Keep Calm and Drive On The most important rule when dealing with a tailgater is to stay calm. Thats likely not your first reaction, but its the best one. Your initial response is probably some combination of anger at the driver who is way too close and anxiety over the possibility theyll hit you. Let those emotions pass. If you react with anger or fear and start driving erratically, youll only make the situation worse. Continue driving the speed limit, stay cool and obey traffic signals. When You Need to Brake, Take it Slow Tailgating is dangerous because it reduces the space between cars to an unsafe distance. If you suddenly hit the brakes, the tailgater may not have enough time to react and slow down before hitting your car. If youre being tailgated, be extra cautious when you brake. Dont slam on the brakes for no reason and certainly not to be spiteful. Unless its an emergency braking situation, brake gently. You want the tailgater to see you slowing down and have enough time to slow down as well. Get Safely Out of the Way If youre on a multi-lane road and its safe to move to another lane, put on your turn signal and get out of the way. This is the easiest way to deal with a tailgater and end the situation. The driver behind you is being unsafe and if you can solve the problem simply by switching lanes, then do so as soon as possible. If theres not another lane, consider turning into a parking lot. It might be tempting to get angry at the tailgater and not let them pass. Dont let your emotions get the best of you. Tailgating is a dangerous and aggressive driving tactic. Aggressive driving, defined by the National Highway Traffic Safety Association as a combination of moving traffic offenses that can endanger other people or property, is often the result of road rage and a major factor in fatal highway collisions each year. Drive at a Comfortable Speed Theres the chance youll be tailgated on a road where theres no safe way to let the tailgater pass. If youre doing the speed limit, dont speed up. No matter how impatient the driver behind you is, do not break the law and go faster than posted speed limits. Driving at a speed where youre confident and in control of your car is key. Do not be pressured into driving outside your comfort zone. Thats simply swapping one unsafe situation for another. Avoid Confrontation Youve been glaring at the driver in your rearview mirror for 10 minutes when theres finally room for him to pass. Fine. Let him pass, but dont give him dirty looks or make rude hand gestures to let him know exactly how you feel about his tailgating as he speeds away. Responding to an aggressive driver with more aggression is not a responsible way of dealing with a tailgater. Engaging an aggressive driver could escalate the situation into something even worse. The sooner the tailgater drives away, the better. Aggressive driving tactics like tailgating are nerve-wracking. Keep calm, dont overreact, and let the tailgater pass when possible so everyone safely arrives at their destinations.
I was gonna say as a joke, you slam on your brakes, but when I clicked on the youtube video, a bunch of people actually are serious about doing that
Like I dont like tailgaters, but slamming on the breaks just to fuck with them ,doesn't feel like a smart decision either.
Pretty sure you can still get in trouble if someone gets hurt or killed because you wanted to brake-check them because they tail gated you and you thought teaching them a lesson would be fun.
And is it really worth risking a bunch of peoples lives just to teach someone a lesson, how is that any less foolish than the tailgater?
I wouldn't even call that a brake check so much as probably slowing down to let the car entering the freeway in. Yes he's slower traffic in the left lane, but going fast enough to pass the dash cam driver.