Get off my BUMPER

[Mr_Jon]

Its really not as stupid, not even close. Sometimes you have to be proactive to keep yourself and your passengers safe.

You can tap the brakes without activating them but making the person behind realise they perhaps might not be able to stop in time if you HAVE to stop. 9/10 times this is enough to open a gap behind you therefore reducing the possibility of a huge accident at high speed.
The rest of the time if you very gradually reduce your speed forcing the cars behind you to slow, you then also reduce the possibility of a huge accident. Hopefully when you speed up again, there will be breathing space behind you.

If you HAVE to stop and some one is tailgating you then all the cards are out and if no-one gets hurt, it's pure luck.

Best thing to do, if possible, is pull over and let them past then hold a sensible distance behind them.

It is as stupid - it's making a bad situation even worse. At best it's likely to annoy the driver, which could increase their aggression, lead to them lose concentration and compromise the safety of other road users. At worst, the tailgater reacts to the flash by slamming on the brakes, locking up, and having an accident. Sure, not your fault legally - but morally, very questionable. It's sinking to their level.

[Biscuit]

It is as stupid - it's making a bad situation even worse. At best it's likely to annoy the driver, which could increase their aggression, lead to them lose concentration and compromise the safety of other road users. At worst, the tailgater reacts to the flash by slamming on the brakes, locking up, and having an accident. Sure, not your fault legally - but morally, very questionable. It's sinking to their level.

No, at best it does EXACTLY what I said it does, reducing the risks. In practice this has been my experience almost every time.

[CAT-THE-FIFTH]

See if you take the bus you would have none of these issues!

[Mr_Jon]

No, at best it does EXACTLY what I said it does, reducing the risks. In practice this has been my experience almost every time.

Show me a safe driving guide that advocates such behaviour.

[Biscuit]

Show me a safe driving guide that advocates such behaviour.

What a pointless rebuttal. Google it yourself....

Almost all the advise suggests to gradually slow down and let them past.

[jimbouk]

Braking, in pretty much every situation, is the safer option. If someone is driving dangerously close to you and you just carry on and do nothing then you have done nothing to resolve that dangerous situation. If you speed up or slow down there's no guarantee their behaviour will change or the distance will become safer, but at a slower speed the whole situation is safer.

[jimbouk]

See if you take the bus you would have none of these issues!

And if you ride a bike you get the same issues without the ton of metal to protect you...

[Butcher]

The correct response to tailgating is to slowly reduce speed. Using the brakes is advisable as it gives an earlier indication to the tool behind you that you are slowing. What you shouldn't do is brake check them (i.e. slam on the brakes), just a gentle application so they don't smash into you.

[DanceswithUnix]

The correct response to tailgating is to slowly reduce speed. Using the brakes is advisable as it gives an earlier indication to the tool behind you that you are slowing. What you shouldn't do is brake check them (i.e. slam on the brakes), just a gentle application so they don't smash into you.

I can see a few ways that will pan out:

1/ The tailgater is a moron who has no concept of speed and distance, and no idea of why the person in front of them is slowing down. Baffled, they slow down to match and keep what they believe is a safe distance behind you.
2/ The tailgater thinks they are a driving god and the LOSER in front of them is now going even slower. They know their bottom of the range hatchback can stop in 4mm specially with their inhuman reflexes behind the wheel. Perhaps if they stick really close the idiot in front will speed up, they are doing the idiot a favour by not flashing and beeping at them.
3/ The tailgater knows they are superior. They have a Merc, you merely have a VW and as someone down in their perceived pecking order they will bully you until you get into your place, behind them. You haven't move over yet, but as you are slowing down you are clearly getting the message and the plan is working.
4/ It is dark and the tailgater can't see all that well, but thankfully they can just follow the lights on the car ahead. Ooh they are getting closer, that's easier to follow, how nice.

If the person tailgating had any spacial awareness, self preservation or general common sense then they wouldn't be tailgating. IME modifying your driving for a tailgater doesn't in any way help. Ignore them; speeding up increases the potential accident at stake, decreasing fuels their aggression.

[Biscuit]

I can see a few ways that will pan out:

1/ The tailgater is a moron who has no concept of speed and distance, and no idea of why the person in front of them is slowing down. Baffled, they slow down to match and keep what they believe is a safe distance behind you.
2/ The tailgater thinks they are a driving god and the LOSER in front of them is now going even slower. They know their bottom of the range hatchback can stop in 4mm specially with their inhuman reflexes behind the wheel. Perhaps if they stick really close the idiot in front will speed up, they are doing the idiot a favour by not flashing and beeping at them.
3/ The tailgater knows they are superior. They have a Merc, you merely have a VW and as someone down in their perceived pecking order they will bully you until you get into your place, behind them. You haven't move over yet, but as you are slowing down you are clearly getting the message and the plan is working.
4/ It is dark and the tailgater can't see all that well, but thankfully they can just follow the lights on the car ahead. Ooh they are getting closer, that's easier to follow, how nice.

If the person tailgating had any spacial awareness, self preservation or general common sense then they wouldn't be tailgating. IME modifying your driving for a tailgater doesn't in any way help. Ignore them; speeding up increases the potential accident at stake, decreasing fuels their aggression.

Staying infront of them and doing nothing has just as much as chance of "fueling their aggression", the only difference with slowing down and just letting them past is that the chance of an accident, and the scale of the potential accident are greatly reduced.

[Ravens Nest]

You know what annoys me is i try to leave a larger gap between me and the car in front incase they brake suddenly but always within 30 seconds someone either comes up behind goes on the inside lane and then moves into the gap i had between me and the car infront or someone on the slow lane moves into the gap and i have to brake.. soo i give up and then i leave too small a gap to stop people doing that to me (But then i am too near again).

But thinking about that it makes me look like a tailgater, but im not and im am not trying to accelerate the person in front just do not want to have to brake for someone again pushing into my braking distance gap..

i cant win and no im not going in the slow lane with Lorrys and Sunday drivers to allow Mr BMW_Merc_Audi or boy racer to fly by at 80-100mph. (I do go on the slow lane when no-one is there or there doing 70mph)

[Butcher]

All the lanes are the same speed, so there is no slow lane. They're are overtaking lanes, but you should only be in those if you're overtaking. If there's space to get round you on the left then there's space for you to pull over.

[Gerrard]

All the lanes are the same speed, so there is no slow lane. They're are overtaking lanes, but you should only be in those if you're overtaking. If there's space to get round you on the left then there's space for you to pull over.

Whilst technically true, often you end up in situations where there is effectively a queue in the outer lanes waiting to overtake a truck, even though the inside lane is clear. This is because each car is effectively waiting to overtake the car in front.

I thought you were suppose to increase the stopping distance to the car in front if you were tailgated. I guess this is to increase the time for the car behind to react to a situation in front of you and to reduce the chances of them pushing you into the car in front of you when they hit you.

[Butcher]

Whilst technically true, often you end up in situations where there is effectively a queue in the outer lanes waiting to overtake a truck, even though the inside lane is clear. This is because each car is effectively waiting to overtake the car in front.

And if people used all three lanes properly in those situations, there'd be a shorter queue and less annoyed motorists tailgating...

[MLyons]

See if you take the bus you would have none of these issues!

Then you just have to deal with:
people taking ages to find their money or ticket (I mean it's not as if UK busses are instant you have enough time to get them before it arrives)
Buses running late or just not at all
Inconsiderate kids playing music through their phones without earphones.
Inconsiderate kidsnot giving up their seats to older/disabled/pregnant passengers or parents with kids
THE ONE TIME YOU'RE LATE THE BUS BEING EARLY!!!
drivers getting lost (This is at times comical to be fair)

[DanceswithUnix]

And if people used all three lanes properly in those situations, there'd be a shorter queue and less annoyed motorists tailgating...

That's fine, all those people are in lane 3 which is so crammed full it is only doing 40mph expect for the times when it just grinds to a halt, the dodderers are in lane 2 from where they will not budge until 100 yards before their exit ramp, leaving lane 1 quite empty and fairly stress free.

Just don't get annoyed, don't take it personally. As long as I am not sandwiched between a couple of trucks (which is asking for it) then the overtaking lanes are generally not worth the stress.

The problem is tailgaters on the A roads where there is someone in front, nowhere to go, nowhere to overtake, nowhere to pull over. I think part of that is just don't drive near London.