So I was almost arrested on the way to work, and I am pissed off!

[Strong Atheist]

Poll question: So I was almost arrested on the way to work, and I am pissed off!

I was doing the speed limit in the slow lane (like I always do), and some shit was tailgating and would not get off my ass (this also happens a lot). If I had applied my brakes, he would have plowed right into me. There was plenty of room to pass. Finally, he passed, and I gave him the one finger salute. He had to slow down to the speed limit, get behind me, and turn on his lights, for it was a cop in disguise (the first time I have ever given one the finger in my 41 years, that I know of). He was pissed, I was pissed, and he wanted to know why I had done that. I explained about my hatred of tailgaters, and how several have almost killed me so far:

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_topic&forum=105&topic_id=4360996#4361654

He called my gesture "Incitement against the peace" or some such and asked me if I agreed, which I reluctantly did even though I know for a fact that free speech cases have been won against the police and using the finger. He took my license, and I figured that I was going to get a ticket, and though I can't afford it I was planning on fighting it in court due to his reckless driving, but he came back with a lecture and let me off for some reason (Two possibilities: 1. I have a good record. 2. he did not want a messy court scene).

I do the speed limit, IN THE SLOW LANE. I will NEVER go over the speed limit just because you are tailgating me (pass me, asshole).

So my poll question is: Why do you tailgate the extremely few of us actually doing the speed limit in the slow lane? Why don't you pass when you can?

[REP]

1. Tailgaters Should DIE

I want rear-mounted rockets to take out the fuckers.

Instead, I just reduce my speed. I'll come to dead stop if you don't GET OFF MY ASS!

[Strong Atheist]

2. We are in complete agreement!

:pals:

:yourock:

[CottonBear]

63. I agree 100%. I detest tailgeters. n/t

[ghostsofgiants]

91. Have you ever seen Lost Highway?

Great anti-tailgating scene in that film.

[Kingshakabobo]

118. An old biker I know drops (covertly) ball-bearings out of his pocket.

Apparently, they tend to bounce and break windshields. I'm jus sayin......hm hmm

[Strong Atheist]

119. I've heard of this... it seems you would have to swerve to get it to

work ...

[Robeson]

3. He was a prick and an asshole, and wanted to flash his "authority"...

...that's my opinion.

[Strong Atheist]

4. I'm still mad.

I shake when I get really angry, and I am still shaking...:mad: :grr:

[LaurenG]

7. And I agree with this

Too bad you couldn't have turned him in to his supervisor, it's against the law to tailgate in most places. :eyes: Driving is the one place I lose it (I am seriously working on not giving a sh**)I HATE driving anymore for your reason and more...

[Strong Atheist]

21. I am still trying to calm down...

:pals:

[Broken_Hero]

104. same here, ditto...n/t

[tjdee]

5. I hate that sanctimonious lecture.

Some people, just because they have a badge, are jerks.

[Strong Atheist]

8. Yeah, agreed. I am trying to calm down; I have to be at class in two

minutes...

[tjdee]

12. Good luck, sorry your morning started that way.

:hug:

[Strong Atheist]

22. Thank you.

:hug:

[hfojvt]

107. really, it's like fut the shuck up and just give me the ticket

and really, that was why he was tailgating - he was hoping to give a speeding ticket. I had two Kansas cops tail me, at night in a construction zone where the speed limit was 20. They could not really pass, but they were hoping to give me one of those double fines. They pulled me over anyway after I drove out of the construction zone.

[Strong Atheist]

108. Sorry about that...

:hug:

[ScreamingMeemie]

6. Something similar happened to MrG when he was 17. He had a 65

Fastback and was driving home...doing the speed limit. A car pulled in behind him and was riding the tail of his beloved car. When they stopped at a light, the car was practically on top of him; so close that MrG couldn't even see his headlights. He was pissed and when the light changed, he peeled out. Sirens, lights. It was a cop. The cop asked him why he had done that and MrG said, "Because you were riding my ass..." the cop let him go, "with a warning..." :eyes:

I'm sorry you had to deal with that today.

[Strong Atheist]

10. Thank you. Sorry about MrG. I have to go to class now.

:hug:

[Crazy Dave]

9. Almost the same thing happened to me one time

The unmarked car was in a hurry (but no lights, no siren) to get somewhere and damn near ran me off the road. I did the same thing, flipped the guy off and guess what? He wasn't in such a hurry no more, put his lights on and pulled me over and gave me some bullshit line about offensive gesturing to a police officer, that I almost caused him to wreck, etc. No witnesses around or with me so I had to humble myself a little. After his lecture and probably the satisfaction that, "yeah, I showed that guy" I was also let go with no ticket.

Another incident, same police department. A guy gets home on the weekend and someone (unmarked or personal vehicle of a police officer) is in his assigned parking space at his condo or apartment, one of the two, anyway he parked his car behind the other car and left a note of which unit he lived in. Later that afternoon five cops show up at his door and next thing he knows he's downtown locked up.

That guy got a nice settlement for a false arrest.

[Strong Atheist]

23. Sorry about what happened to you. I completely sympathize.

:hug:

[henslee]

11. I think you are nuts to give any stranger the finger. No good can

come of it.

[Robeson]

13. I don't disagree that giving someone a finger, is a dangerous...

...proposition. I also don't think a cop should jump on that as an excuse to terrorize a citizen.

[henslee]

16. Of course I agree. Next car I buy, I want to install a hidden camera

and mike that I can activate whenever I am pulled over.

[Crazy Dave]

15. Common sense tells us not to...

...but our emotions don't listen sometimes especially when someone almost causes you an accident. Tailgaters don't bother me too much. I just slow down even more but I won't do the brake check thing though. No matter how upset I get I still don't want to intentionally cause a wreck and risk injuries to myself or the jerk or even worse, innocent bystanders with nothing to do with anything.

[henslee]

17. We must stay cool. And agressive driving is not cool.

[Strong Atheist]

25. Hey, buddy, the aggressive driver is the SHIT-HEAD

tailgating someone DOING THE SPEED LIMIT.

[Left Is Write]

51. Yes, but giving the finger to that aggressive driver only escalates

the aggression.

I completely understand your frustration with tailgaters, though.

[Strong Atheist]

59. We can agree on your second sentence. nt.

[henslee]

78. From the AAA website regarding Road RAGE:

GESTURES - Almost nothing makes another driver angrier than an obscene gesture. Keep your hands on the wheel. Avoid making any gestures that might anger another driver, even "harmless" expressions of irritation like shaking your head.

[Strong Atheist]

80. From the Strong Atheist handbook: tailgaters are trying to

MURDER me, and therefore deserve far worse...

[Strong Atheist]

41. If you are driving like a SHIT HEAD, I will let you know it. nt.

[Common Sense Party]

102. I agree. In this day and age, people are killed for less.

Plus, I believe in being polite, even to jerks.

I call it "car karma." If I'm nice to other people on the road--even those who don't really deserve it--I find that others are nice to me. What comes around, goes around.

[Strong Atheist]

109. I am not "nice" to someone

TRYING TO KILL ME

[Maine-ah]

123. the last time I gave someone the finger

I learned my lesson the hard way. They had come to a stop from a connecting road, but there nose hung out and damn near hit us. My husband and I flipped them. They followed us to work and the guy came right into the restaurant kitchen yelling that he'd just got out of prison and didn't give a damn if he went back. I was 21 at the time. Our boss was a huge guy, like 6 ft and probably 200-230 lbs and stuck up for us. Holy shit, I damned near pissed myself. I don't flip people off anymore. It's hard to control, but I just sit and swear.

[Starbucks Anarchist]

14. Sorry to hear that.

I had a somewhat similar experience last year. I was on the freeway a little after midnight, and it had been raining very hard for the last few hours.

This, of course, resulted in a small traffic jam, and when it cleared up, I was doing the limit (or a little under) in the slow lane. I then notice the vehicle behind me flashing his headlights. The asshole could clearly have gone around me, but here's the kicker:

I drive a midsized sedan. This asshole was driving an 18-wheeler! He could easily have flattened me if he hit the gas, but he decided to ride my ass for some reason. :mad:

[Strong Atheist]

26. I completely sympathize. Sorry about that. It happens to me, too.

:hug:

[Greyhound]

18. It's times like that I regret not going to law school.

It would be so satisfying to get these power-mad asses to apologize in the hopes I wouldn't make an issue of their abuse in a court.

[Strong Atheist]

27. Yeah, that's a nice fantasy ... nt.

[LostinVA]

19. I agree with you -- I do the limit in the SLOW lane, and am tailgated

Constantly. I mean, tailgated so close I can't even see their headlights or grill. It's intimidating, dangerous, and pisses me off. And, it does NOT make me go on iota over the speed limit. JUst PASS you idiots!

[Strong Atheist]

28. Right on!

:toast:
:yourock:

[LostinVA]

33. And, don't you hate it when you're driving IN TOWN

And people act like the left lane is "the fast lane"? YOU'RE IN TOWN, getting ready to make a turn into a store up the road. THis isn't an interstate, moran. It's going through residential and commercial areas!!!! Quit tailgating, quit flipping me off! I'm already going over a little over the speed limit.

I have people do this to me in school zones!

[Strong Atheist]

37. Yeah, that could be bad too. I reserve my real hatred for tailgaters. nt.

[LostinVA]

43. I can hate many things at once -- I'm a multi-tasker!

[Strong Atheist]

44. Lol!

:thumbsup:

[uncle ray]

122. please, it's still common courtesy.

one of my pet peeves is slow people in the "fast" lane, even in town. now i don't have a problem with people preparing to turn left, but do you need to get in the left lane and slow down three miles ahead? i know i drive a bit faster than some, and it's not that i am some speed demon, it's just that i'm more of an individual, i hate being "in the pack" so i'm perfectly content to just get a block ahead of you so i can safely operate my vehicle free of other drivers and not have to worry about some cell phone talking idiot or mother dealing with her children while driving.

more on the topic of the OP, there are two kinds of tailgaters, the kind that are trying to pass/go faster, and the kind that are not paying attention enough to their own driving to use their own speedometer and have to pace themselves off another car. the latter are the ones that really scare me! these are also the same people that drive in the left lane, and then go the exact same speed as the car in the right lane, no matter how the other person speeds up or slows down. hell, i've been next to these fools and tried to slow down or speed up to allow the growing string of cars behind them to pass, and they'll keep right next to you blissfully unaware of what they are doing!:mad:

[Critters2]

134. In town, the left lane is NOT the fast lane.

There are no fast lanes in town. One chooses one's lane based on where you're going.

Here's a novel idea...why don't you obey the law and drive at the speed limit? Or are laws only for the rest of us? I mean, who do you think you are...Dick Cheney?

[Rabrrrrrr]

20. I don't get it - I will flash lights at slow people in the fast lane,

but as far as I am concerned, people can do whatever speed they want in the slow lane - speed limit, under the speed limit, whatever. It's the SLOW LANE for a reason. And the lane next to it is called the PASSING LANE for a reason.

I can't believe that a fucking cop did that to you. What a fucking prick.

I'd call the station and let them know what their boy is up to.

That's bullshit.

[Strong Atheist]

29. I was so mad, I did not get any info on him...

edited: I would make a terrible witness, I am not good on thinking fast, and thus miss details in emergencies...

[Critters2]

130. You don't need much info to report him

All they need to know to figure out who it was is 1) where he was and 2) when. They should be able to check which cop was patrolling that area at that time.

He works for you, dammit, and should have to treat you accordingly.

[Strong Atheist]

34. BTW, we agree for once!

:toast:

[CottonBear]

64. All 4 lane roads in my community have the SAME speed limit for each lane

The only "passing" lanes are on the GA state route bypass (or perimeter highway) around my city. One cannot exceed the speed limit on just because one doesn't wish to obey the law.

[Rabrrrrrr]

76. I don't know of any city that is any different than that.

Not sure why you brought this up.

:shrug:

[CottonBear]

77. I'm wasn't sure what kind of road on which the OP was driving.

I'm sorry to confuse the issue.

I do hate tailgaters. I get tailgated every day by people who drive so closely that I can't see their headlights. :(

[graywarrior]

24. In North Conway NH, residents tailgate out of staters, OR

they slow down so that out of staters must tailgate them. I must confess I was part of that conspiracy. In fact, sometimes when I was in front of a Masshole, I would put on a straw hat and pretend to be sight seeing at a very slow pace.

So, I am an recovering tailgating asshole.

And, with the new guns laws in place here in Florida, I do not piss off anyone on the roads if I can help it. I am a good doobee. Fortunately, other drivers can't hear the stream of obsceneties purging from my mouth or hear the thoughts that bang around in my head while I'm at the wheel.

[Strong Atheist]

31. Finally, some who admits to it. Tailgaters really piss me off

(once, I was really almost creammed, the guy's rear wheels ended up in line with my front wheels as he was on the side of the road - I was white hot with rage; if I had had a gun, I would have used it - good thing I didn't ...). So why did you do that?

[graywarrior]

35. I used to think I was justified because I lived in NH, even tho

I was a translplanted Masshole. I had an attitude and was full of rage. After some slaps in the face a few times, I simmered down and now I just "think" stuff.

[Strong Atheist]

38. Hmmm.... You realize you can seriously injure or kill people

tailgating.... if that were to happen, I would not look at it as "vehicular homicide" , but MURDER, because it was completely preventable AND completely the fault of the tailgater ...

[graywarrior]

84. True. So rage is an emotion that I can live without these days.

[asthmaticeog]

30. The cop was probably trying to get you to break the speed limit.

The month's almost over, and they have quotas. Then again, since you got off without a ticket, he might have just been bored.

[Strong Atheist]

32. The only thing I EVER do to tailgaters is slow down... nt.

[IndyOp]

36. I drive really slowly around my small college town -

And get nasty looks and tailgaters all the time. My small college town has pedestrians, dog walkers, kids playing ball, cats, squirrels -- and if you drive the speed limit you couldn't stop if you needed to.

On the highway I have a lead foot. I will go about as fast as I can get away with, but I am never, ever pushy about anyone else's driving, I get in the fast lane and go as quickly as that lane is going. What if a tailgater pushes a new driver or an elderly driver to go faster and cause an accident? I don't think people think about consequences at all.

:grr:

[Strong Atheist]

40. Agreed. Keep it up!

:yourock:

[Love Bug]

39. I don't tailgate because I was rear-ended once

Did you get that cop's badge number? If so, if I were you I'd call the station house and complain to his supervisor.

[Strong Atheist]

42. Nope. I don't think fast, especially in emergencies, and especially

when I am mad...

[DainBramaged]

45. One question

Bearing in mind that most cops are knob-headed corncob Freepers simply because they never were the smartest guys in school;

how many bumper stickers were on your car?

[Misunderestimator]

46. Nice generalization. I don't think that's quite fair.

[DainBramaged]

48. It is not a generalization of any kind

Every cop in every town surrounding me in this very red county in NJ is 1)BALD by choice 2) so musclebound it makes your hair hurt 3) not the brightest bulbs in the box, and if you go down to the police station in my town, Bush/Cheney 04 stickers abound.

So, I speak from experience, and if you live in Morris county NJ, pm me and I'll drive you to the police stations surrounding me to prove it.

[Misunderestimator]

49. You wrote "most cops" ... not just cops in your region.

I've met quite a few smart cops. Some people CHOOSE the profession. And to just say that they are stupid is, well, stupid.

Thanks for the offer of a ride, but with that attitude, I wouldn't chance being in a car with you... for fear of being pulled over by some cop you insulted. :)

[DainBramaged]

60. (Sigh), fine I don't care, 30 years without even a ticket or stopped

can you say the same?

PS the original question wasn't asked of you.

[Misunderestimator]

62. And I didn't answer your question... I responded to your prejudice.

You're funny. :eyes:

[xmas74]

124. Thank you!

I worked for various police departments for a number of years. Many officers are quite intelligent and not at all the stupid inbreds that the other poster stated they are.

And only a few let their "power" get to their heads. The ones who do don't care who they do it to. A few years back one wrote me a ticket while I was heading in to work. (Not a pretty situation since I was his dispatcher that night).

The minority of officers who exhibit this behavior make all other officers look bad and cause distrust for all. Most are intelligent and become officers to help people, not to punish everyone.

[IA_Seth]

61. Another generalization...

I am BALD by choice too...does that make me a bad guy? I am not a body builder, but I am in shape.

What the hell is it with people that renounce racism, classism, and every other ism in the world, but will look at a guy with a shaved head and say he is a bad guy.

It B.S.

[DainBramaged]

75. Why do most cops shave their heads then?

Just watch COPS and give me an answer, jeeze

PS, my Dad was bald and he wasn't such a bad guy, there goes your generalization.

[HarukaTheTrophyWife]

125. Haha! I knew it was Morris County!

Last summer, I was cuffed and searched for an unpaid parking ticket in Madison. My car broke down outside of Poor Herbie's. My friend was bartending and she decided to flag down a cop, so I wouldn't get a ticket for overnight parking. She flags down a cop car and I start my walk home. I'm halfway down the block and two cop cars pull around the corner. I'm informed that there was a warrant out for my arrest for an unpaid parking ticket in Denville (that my employer was supposed to pay & I never got a notice about). They told me if I had the exact amount of cash on me, I wouldn't have to go to the station (which is sketchy). I had the money, but not the exact amount. So I'm cuffed and put in the back of the car for my ride to the police station with lights on, even though you can see the police station from there. One cop even suggested that I be "shook down" before I was put in the car.

Once I got there, they had FIVE cops and the "green-hornet" evil meter maid there (in case, they needed a woman to REALLY search me). On the other hand, it was really amusing to see them all try to remember the computer password so they could write up the report. They claimed it was changed recently. The cop writing the report also goes, "um...you don't have tattoos or anything like that, do you?" Mind you, I have seven (six then) and I was wearing a tank top, cargo shorts and sandals so every tattoo on my body was visible. Slightly less stupid cop goes, "Yo man, did you look at her?" About an hour later, I'm offered a ride home, but I elected to walk home instead.

The next day, my boss reimbursed me for the ticket. The bartender felt terrible so I ended up with a night of free drinks & food. She said at one point, she looked out the window and was like, "Wow, Jackie's still talking to the cops!" but then I was gone when she left so she thought it all worked out. However, she also said that if she knew I was getting arrested, she "would have run out kicking and screaming and then it'd be the two of us down there."

It doesn't end there though. According to the Madison Eagle's (allegedly a newspaper) police blotter...
It took place early afternoon. (More like late night/early morning)
Police were assisting me with my car. (They drove around the corner and ran my plates)
Didn't say what it was for. (Parking ticket)
I was released pending a future court hearing (No court, I just had to pay the ticket & fees).

[Critters2]

131. Here, too

I used to work in an office where the cops would have to come and drop off case files several times a week (we did juvenile victim/offender mediations and other juvenile diversion programs). The standing joke was that we had to mop up the testerone after a cop left!

[Strong Atheist]

56. Just the one Kerry/Edwards, but our county is blue ... nt.

[DainBramaged]

85. Then it wasn't a bumper sticker issue but it's the end of the month

And sometimes fishing for a ticket isn't as apparent as it seems.

Maybe the cop didn't have his coffee and donuts yet.:donut: :sarcasm:

[kick-ass-bob]

68. I see you are living up to your screenname.

Nice.

[DainBramaged]

115. Ho hum

[huskerlaw]

47. I don't tailgate...

no, really, I don't. However, I live in LA and at times if you're going the speed limit (even in the slow lane) YOU would be causing a dangerous situation. If the speed limit is 55 and EVERYONE else is going 75-80 mph, causing people to slow down to accommodate you brings about a situation where a multi-car pile up is possible. The police actually pull people over for going the speed limit in that situation for that very reason.

In that situation, if you were going 55 in the slow lane and caused me to be involved in a dangerous situation, I wouldn't tailgate you, I would pass you...and I would flip you off as I did it.

That said, if you weren't causing any traffic dangers (as would be the case in most of the country, lol), and I have room to pass you, I'd probably smile at you as I went past.

[no name no slogan]

52. Absolutely-- it's about the flow of traffic

Minneapolis/St Paul is the 3rd most congested major metro area in the country, and we have similar situations to LA regarding fast lane/slow lane and traffic speed. Somebody doing 55 on an interstate where the limit is 60 but traffic is going 75 will cause a greater danger than somebody going 70 will.

But if you're all alone and there's nobody around you, there's no reason why somebody should tailgate you.

And flipping anybody off on the road, especially if they didn't do it first? Not a wise idea, in this and age. If I get flipped, I usually just smile and wave back. You should see the reactions I get :)

[Strong Atheist]

57. "...YOU would be causing a dangerous situation"

Disagree. You don't like the laws, get them changed. I will stick with obeying the law, thanks.

I'd probably smile at you as I went past.

Wasted, I never make eye contact in traffic.

[huskerlaw]

65. Go ahead and obey the laws

but if you're going 30 mph below the flow of traffic, you'll get a ticket in LA...even if you are going the speed limit.

[Strong Atheist]

88. And then what? Won't I win because I was obeying the law? Or do you lose

on that ticket for NOT obey the law (speed limit)?

[huskerlaw]

92. I'm sorry...

I guess I don't understand your question.

Do you win because you were obeying the law? In the situation in which you're impeding the flow of traffic, you get the ticket regardless of whether or not you were going the speed limit.

Do I lose for not obeying the law? Not in my hypothetical, no. Those people going with the flow of traffic (in this case, speeding considerably) are left alone and the person causing the traffic problem (the one going the speed limit) gets the ticket.

Happens here all the time.

Under other circumstances, that is, on roads which have a slow lane and a fast lane and the flow of traffic is such that someone going the speed limit doesn't impede anything, I have absolutely NO PROBLEM with someone in the slow lane going the speed limit. Depending on my mood and/or road conditions, I may well be that person. As I said originally, I don't tailgate, I merely pass people who are going under whatever speed I feel personally acceptable at that point.

It sounds as though your situation this morning fell into the "I'm not harming anyone, get off my ass and go around" category. In which case, I sympathize and I'm sorry the cop was a prick. My point was merely that there are situations in which a ticket would have been warranted.

[Strong Atheist]

93. You can get a ticket for NOT breaking the law, for NOT going

over the speed limit? Wouldn't you win against the ticket by citing the speed limit?

[huskerlaw]

94. No, the ticket sticks

because you ARE breaking the law. You're impeding traffic. You're creating a dangerous situation.

I know it's counter-intuitive, but in all honesty, people going that far below the flow of traffic (though they're going the speed limit) are just as dangerous as people changing lanes like bats out of hell. People do get tickets for going the speed limit here, and the tickets do stick.

[Strong Atheist]

95. So you get in trouble for NOT breaking the law?

:wtf:

Talk about fucked up ...

[Critters2]

135. Confirms everything I've always thought about LA

[Critters2]

132. What other laws mean absolutely nothing in California

It'd be good to know, in case I ever visit (which isn't likely).

[Left Is Write]

50. Tailgaters make me crazy.

I hate it. I also do the speed limit. I had enough speeding tickets in my youth.

Some people hate it when you're doing the speed limit, even when they could easily pass you. Some people think the speed limit is a guideline and not a rule.

Still...I don't give the finger or any other unpleasant gestures to anyone. You just never know.

[Strong Atheist]

58. Cool, thats fine. I don't suffer people trying to kill me gladly. nt.

[Radio_Guy]

53. I was given a warning once

I was given a warning once, even though I was doing the sped limit in the passing lane. The officer said I was "impeding traffic" by not going faster in the passing lane. I told him I was doing the speed limit and if I went any faster I would be speeding. He said it didn't matter and that my going "too slow" could have caused an accident. This is why I avoid driving in Atlanta like the plague!

[Strong Atheist]

69. Sorry about that. I disagree with the officer. Welcome to D.U.!

:toast:

[Radio_Guy]

79. Thanks.

Thanks.

:hi:

[Strong Atheist]

81. Hi! Have a great (and safe) weekend...

:hi:

[Critters2]

133. Wow, are all cops stupid

Don't they understand the concept of LAW enforcement?

[benburch]

54. Would be hard for me to tailgate...

I am usually 1 MPH BELOW the limit.

(Yep, I'm that guy.)

[Strong Atheist]

70. Fair enough. I do the speed limit, not under, not over. nt.

[YankeyMCC]

55. Speaking as someone who's been

hit several times by tailgaters I "feel your pain".

By the way the list of the people who've ran into me from behind include:
1) My wife (my fiance at the time but I still married her)
2) A catholic priest (and I came out swearing in frustration, I didn't know he was a priest at the moment I came out although I'm not sure it would've mattered, I'd just had my rear bumper replaced the day before from the previous incident)

[Strong Atheist]

71. Thanks. I have had time to calm down, but I still don't like it. Sorry

about your bad experiences.:pals:

[SaveElmer]

66. How I deal with them...

You don't have to hit the brakes...just ease up on the gas...slow down below the speed limit...eventually I find they all pass. About half the time I get the finger as they go by...and I just flash them the peace sign and laugh at them!

[Strong Atheist]

73. Tailgating is one of the things in everyday life that makes me the

maddest. I can be pretty laid back, but not on this subject. As far as I am concerned, tailgaters are LITERALLY (NOT figuratively) trying to kill me. It makes me mad, and I can not be as laid back as you about it...

[kick-ass-bob]

67. Tailgating cops get in trouble. And if they don't they should.

I have seen them hear it in court when the defendant in a speeding ticket case says they sped up only b/c they were tailgating. I have seen 2 judges lay into the cops for that.

I'm sure their superiors don't like it too much either.

THAT might be a third possibility as to why he didn't do anything else, too.

[Strong Atheist]

74. Yeah, maybe. Thanks for the support!

:pals:

[redqueen]

72. People like that feel powerless, and take those opportunities

to inflict their wrath on others... so they can feel powerful.

Sick, twisted, dangerous, loathesome people, IMO.

[LSK]

82. I dont blame you for being pissed

I hate tailgaters too, but I just swear loudly in my car and bang on the steering wheel.

[Strong Atheist]

83. Don't bang on the steering wheel! I did that , and once I missed,

hit some projection hanging out (the hazard, I think), and fractured the bone at the base of my thumb inside my hand...

[GoddessOfGuinness]

86. Other...I don't tailgate, period.

I've seen so many county cops drive aggressively and speed....and I'm not talking about the ones that are on a call. I've seen one woman cop around here cut people off to be the first to get to the red light. I recognized her as she passed me. She had the same platinum blonde bouffant hairdo I noticed on a cop in a McDonalds parking lot as she chucked her trash right on the fucking ground...standing a few feet away from a garbage can!

I've been insulted and yelled at by them. But I consider myself lucky. I'd receive worse treatment if I was black. Complaints are so numerous that they sit unread in files for years, so there's no use wasting my breath.

[Strong Atheist]

89. Yes, I was glad I was not DWB. Who knows what would have

happened.

[Ellen Forradalom]

101. Yes, I don't tailgate either.

It's for the protection of both of us--me and the tailgater. The more the tailgater is glued to my ass, the more distance I give myself up front.

[NMMNG]

87. When drivers get proctological on me

It doesn't prompt me to go faster, it actually causes me to go slower. I do this so they will get so effing cheesed at me that they will have no choice but to go around me. I am not going to speed up to please them, nor am I going to allow them to plow into me because they are d*ckheads.


If someone is doing the limit in the right lane it is highly unlikely that I'll ever get a chance to worry about whether to tailgate him or not. I'm rarely ever in the right lane. In the few instances that I am, I know how to pass a slow moving car. I did take driver's ed in high school after all.

[Strong Atheist]

90. "In the few instances that I am, I know how to pass a

slow moving car. I did take driver's ed in high school after all."

SEE? SEE??? It ain't that hard, folks! Thank you!

[IronLionZion]

96. Trust me, the cop wanted you to speed up

just so he can give you a ticket. I was tailgated for a long time by an Indiana state trooper, but he went after someone else instead. I wasn't so lucky with a Minnesota cop. She gave me a ticket for going 40 in a 30 zone! I did it only because she was on my ass. My only speeding ticket ever!

[Strong Atheist]

97. Sorry about that. You must not have flirted enough! Just kidding!

You may be right about him wanting me to speed ... it doesn't work that way with me; I SLOW DOWN for tailgaters (see what being a jerk gets you? is my philosphy)...

[momophile]

98. This is an excellent poll.

I too do the speed limit (or barely over) in the slow lane and hate tailgaters. But I never flip people off as I am too afraid of road-rage. I don't know the legalities, but wasn't what he did entrapment?

[Strong Atheist]

99. Could be ... not a lawyer ... nt.

[benburch]

100. Cops ride your ass to goad you into speeding.

But that isn't entrapment.

[pokerfan]

103. Not entrapment, but still against traffic laws

I had a unmarked do this to me once when I was on my motorcycle, which is especially unerving because I know that I will lose any collision. He was literally two feet off my tire. I tried slowing down and moving to the right in my lane. There was no oncoming traffic so he could have passed but instead he slowed down and kept riding me. So I sped up to about five over, he stays on my ass. I go to ten over and he stays there. Remember this is an unmarked so I have no idea with whom I'm dealing with. I go to 15 above and he turns on the lights. Said I was speeding. I said fine, I would love to tell a judge about this. He takes my info and looks up my (spotless) record, comes back and tells me it's my lucky day because he's just suddenly been called to a burglary in progress. Yeah, right. :)

I had a car come flying up behind me so fast on the freeway (it was dark, I'm driving my Toyota, I'm in the middle lane of three) that I was bracing myself for impact. He tailgates me for a while so close I can't see his headlights. Then he backs off and makes another run at me, braking just before hitting me. He does this a total of three times, then while talegating me violently jerks himself into the righthand lane and floors it passing me on the right! As he flies past me I am shocked to see that it's a marked State Patrol car. He flies down the freeway, gets behind another car and starts playing the same game with him. I'm like, WTF?

[Strong Atheist]

110. I think SOME police think they can do anything they want ....

sorry about those... that's scary...:scared:

[sakabatou]

105. I don't tailgate as a mainly bike

[Strong Atheist]

111. Lol! nt.

[Nutmegger]

106. Tailgaters make me want to scream!

Is it so hard to pass???!!! I'll never forget when someone actually gave me the finger because I was going sixty (five below the actual limit). UGH!

:mad::mad::mad::mad::mad::mad::mad::mad::mad::mad:
:argh::argh::argh::argh::argh::argh::argh::argh::argh:
:nuke::nuke::nuke::nuke::nuke::nuke::nuke::nuke:

[Strong Atheist]

112. I hear you. Sorry about that. We agree!

:hug:

[Nutmegger]

121. Aw, thank you Strong Atheist

:hug:

[B Calm]

113. Something similar happen to me. Once the cop seen my class A

drivers license he backed off quick. He knew damn well I would fight him and his reckless driving in front of a judge. The bastard was doing over a 100 miles an hour without his lights on.

[Strong Atheist]

114. That is so wrong....

:evilfrown:

[hyphenate]

116. I don't tailgate

because my sister does and it always drove me insane. I hate people doing it to me as well. The only time I am even tempted to tailgate is if someone cuts me off, but usually I will move to the next lane and pass the asshole who cut me off and then get back into the lane in front of them. :)

[Strong Atheist]

117. Yeah, I don't like people who cut me off either, but I hate tailgaters

more...

[HuskerDU]

120. I had the cruise set at 60 mph the other day and some fool

was tailgatining me. Finally, she passed and then immediately slowed down- I had to turn off the cruise so as not to hit her. She was talking on her cell phone too. I could've slapped her.

[spag68]

126. spag68

I always speed, but in the far left lane. I also do not tailgate out of courtesy. If you drove on the LIE on long island you wouldn't last long

[Strong Atheist]

129. Washingto D.C. area. Second most congested in the country.

Really high speeds can't occur...

[maveric]

127. I am an asshole but only tailgate those going slow in the fast lane.

The slow lane is for slower drivers. The fast lane is for those of us who take chances and like to get from point A to point B fast, but safe.
If you are in the slow lane doing the speed limit, great.
Just dont go 55 in the fast lane. It clogs traffic and encouraged road rage.

[Strong Atheist]

128. I don't. nt.

[Jamison]

136. It's funny to "one up" the tailgaters.

My cousin has a 2001 Corvette Z-06 coupe. I once, helped him do some work on it so he let me drive it for the day. I was just tooling along normally when some lady in an Infiniti SUV got on my rear end really hard. I was doing about 50 and I just waved "goodbye" to her out of the window, dropped it into 2nd and hammered the gas. I think she made a futile attempt to keep up. After I slowed back down she didn't bother to try tailgating again.

[Bossy Monkey]

137. Wanna buy a bumper sticker?

http://www.cafepress.com/impracticaljoke.4409608
(Sorry about the price. Cafe Press's base prices are brutal.)
The shop itself is here: http://www.cafepress.com/impracticaljoke
If you can't guess, I agree with you utterly. Though I'm not much of a one for going the speed limit, I can cope with the concept of slowing down if the person in front of me is doing so and I am momentarily unable to pass. Tough one for some people to get their minds around, isn't it?

[Strong Atheist]

138. I just may do that. Thanks! nt.