabloid press would have been very interested.
[/quote]

So how is Gail Porter, and why hasn't she rung me lately?

 

I thought that it was Nasty Nick....

 

StaurtH -

Actually, that reminds me of the CID guys that tailgated me thru town a few years ago and when we'd got to an unrestricted section and I'd embarresed them enough (TR7V8) they pulled up an inch off my passenger side at a junction.

"What the f**k is wrong with you guys?!!!" I shouted...

The passengers eyes blazed at me thru his crap aviator sunglasses, and he fumbled for summat and up popped the warrant card.

Ho ho ho.

Just take the abuse. No point in arguing the toss about my driving compared to theirs. At least when I met other traffic, I kept a safe distance and it was only bursts of accelleration that could have been held against me. (LOTS of acceleration).

Their car obviously wasn't calibrated, and after swearing at me for a while I was told to go.

Honestly, I didn't "fall" I was "pushed".



[This message has been edited by Squizz (edited 11 December 2000).]

[This message has been edited by Squizz (edited 11 December 2000).]

 

AWD,

Yes we can, but if you nick off duty, guess who sits there and does all the paperwork!!

Squizz,

I'm saying nothing about the extemely high quality of the airbags! (unfortunately it wasn't Ms Porter )

[This message has been edited by Stuart H (edited 11 December 2000).]

 

<BLOCKQUOTE><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial">quote:<HR>Originally posted by Stuart H:
<B>I'm saying nothing about the extemely high quality of the airbags! (unfortunately it wasn't Ms Porter )
[/quote]

Hey, keep your eyes on the road!

 

There are five 30mph limits on my daily commute, 60mph rural roads no houses in between. Nearly every night I get tailgated through the 30 - because I have the audacity to stick to 30 - I lose them in the 60/windy bits - then lo and behold - they tailgate me through the next 30 (after doing 50 through the first bit of the 30 to catch me doing 30) - gets very boring after the fifth time!!!

Stuart - Mr S3 - not, do you think, 6SSK???

 

Stuart
Don't be a tease - mail me off BBS and tell me who the mystery totty was - I promise I won't tell - you can make life more awkward for me than I can for you...

 

Dave,

Won't you be a little busy forwarding that e-mail to over 4000 members

Lee

 

Logiclee - shush - groupmail

 

<BLOCKQUOTE><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial">quote:<HR>Originally posted by Dave T-S:
<B>mail me off BBS and tell me who the mystery totty was[/quote]

You got <B>NO</B> chance!!


[This message has been edited by Stuart H (edited 12 December 2000).]

 

Please??