Does anyone know of anyone on the planet who's been booked for tailgating?

[Chippy76]

quiet simply the 2 second rule applies regardless of speed. The slower the speed the smaller the gap. I dont know anyone who has been booked for slow speed tailgating. I guess sometimes common sense prevails.

Cheers Chippy

[Matto]

Things that really, REALLY get me offside in this thread:

A friend tells me that when someone is too close she just happens to lose a little concentration and drifts onto the gravel ()  

Plain dangerous. For the person doing it, for the people following it, and for the oncoming traffic.

... so I waved out the window to him and kept going... This **** doesnt work on me in anyway, usually makes me somehow go the same speed as the car beside me for several klms... + there was nowhere for me to move over as there was a car next to me...

Ridiculous. White Knight vigilantiasm, done for no other reason that to aggravate the situation and make an already dangerous situation even worse.

They come up a bit close, I give 3 warnings by way of tap on the brakes. The 4th & final warning is a stand on the brakes, followed by a quick hit of the go pedal.
They hit me, they're in the wrong & it'll cost 'em, haven't had to many needing the 4th message.
I've done it to men, women, bikes, cars & trucks!

That's just irresponsible. You could kill someone, and then you would be liable, regardless of whether you were in front of them or not.

Tye difficulty is, what's too close? How to prove it? Is there a specific measurement? How do u measure said specific measurement? Is it a time frame? How did u measure the timeframe? Is your timer calibrated? How do you know its not out? Where were you whilst measuring? Its so hard to prove...

No, it's not. It's the "reasonable person" test. If said officer thinks you were following too close, it's his word against yours and he'll win that in court.

I guess some like me, prefer to not go through life being pushed around or cowering ! ! !

So you'd rather kill someone, just because you're too proud to be "pushed around" by someone that you've never seen before, and will likely never see again?


Good on sschmez for voicing up in this thread. There's a lot of pointless male macho chestbeating going on in here, and it's not right, and it's dangerous. Sure, it makes me mad too, same as the motorcyclist who, for some unknown reason, wouldn't let me out of the LH lane on the way to the coast last time we were down there. But I didn't run him off the road for it, I took a dose of #%$&*^ing patience and just sat it out.

Quoted for truth:

great to read about all you dills endangering your own lives because somehow you think you've got some right to obstruct someone from endangering their own life.

GET OUT OF THE RIGHT LANE ! ! !
GET OUT OF THE WAY ! ! !

the problem will pass very quickly and we can all get on with our lives
Bloody heros

Repeat after me - "I am NOT responsible for saving everyone's lives. I am NOT some sort of superhero who has to bring calm and right to everything around me. I WILL do what's in my power not to endanger other people's lives. If some idiot that I don't know or care about wants to endanger his own life, then I'll get out of the way so that he can do it far, far away from me."

How this thread has degenerated.

Matto
(No smilie face, because there's nothing to smile about here)

[austastar]

Hi,
  I was on the push bike, being tail-gated by a woman in a small car, beeping at me to get past.
The road was one way, down hill, multi-lane and briefly, almost empty of traffic at the time.
Mystified, I looked back over my shoulder and waved her past, staying in the middle of my lane.
No way will I use the side of the lane in that road, instant bike/car sandwich at full traffic speed would be the expected result.
Beep! Beep! Wave again, go past please.
Nope, beep beep.
About 50m has been covered by now and we are about 30m from the next intersection with the lights just changing to orange and an old farm truck (Fargo or Chev I think) with a high tray and wire gate sides was in the lane ahead of me.
I am planning on turning left at the lights, and planning on pulling up on the left of the braking truck ahead, so I now move to the left to get in position.
Zoom!
She flies past me, automatic revving in full acceleration.
Then she sees the truck.
Too late.
The little car is buried up to the windscreen under the tray, front tyres flat to the ground on the rims with the weight of the truck.
Nobody was hurt, she was in shock, the truck driver was some what bemused and relieved when I told him his brake lights were on.

They live amongst us, and they breed.

cheers

[Bird]

Ridiculous. White Knight vigilantiasm, done for no other reason that to aggravate the situation and make an already dangerous situation even worse.

What do you suggest I do, push the cars beside me off the road and tell them I did this to keep Matto happy, send him the bill?
Or did you just so suit your arguement miss the fact I had nowhere to go? Fuq the idiot.. he could see like the previous car he played with - there was nowhere to go... solid traffic in all lanes.

or should I have just stopped and parked the car?

[noel_w]

Back in the "good old days" (70's) I was travelling Sydney to Canberra in the middle of winter at night with a very thick fog so I was sitting on about 80ks in 100 zone. Truck came up behind me & was tailgating me for about 30k's I guess. I had an old HT panel van & couldn't see his lights out of the back window so knew he was very close. I wasn't going to speed up as the fog was like pea soup. Anyway he gave me an almighty nudge, not sure whether he did it accidently or on purpose. I stopped & pulled over, he just kept going. Checked the damage, the pv was about 3 inches shorter. I jumped back in & caught him up (adrenilin and an almost XU-1 spec bathurst motor works wonders), got his number plate (front & rear) & dropped into Goulburn cop station. PC came out & checked my car & suggested I drop any suggestion of action or I would be booked for driving an unroadworthy car as my rear lights were damaged. I guess the old hotted up panel van & long hair just didn't cut it with the boys in blue. As a result I wasn't able to get a police report number and insurance wouldn't pay without it. Boy was i P!$$ed. Got my own back as at the time i worked at Police HQ in Sydney as a civilian, mentioned it to one of the D's in Special Branch when I got back to work & had a report back that afternoon by fax. Not what you know....  Not sure if anything happened to the truck driver though, I didn't ask.....
All that hassle for what because I was going slowish, driving to the conditions.
On another note.
On the Bruce HWY between Brisvegas & the Sunshine Coast there a series of lines (chevrons?) marked on the road to indicate how much room between cars you should be. It works wonders in my opinion as I thought I was an@l about how much room I leave between me & the one in front but I was still too close according to the lines. I double it when I am towing as well. Just goes to show you can be too close even if you think you aren't.

[dunebuggy]

I don't know of anyone that has been booked for tailgating but I can tell you... I've been tempted to stomp on the brakes many times just to teach some of these mindless morons a lesson. Tailgating seems to be what people do for kicks around here. God, don't get me started on all the other crap I see around here. I wish I was a traffic cop. I would solve the national debt in a week, and that's just in my suburb.

Rant over, I'll shut up now.

[Squalo]

On another note.
On the Bruce HWY between Brisvegas & the Sunshine Coast there a series of lines (chevrons?) marked on the road to indicate how much room between cars you should be. It works wonders in my opinion as I thought I was an@l about how much room I leave between me & the one in front but I was still too close according to the lines. I double it when I am towing as well. Just goes to show you can be too close even if you think you aren't.

Yep those chevrons are great, I found that I was travelling closer than they show to be optimum as well (by a car length or two). If they put a set of those near every onramp on every bit of motorway near metro areas it could make quite a difference.

You can argue all you like about vigilante behaviour, but it's fair to say that if every man in society just sat on his hands when he saw someone doing the wrong thing - as most do - we'd be living in the sort of society that I for one aren't much interested in... and sadly, due to the afore-mentioned hand-sitting we are already pretty far down that road. Not for me thanks. If I see a fight, I stop it, if I see a kid run from a shop with the shopkeeper chasing him I collar the kid, and if someone is putting other people's lives at risk on the road and I can do *something* about it, then I will. There's at least one driver of a black VE ute who will certainly be reconsidering the risks he takes on the road, after I upped the stakes and gave him a taste of his own medicine (no other traffic around; if there had been I'd have been on the phone to the police hotline instead).

[rotare]

Not the southern expressway by any chance?
I remember a few years back the police were targeting tailgating on the expressway, heading south they had cops on the majors road bridge spotting and they would radio some cops further down and they would nab ya!
Saw heaps of people get pinged for it, not sure how they got caught when it was well advertised over the radio and tv

No, it wasn't the Southern Expressway, it was on the downtrack from Crafers in the Adelaide Hills.  The guy that pulled me over was doing it solo and I'm sure he wasn't working with any other cops on bridges etc.  I'm at a loss at how he concluded I was tailgating.  I'm big enough to cop a fine if I've broken the law and not the type that simply argues the point for the sake of it.  However on this occasion had I been fined I reckon I would have disputed it in court.

I've known of some cops who'll purposely sit on the arse of a vehicle, trying to get them to speed up...you can guess the result

 

At least once a month on the way to work on the freeway I see a cop car driving at 80km/hr in a 100km/hr zone, in the right hand lane, with about 1000 cars bunched up behind it because they are too scared to go past the cop car.  It really causes a bottle neck in traffic, and I'm sure the cops must do it purposely for a kick because I see it happen so regularly.  Why not simply pull over to the middle or left lanes and do 80km/hr, rather than intimidate everyone on the road and cause traffic chaos?  The roads are congested enough in the morning without people playing games.

[Bird]

on the way to work on the freeway I see a cop car driving at 80km/hr in a 100km/hr zone, in the right hand lane, with about 1000 cars bunched up behind it because they are too scared to go past the cop car.  It really causes a bottle neck in traffic, and I'm sure the cops must do it purposely for a kick

isnt it also Illegal to pass on the left hand side? thats whats hes waiting for....

Edit: apparently not
No overtaking etc to the left of a vehicle
(1)         A driver (except the rider of a bicycle) must not overtake a vehicle to the left of the vehicle unless:
(a)         the driver is driving on a multi-lane road and the vehicle can be safely overtaken in a marked lane to the left of the vehicle; or
http://www.austlii.edu.au/au/legis/sa/consol_reg/arr210/s141.html



so thats ok for the law "enforcer" to break the law (south aust I assume)
http://www.austlii.edu.au/au/legis/sa/consol_reg/arr210/
http://www.austlii.edu.au/au/legis/sa/consol_reg/arr210/s130.html


Then again if its that regular, get someone to sit in passengers side and video it...
then post it on youtube/stalkerbook - and sit back and watch the frevolities on TV and Radio

[Matto]

if someone is putting other people's lives at risk on the road and I can do *something* about it, then I will.

Goodness - I'm not saying don't do anything. Take down their plates, get a photo if you can, ring the cops from your mobile whilst you're driving (that's basically guaranteed to make a police car materialise out of thin air, so your problem is solved anyway!). Maybe nothing will get done, maybe it will.

...if there had been I'd have been on the phone to the police hotline instead).

No surprise to anyone here now that that's what I'd suggest. Heck - call 000 if the behaviour is bad enough and happening right in front of you.

In QLD it's not illegal to pass on the LHS on a multi-lane road. People think it is, and I've been abused for passing people on the inside, believing that because they've seen it on US television shows it must be Aus law.

re: the po-po running at 80kph, it's potentially bad form, but I don't know the whole story. Then again, there are two unmarked utes, one an SS and one an XR6 turbo, that run over Mt Glorious in BNE every now and then. Black, tinted dark, motorcross stickers all over them. Doing 40kph, to bank up motorcyclists behind them. When the riders finally get sick of being jerked around and pass over the double lines, it's all caught on camera and a fine arrives in the mail later. Nothing illegal about it - there's no "entrapment" laws in Aus, like in the states. They shouldn't have crossed double lines. Doesn't mean it's not a dirty trick though.

Or did you just so suit your arguement miss the fact I had nowhere to go?

To be honest Lost, I had missed that. Not that you'll probably believe me, and I wasn't even going to bother writing back after your first few replies and edits. I did read this bit though "usually makes me somehow go the same speed as the car beside me for several klms.", and missed the other bit.

As for pulling over and stopping the car, yeah - I would suggest that to be honest. I've done it before when someone has got me really riled up on the road. Pulled over, hopped out and had a cuppa, chilled out for 10 mins then got back in the car and went on my merry way, without the person who got me all worked up. Maybe that makes me a girl or something less of a man, I dunno, works for me. Why should I get all cranky and stressed out about something that someone else is doing, when I can control my situation and relax?

Anyway, that's me out. Have at me.
Matto

[dunebuggy]

As for the chevrons on the Bruce Hwy, personally, at 110kph I think it should be 3 chevrons between vehicles and not two. When I learned to drive (many many moons ago) I was taught to leave 1 car length for every 15kph of speed so.... at 60kph you should leave 4 car lengths. Not really practical any more I know. Someone will always jump in the gap, someone will always want to get just one more car in front. The race to the red light amuses me greatly. People come flying past me at a great rate of knots even though they can plainly see the light is red ahead, and they leave it to the very last minute to hit the brakes. People trust their brakes far too much.

I think they expect that when the lights turn green that all the traffic stopped at the lights will magically  be doing the speed limit in a micro second and they won't have to brake. Let's not get started on those morons that crawl up your date on the Hwy when you're over taking someone doing less than 110kph. Do they think if they crawl up my date I'll break the speed limit, just to keep them happy? Morons! But they are special morons aren't they ... laws don't apply to them.  haha

Rant over.

[MDS69]

I was always taught the 3 second rule for leaving space to the vehicle in front. Unfortunately this leaves so much room in some instances that you end up going backwards (well it feels that way) by all the people dropping in on you.

My wife was driving to work on the M2 in Sydney in peak hour with some moron diving in and out of each lane cutting people off in the process. Now whilst I had a front parking sensor fitted to the car when we bought it (ARB steel bullbar) for such instances you still have that self presevation gene and hit the brakes to avoid collision. Fortunately there was an unmarked HWP behind my wife who duly pulled this guy over to hopefully give him his just deserts.

[rotare]

Unfortunately this leaves so much room in some instances that you end up going backwards (well it feels that way) by all the people dropping in on you.

Touche.  Here in S.A, leave more than a two car gap between you and the car in front and and expect someone to pull into it, then give you the middle finger 2 seconds later when your are unavoidably right up their arse!

[Bird]

I was always taught the 3 second rule for leaving space to the vehicle in front

so did I... but I dont remember the last time I saw someone leave more than .0000000000000000001 of a micro milli nano second

[Muso]

My son is a copper Sergeant (acting), and I swear the more rank the less they know about the law. I have asked him in the past about these things (tailgating) and to his, and my knowledge, there is no legislation that says something like "at a given speed the clearance shall be". So I said to dumba$$ copper, how can a person be charged if there is no definitive law. He and the jury are still out on that one.

[Mungoman]

On the Bruce HWY between Brisvegas & the Sunshine Coast there a series of lines (chevrons?) marked on the road to indicate how much room between cars you should be. It works wonders in my opinion as I thought I was an@l about how much room I leave between me & the one in front but I was still too close according to the lines. I double it when I am towing as well. Just goes to show you can be too close even if you think you aren't.

Yep, saw them on the way back from Bundy.  Fantastic idea on paper -- that is if you were dealing with intelligent motorists, because everyone we saw was ignoring them.  Also on the way home there were huge overhead signs detecting tailgating.  Coincidentally at the time a truck was right up my clacker (again I was doing the speed limit). The sign flashed "You are tailgating. Back off."  The driver instantly backed off.  But after a few Ks the effect wore off -- probably because he'd figured out that any camera was way back...and because the guy had the concentration and mentality of a cocker spaniel he was right back up my clacker again.

[bobnrob]

Matto, you mustn't of read the part where I wrote "followed by a quick hit of the go pedal", but doesn't really matter either way!
I haven't had anyone hit the back of me yet because of what I do, but many get the message, purely because I'm the one controlling the situation & know what's going to happen.

As for "then you would be liable, regardless of whether you were in front of them or not."You may need to check up on that, the Law is quite clear...(paraphasing) You must travel at a safe enough distance that you have plenty of time to stop from running into the back of the vehicle in front in an emergency.

And for the record...I've always been too proud to die live on my knees, & if I take a d-head or 2 with me, even better

But it's all good, I'm happy to try & make someone think & hopefully slow down, so others don't have to inconvienence their trip or see the uglier side of some so-called human beings!

[Squalo]

Matto, you mustn't of read the part where I wrote "followed by a quick hit of the go pedal", but doesn't really matter either way!
I haven't had anyone hit the back of me yet because of what I do, but many get the message, purely because I'm the one controlling the situation & know what's going to happen.

Likewise - I don't like to tap the brakes, but taking the Patrol off overdrive works a treat - you watch them zoom in close before they realise somethings going on and then brake, by then I am accelerating smoothly back to my (usually cruise-controlled) speed. Most of the time they get the message. Some get antsy, they might get a second dose before I give up and ignore them, and sometimes I even act my age and move over, even if I have to brake and let a bunch more cars through before I go back to my happy speed - which is usually a tad over the posted limit* so why they can't just respect that fact and wait for their chance to pass is beyond me...

Which reminds me, sometimes I get one last zinger in by combining the overdrive-off tactic with a move to the left lane

But I suppose Matto is right in a few ways, and perhaps winding these people up is simply shifting the problem onto the next driver they cross paths with. I'll consider that from now on.

The other thing I dislike in the tailgater is their belief that because they have caught you they magically have the right to be past you. No mate, I caught the slower cars in front of me before you caught me, so you can wait till I clear them, then you can go. Not hard to understand...

* old habit from riding motorcycles - going a little bit faster than the surrounding traffic is a very good tactic on a bike, in the interest of 'active' safety. Sounds counter-intuitive, but works a treat - and believe it or not, I was first told to do it by a crusty old bike copper who'd pulled me over for a licence check!

[Squalo]

PS - to actually answer the question of the topic - Patrol4x4 recently had a topic started by a guy who was indeed pinged for tailgating, somewhere in Brisbane.

http://www.patrol4x4.com/forum/general-patrol-discussion-17/plods-hunt-73004/

I want a big sticker - or maybe a spare tyre cover - that says "Free Brake Check - Just Tailgate Me" 

[carinya]

Coming home from the last trip we had a B double grain carrier in front, moving just quick enough to be a pain, and to stop us getting around due to the freakish regularity of oncoming traffic.  No worries, only losing 5 - 8 kph there, sit tight and wait.  That was OK until a very well known bus( they prefer the term coach) line that apparently is real quick, like one of those racing dogs, lets loose a driver who I'm sure was on some sort of prohibited substance.  Came up real fast, right up the back of the CT, sat there waiting to go and he got either late or very bloody impatient.  Wasn't sure of this blokes caper as he drove up the highway towards Moree with at least half the bus in the other lane for quite a few Km 's.  Must have been looking for a passing spot but he was out there a long time, right up my bum, and too fast and close for me to do anything but wait till he is gone.  I reckon I had a few opportunities to get around the truck but with the idiot bus driver behind me there was no point moving as he was all over the place and I reckoned it was better to wait the next ten Kms and he would be in town for a stop.  Just what happened.  Got around us all, two minutes later he turns into a town street to find the depot.  World class clown.   

[Muso]

I'm gonna get some P plates, put them in the window then,

I can speed, cut you off, change lanes without indicating, drag you off from the inside lane, tailgate blah,blah,blah.

And the best thing, I can give YOU the finger as I speed by because you need to see how proper driving is done.

Seriously, this is the feeling I get from young drivers, and I have been driving almost 50 years WITHOUT ANY ACCIDENTS. I DON'T THINK SO!!!!!

[Matto]

Well, I think the one thing we *can* all agree on is that no-one likes tailgating. Regardless of what our response is, it seems to annoy everyone pretty much the same amount.

As swaggers (and as far as sweeping generalisations go), I'd be fairly confident in stating that most people here, if not all, are good and conscientious drivers. This shared love of getting out and seeing the country means that in a place as big as Aus, we probably spend more time on the roads and the highways than most. I know we've also got some professional drivers here, who are out there every day dealing with a lot more than I would want to. Hence the main takeaway for me has been to try to ensure that I lead by example when I'm out on the road, and catch myself if I'm following too close. Easy to do some times at the end of a long day, when you just want to get there.

As to how we respond to it when it happens to us, we may need to agree to keep disagreeing on that one. 

Now where's a thread about politics or religion? Might be safer than this one...
Matto

[Bird]

I'm gonna get some P plates, put them in the window then,

I can speed, cut you off, change lanes without indicating, drag you off from the inside lane, tailgate blah,blah,blah.

And the best thing, I can give YOU the finger as I speed by because you need to see how proper driving is done.

you forgot to add SMSing on one phone, while talking on another, while updating stalkerbook on a laptop on the steering wheel, while sipping a McSyrup in a cup holder held on the drivers window... to wash down the McRubbish you had for brekkie.

[Muso]

Ahh, well then, that would make me a good driver then

[TroyE]

you forgot to add SMSing on one phone, while talking on another, while updating stalkerbook on a laptop on the steering wheel, while sipping a McSyrup in a cup holder held on the drivers window... to wash down the McRubbish you had for brekkie.

rotflmao that's gold

troy