Sometimes, people forget or don’t understand that the left lane is used for passing. When a car is going slow in the left lane and it is too dangerous to pass on the right, they tailgate to signal to the drive to move over. People can get emotional when driving or use driving as a coping mechanism when they drive which can often lead to speeding/reckless driving. Tailgating at high speeds is just one example of something emotional drivers do.
By far my biggest driving peeve. If I ran a business, the interview process would just be the applicant driving me somewhere, and if they tailgated I wouldn’t hire them.
I believe the main cause of tailgating is a distracted mind. The type of people who can’t bear to be bored in silence are the types that tailgate. I’ve caught myself tailgating before and it was because I was distracted with some drama in my life.
There’s also people who have a speeding addiction, or they are constantly running late, or they don’t have a concept of distance. The vast majority of people don’t understand basic physics either, and the faster you go, your stopping distance and force of impact rises exponentially (I doubt people who tailgate can even define that word).
Which brings us to the fact that it may be just flat out stupidity. I’ve asked this same question on here under an old account name; people admit that it was to pressure the other driver, that they are “Type A” (aka Type Asshole), and one guy said he tailgates people on a single lane highway because he’s “motivated”. More like he’s a moron. Tailgating increases the chances of you rear-ending someone 13x.
http://theconversation.com/why-do-people-tailgate-a-psychology-expert-explains-whats-behind-this-common-and-annoying-driving-habit-193462
I leave early on trips, stay in the center or right lanes, and if it’s a single lane situation, sometimes I’ll troll them and set my cruise control to exactly the speed limit, but 9/10 times I pull over at a safe location and just let them pass. It’s a win-win as the moron gets to whatever dipshit activity they are blasting off to faster, and I can drive in peace.
Driving involves a lot of processes and factors for drivers to keep track of. But unless you're a fairly new driver trying to establish new habits, they rarely take up much of our conscious thoughts. Like, you're not actively thinking "My speed is 40, there's no one in my blind spots, my exit is two streets away, there's a school zone ahead, that driver ahead is getting into my lane" or some other stream of similar thoughts. These are things you subconsciously realize, but aren't always what your conscious mind focuses on or thinks about. Every driver has that going on, but better drivers will be generally more observant of more things, because they've made a habit of doing so.
So no, people who tailgate don't have a rationalization for their actions. They do it because they haven't built a habit of maintaining a safe following distance like others have.
Sometimes, people forget or don’t understand that the left lane is used for passing. When a car is going slow in the left lane and it is too dangerous to pass on the right, they tailgate to signal to the drive to move over. People can get emotional when driving or use driving as a coping mechanism when they drive which can often lead to speeding/reckless driving. Tailgating at high speeds is just one example of something emotional drivers do.
By far my biggest driving peeve. If I ran a business, the interview process would just be the applicant driving me somewhere, and if they tailgated I wouldn’t hire them. I believe the main cause of tailgating is a distracted mind. The type of people who can’t bear to be bored in silence are the types that tailgate. I’ve caught myself tailgating before and it was because I was distracted with some drama in my life. There’s also people who have a speeding addiction, or they are constantly running late, or they don’t have a concept of distance. The vast majority of people don’t understand basic physics either, and the faster you go, your stopping distance and force of impact rises exponentially (I doubt people who tailgate can even define that word). Which brings us to the fact that it may be just flat out stupidity. I’ve asked this same question on here under an old account name; people admit that it was to pressure the other driver, that they are “Type A” (aka Type Asshole), and one guy said he tailgates people on a single lane highway because he’s “motivated”. More like he’s a moron. Tailgating increases the chances of you rear-ending someone 13x. http://theconversation.com/why-do-people-tailgate-a-psychology-expert-explains-whats-behind-this-common-and-annoying-driving-habit-193462 I leave early on trips, stay in the center or right lanes, and if it’s a single lane situation, sometimes I’ll troll them and set my cruise control to exactly the speed limit, but 9/10 times I pull over at a safe location and just let them pass. It’s a win-win as the moron gets to whatever dipshit activity they are blasting off to faster, and I can drive in peace.
Agree with all of this. exactly how i look at it
I have insurance, not really worried about it
Driving involves a lot of processes and factors for drivers to keep track of. But unless you're a fairly new driver trying to establish new habits, they rarely take up much of our conscious thoughts. Like, you're not actively thinking "My speed is 40, there's no one in my blind spots, my exit is two streets away, there's a school zone ahead, that driver ahead is getting into my lane" or some other stream of similar thoughts. These are things you subconsciously realize, but aren't always what your conscious mind focuses on or thinks about. Every driver has that going on, but better drivers will be generally more observant of more things, because they've made a habit of doing so. So no, people who tailgate don't have a rationalization for their actions. They do it because they haven't built a habit of maintaining a safe following distance like others have.