I don’t brake check because it can be seen as aggressive. Instead I choose passive aggressive path and set the cruise control to the exact speed limit. I then decrease it by a single mph incrementally until they back off or we part ways.
I like to “clean” my back windshield, when they are close the water hit their windshield and they usually don’t like that. Maybe it’s cause I just leave it spraying.
I had my fiancé drive behind me and tail me to see how badly my rear windshield cleaner would spray and I got his truck pretty good. Haven't had to do it to anyone yet though, most people in my area are stupid enough to pass on a double yellow if they get mad enough and I just slow way down to let them get back in front of me when they do
My favorite strategy. I keep singing along to my music as I do it. Once had a psychotic mother from my kid's school chasing me on the road like a lunatic because I was already inside the school parking lot and turned right, in front of her, and I guess she felt like I cut in line, even though I was already there. 🤦♀️ Anyway, I have a video of her riding my ass while flipping me off as I gradually drove slower and slower. Then I emailed the video to the principal. 🤣
None for me. It's a small charter school where everyone pretty much knows everyone. So the principal got to see her psychopathic side. No one wants to get a reputation at a small school. I never saw her again after that school year.
Also hit em with your windshield wipers. The spray will usually hits their window too if they are close. Just a little extra to piss them off and let them know you don't give a shit
I don't even see that as passive aggressive. They want to go fast, you don't. So, you keep slowing down until you are going slow enough that they feel safe to pass you. That's more cooperative than anything else.
Before we got our new car always-lights-on I used to switch on the lights. Those drivers are so close they are focused on the back of my car and only see red lights appear. They brake while I drive on, switching off the lights.
I always have to wash my windows when someone gets that close, for some reason. I use vinegar in my washing fluid and that goes right in their air intake. Not harmful to anything but it causes momentary confusion and they back off.
If that doesn’t work and traffic allows, I take my foot off the gas and/or cancel cruise and turn on my emergency flasher…coast to a stop. So either has to pass me, turn off at the next opportunity, or stop until it’s clear to pass me.
Me in my pizza delivery days. Helped keep me from getting dinged for speeding and let me piss off every Jeep owner who thinks it’s their right to blind me and everyone else with their stupid fucking high beams
Live in a rural area and when someone does this to me, I swerve to the right and catch some gravel from the edge of a driveway and throw gravel as I go through, usually gets them to back off.
I have never, will never brake check but what is wrong with these tailgating assholes? If I could drive faster I would. In heavy traffic you can feel how they want to drive right through you. To get behind the next car.
What is the pathology? “Get outta my way! I’m more important!”
I will confess to slowing down to force them to pass.
That pathology is even worse with Mercedes drivers. They are clearly the only important people on the road and are all running late to perform emergency brain surgery on baby nuns.
>I have never, will never brake check but what is wrong with these tailgating assholes? If I could drive faster I would.
Not everyone is like that. Twice on my last long drive through Southern California I thought I was just stuck in miserable bumper-to-bumper traffic, only to discover that the car in front of me (always in either the #1 or #2 lane) had just decided to let a quarter mile of space open up between him and the cars in front of him. I wasn't tailgating, but I probably did pass a bit too aggressively once I saw that.
normally i am going faster than everyone else so nobody is ever on my ass. but if they are, i dont have a problem ignoring them. they have to have insurance to drive a vehicle in my state.
Just because they "have to" doesn't mean they do... I've seen enough Cop Cam videos to know that there are tons of people in states with mandatory insurance laws that absolutely do not have it and haven't for years.
My state too, but my 6month old car was shortened by 2ft at a traffic light by an uninsured guy with an expired license and registration. My car (Saturn) was still drivable, but his baby truck wasn’t. Since no one was injured, the cops towed his truck and let him go. My insurance company found he skipped back to Mexico overnight.
I don’t normally brake check, but one time this kid in a little pickup was driving like an ass and being dangerous. I was in front of him, flowing with traffic. I look in the rear view mirror and he’s on my ass, holding both hands out and yelling. I did a HARD brake check and I watch him hit his brakes so hard that his chest bounced off the steering wheel. I was still laughing when he passed me and flipped me off.
I don't brake check. I take my foot off the gas and let my car coast and slowly slow down.
I'm saving gas! ;)
PS: I have seen it seems to infuriate them MORE than brake checks.
If this is the situation where someone is "carrying"... And you have to worry about being shot at.... Then there truely is a problem with gun ownership and responsible and lawful "carrying".... JFC....
Only the angry nutjobs with blue and red lights on their cars, carry in the country I am in. And they are definitely among the worst when it comes to bad driving habits.
I’ve never been the type of person who feels the need to pass people when I’m on the road, unless they’re driving ridiculously lower than the speed limit. I usually make it a point to go to places and leave enough travel time such that I’m not rushing to places. So if someone in front of me is driving 60 on a 55, I just maintain the 60. That being said, when I stick to that on the right lane, I’ve had aggressive drivers overtake me (sometimes without using their turn signals) and have to slam their brakes immediately after because the car in front of them isn’t going 80 like they want them to!
The only time I brake checked someone was when I was heading home going my usual route down a two lane road. Some lady in a Mercedes was going 20 in a 55 as soon as a passing zone showed up, and I attempted to pass her she speed up to 80 trying to prevent me from passing. I got in front of her and proceeded to slam on my brakes the hardest I could in response to her bullshit she tried to pull.
Ugh, that's the worst. I just drove from San Jose to Portland and I can't tell you how many times I went to pass someone... with my cruise control on... only to have them speed up and run me into the back of the next vehicle. I'm not trying to race you, dude. There are no trophies and you don't have any sponsor stickers on your Hyundai.
I honestly think most people aren't aware they're doing that. It seems people don't want to be passed, so when a car in another lane starts slowly overtaking them, then speed up.
The only fix I've found is to speed up to pass. This seems to short-circuit the automatic "speed up because I'm being overtaken" reaction.
Was she from Minnesota? Because they do that a lot here. Basically, if you're going to pass someone here, you'd better be on your accelerator and make sure you have plenty of room. I've gotten to the point where I don't pass anyone unless they're doing 20+ under the limit, there's lots of room, and I'm potentially going to be behind them for 30+ minutes if I don't pass them. The rest of the time, I just use cruise and let everyone else do whatever they're going to do as long as I'm safe.
I do this and I'll gladly cut them off. I have front and rear dash cams so I can show the judge that I was making a safe pass and THEY sped up to cause the wreck. Oh, and my neck hurts :)
i was driving back up north from mankato last week.. the amount of people driving 10 under the posted speed was driving me insane. luckily nobody tried to pull that speed up so you cant pass crap.
There's a few states where people are bad about that.
I have to go through Mississippi heading out or on the way home when I go on jobs fairly often, and I can always tell when I've hit that state because EVERYONE there seems to be dying to be in front of someone so they can slow down.
You're describing my Mother. But Mom wasn't even aware she was doing that. I had to ask her not to speed up when others are trying to pass. Oopsie. She may have been clueless but she wasn't being malicious. But I'm sorry that you had to experience the entitled fool.
I was going home and this lady behind me was losing her shit about me going the speed limit. Like foaming at the mouth, hair flying losing it.
I just set my cruise control to 1 under the speed limit and watched her implode. She later turned down a residential street. Maybe she had to take a shit?
Uh oh don’t brake check. You don’t want a nut job to rear end you because you did that. You never know how crazy they are or if they’re carrying. Assuming you’re in the US of course!
Yeah, I'll tap the pedal to flash the brake lights, but actually brake check? Hell no, that's inviting the a-hole to rear end you. Sure it's their fault, but who knows if they have insurance and who wants to waste time with that whole mess?
If the tap doesn't work, I'll just lightly ride the rear brake. Most people don't like having brake lights in their face and will back off, or they're aware enough to realize that if my brake lights are on they'll have no warning if I do actually check them. Doesn't always work, some idiots are just too oblivious or obstinate.
Instead of break checking clean your windshield. If they are riding your ass then it will cover their window too. Keep doing it until they back off. It is surprising how much more effective it is to spray a little water at them than slowing down.
If you brake check someone and they rear end you and they have a dash cam, you can be responsible for the accident. And there is a recent video of a car that was brake checking a semi then just stopped in front of it on the highway because of road rage. The semi stopped but another truck behind him crashed into him, which caused it to hit the car. The semi had a dash cam showing the car’s driver was at fault.
Automobiles are heavy and dangerous weapons. What might be petty revenge to you could put you in the hospital if the other driver can’t stop or gets hit himself.
Incorrect. “Failure to maintain a safe distance.” No matter how hard someone in front of you brakes, you should be able to stop on time without hitting them.
Actually, pulling in front of someone just to slam on your brakes in some states seen as reckless driving. If the driver can prove it via dash cam, then it will hold up.
This particular car was weaving in and out of the truck’s lane in a road rage, then cut in front of it from the other lane and stopped hard. That truck was able to stop but the truck behind it didn’t have time to brake and hit it, pushing it into the car. Drivers of cars don’t understand that a semi can’t stop as fast as they can. Even if the truck keeps a safe distance, it takes a few seconds to completely stop, and it’s same with a truck behind it.
But in OP’s case, they were both being dicks, and it doesn’t matter who is at fault if the car is totaled and the driver is injured. In any event, the F150 will have a lot less damage. Fools and their cars are soon parted.
Getting rear-ended at any speed causes whiplash. Having been rear-ended in a corrola by a SUV at 35 mph, caused me to have migraines and disc issues for years. Getting read ended at any speed makes your head whip back and forth, causing the issues.
I had a guy get pissed at me for brake checking him. The problem was that I did not, or so I thought. But as I was driving home after the encounter, I realized what was happening; My Tesla has three driving modes, the one I use is the regenerative braking that breaks any time I come off the accelerator and turns on the brake light. I realized that I had been feathering the accelerator to maintain speed and that gave the on/off brake lights that the guy was complaining about. Wish I could buy him a beer and explain why I was not actively brake checking him.
I don't "brake check" because where I live it is illegal. But I do disengage the cruise control or take my foot off the accelerator and just let the car coast and slow down. I was in a 65mph zone in the slow lane doing 55 and a guy started tailgating me. There were 2 other lanes. So off went the cruise control and my speed bleed off to about 35MPH. He backed off and I then went back to 55MPH and he stayed back. He exited the freeway about 3 miles later and I just continued on.
Brake checking is a red flag that the vehicle is dangerous. It doesn’t tell me I might be doing something wrong, it tells me I need to do whatever is necessary to get around them NOW in the interest of safety.
Are you serious? You don't know if you're doing something wrong if you're 2ft away from the bumper of the car in front of you?
Ok. You win the dumbest comment.
I put my hazards on. It's extremely hazardous to drive THAT close to me. BACK OFF. When they get off my ass, I turn them off. And they go back on as soon as they're on my ass again!
I used to commute on a road that went from 55 to 40 for a short distance through a small town. The road had lots of curves and lots of traffic, no places to pass. I was going 45 and the motherfucker was really up my ass l, being very sassy. So I slowed down to 15 mph and stayed at that speed until they were off my ass. Then I sped back up to 40 and they stayed away. Fuck you, I gave you an extra 5 mph and you didn't appreciate it so now you get nothing.
Brake checking doesn’t have to involve slowing down. You can keep the same speed and just tap the brake with your left foot while keeping your foot on the accelerator.
Nope. They need to behave like adults and not a tiny dicked 3yr old. If I need to go slower, I'll pull over. Otherwise, share the road and don't cry like a bitch when you don't get your way.
A tiny dick 3-year-old gets in the fucking way and brake checks like a bitch. A grown-up pulls over and lets the faster driver get on with his life. Do you think you're the fucking hall monitor for enforcing speed limits? When you're driving slow like that you're in the fucking way. You create the hazard. Of course I just fucking pass people like you, briefly marvel that dipshit losers like you exist, and thankfully get on with my life.
Good on you. I hate how certain truck drivers are that they own the road, are the only ones using their road, and know that they won't get hurt if they crush your car with their unnecessarily large behemoths. I've actually installed a dash cam that also records the rear for instances like this.
Ironically, these criminals who are reckless driving and speeding are 10 times out of 10 the exact same people who rail on against humans escaping to the safety of the U.S. because they are committing a crime, which the truckers can not articulate, in so doing. I'll take the crime of not wanting to die over the crime of maybe causing others to die any day.
I open the values on my exhaust, gap them, and then set cruise control to the speed limit.
Break checking is dangerous. Especially depending on what state you live in. Never know who will shoot you over it or hit your vehicle.
What the hell is it with the "you'll get shot" people? I've been driving for close to 50yrs. If I'm going the speed limit i'm not going above and I'm not pulling over.
I have a 22yr old Porsche Boxster, in great condition. If I put my foot down, it flies!! However, in the small city I’m in, most of the speed limits are 35. I’ll go with traffic flow, neither exceeding or slowing down the cars around me.
The guys with the bigger F150’s are aggressive & have tremendous HP and could really mess me up if they ran into me. It’s not worth it. I just let them have the road. The total value of my car is under $10K now, and they might scratch their bumper while I spend months in the hospital.
I take my foot off the pedal and if they still don't get the message then I flick on my blinkers. Suddenly the car behind me either switches lanes or finds an alternate route!
My sister used to drive for her job. She was with the first visiting nurse agency in our area. Her go to move was to slow down a little and put on her emergency flashers. Worked for her every time.
You need to learn that you’re NOT the traffic police. What you’re doing is exacerbating the situation that can quickly become dangerous.
Don’t like people on your bumper? Move over and let them continue with their stupidity.
You aren't the traffic police. You don't know if he had a medical emergency, going to see a grandparent before they die, had to take a bad crap, etc. "I was not going to pull over and let him pass because....speed limit." That's as much a dick move and a weak power play. Grow up.
No, he's not. But he does not have to accept being forced to drive illegally or dangerously because of someone else's illegal or dangerous driving, which could easily cause an accident with serious injury. Emergencies do not require being an ahole. And frankly, any number of studies ranging from TV news to serious studies have shown that driving aggressively only "saves" about 10 seconds on a 10 mile drive.
Fuck off with this and stop making excuse for shitty behavior.
Hey - maybe I was driving to the ER with a kidney stone? Maybe a child was throwing up in the backseat? MAYBE I was carrying a case of nitro glycerin to blow up a Nazi bridge.
Here's you getting mugged:
>You: I got mugged.
>Them: Why didn't you fight back?
>You: I'm not the police.
You seem like an angry person as the other dude replying to you said. I hope you can learn to better manage your anger.
That being said, I've read multiple sad reddit comments and news articles about people trying to get to the hospital for life threatening emergencies but drivers decided to be road vigilantes leading to a death that could've been prevented.
I suggest you find a class where you can learn more about conflict resolution, anger management, and de-escalation.
Please reread what I said. I did not say it was to save YOUR life, it was that I could save the lives of people in general.
He said you're being a dick and he's right about the fact that you're being a dick. You're acting quite self-centered only thinking about yourself. I don't get the vibe that he's angry in his initial message, he's just but direct with his comment towards you.
You're continuing to prove my point and his point by thinking and caring only of yourself.
And you're acting like a self-righteous harridan desperate to be agreed with.
How close are you to righting all the world's wrongs?
[https://al-anon.org/al-anon-meetings/find-an-al-anon-meeting/](https://al-anon.org/al-anon-meetings/find-an-al-anon-meeting/)
Oh let's be clear I don't care if you agree with me or not. After reading your last two messages you're beyond help. I'm not stopping you, so keep being a miserable dick 👍
It is my opinion that despite the many accolades OP has got from this post (s)he is insecure enough to be hung up on the the few comments disagreeing with their actions & are going to continue with petty remarks until they either feel like they've embarrassed you as much as they are for being called out on their poor behaviour, or until they convince you they did the right thing.
Bravo to you for letting them show their weak character & bowing out of the nonsense.
Yep. I honestly thought OP would be more receptive at first, but I guess not. I'm not gonna respond to any more of OPs messages given they likely won't be receptive to anything I say that goes against their world views.
Honestly I wish that OP would've just acknowledged that they can learn from this situation. I know in this case the truck driver was very much at fault, but in future cases OP might kill someone. I've read extremely depressing posts on reddit where "road vigilantes" as I call them block people trying to rush to the hospital. It's really really depressing and I can't read those posts anymore.
Hopefully in the future OP might be more receptive to constructive criticism.
In the future, you might want to be less masochistic and believing that the words of an internet stranger carry any weight at all. Are you my spouse or my children? Do you know what the name of the sub is?
I took revenge and it was petty. If you're too tenderhearted then find another sub rather than insisting that people acknowledge you. You're not owed that.
Take this with you: "Is it easier to wear slippers or to carpet the world?" - Stuart Smalley.
Do you take insurance? Otherwise, I'm not paying you for your analysis. Who are you to me that I should pay any attention to you?
Looks like you could use this, too. [https://al-anon.org/al-anon-meetings/find-an-al-anon-meeting/](https://al-anon.org/al-anon-meetings/find-an-al-anon-meeting/)
Wow, talk about instant karma! It's always frustrating dealing with aggressive drivers who think tailgating is the solution to everything. Glad you stayed calm and handled it by the book with the cops. Hopefully, that guy learned a valuable lesson about road safety and patience
Oh fuck off with this.
"He's having a bad day. Courtesy does not apply to him."
And he's going to shoot me over that? He'll go to prison and I might die. At least we'll both be off the road.
He just might shoot you over road rage. People are crazy and often armed. We're you in the right? YES! He could have run you off the road or caused an accident. You would still have been right, but you at minimum could have car damage or, at most, end up dead. I'm not saying in any way that his emotional state is a mitigating factor for his behavior, but it may cause him to be even more irrational. You're just lucky you didn't end up hurt. But you were within your rights to drive the speed limit. It is also your right to be an idiot.
I'm sorry - are you my parent or spouse? Do you frequently go around offering advice to strangers? ("I'd put those PopTarts back because they're *really* not healthy for you.")
Did I already tell you to fuck off with this?
Consider this: I could be mentally unstable, too, and REALLY sensitive to criticism.
(I'm not. This is just a way to tell you take your own advice.)
Here you are not listening to me tell you to fuck off with this shit. I listened to your comments...and they were stupid. IF YOU DON'T WANT PEOPLE RESPONDING TO YOUR COMMENTS, DON'T POST.
But continue not following your own advice to me.
Great-Grandma, are you're saying that your hypocrisy isn't a moral question? You know, there are 89yrs old that are finally getting their GED. Let me know if you need help starting the process.
Why should I? Are you going to let someone get in front of you in line at the store because they're being an asshole? You know what that gets us? Everyone bullying each other to be first in line. They're pissed because I'm following the law. Boo. Fucking. Hoo.
No, why should people obeying traffic laws just stop what they’re doing or delay their trip for some asshole who *DOESN’T* by following too close and trying to speed or make the car in front of them speed? Nah. They can deal or wait for a passing area. That’s such ridiculous behavior to condone.
ETA: I’m not condoning the brake-checking in the original posting, but I’m never going to pull over and let someone pass just because they’re being an asshole behind me.
I don’t brake check because it can be seen as aggressive. Instead I choose passive aggressive path and set the cruise control to the exact speed limit. I then decrease it by a single mph incrementally until they back off or we part ways.
I like to “clean” my back windshield, when they are close the water hit their windshield and they usually don’t like that. Maybe it’s cause I just leave it spraying.
Works especially well for me now that my old Volvos rear wiper doesn't work...
I do that on the interstate when I don’t want to slow down. I judge the driving experience by my washer fluid level when I arrive.
I had my fiancé drive behind me and tail me to see how badly my rear windshield cleaner would spray and I got his truck pretty good. Haven't had to do it to anyone yet though, most people in my area are stupid enough to pass on a double yellow if they get mad enough and I just slow way down to let them get back in front of me when they do
I car threw a cigarette out and hit my windshield once , I really had no idea I was following that closely . lol
I slow down to the point where their following distance is a safe distance.
I do the speed limit or this. I also give a 👎 when appropriate instead of a middle finger. That really makes people more unhinged for some reason 🤣
I always downshift a gear or two 😜
Spot the fellow manual driver. Lol
Same
I let my foot off the gas. It works well, too.
My favorite strategy. I keep singing along to my music as I do it. Once had a psychotic mother from my kid's school chasing me on the road like a lunatic because I was already inside the school parking lot and turned right, in front of her, and I guess she felt like I cut in line, even though I was already there. 🤦♀️ Anyway, I have a video of her riding my ass while flipping me off as I gradually drove slower and slower. Then I emailed the video to the principal. 🤣
fallout?
None for me. It's a small charter school where everyone pretty much knows everyone. So the principal got to see her psychopathic side. No one wants to get a reputation at a small school. I never saw her again after that school year.
This is the way
Happy Cake Day!
Happy cake day to you as well!
Thank you!
Happy cake day!
Also hit em with your windshield wipers. The spray will usually hits their window too if they are close. Just a little extra to piss them off and let them know you don't give a shit
I don't even see that as passive aggressive. They want to go fast, you don't. So, you keep slowing down until you are going slow enough that they feel safe to pass you. That's more cooperative than anything else.
Before we got our new car always-lights-on I used to switch on the lights. Those drivers are so close they are focused on the back of my car and only see red lights appear. They brake while I drive on, switching off the lights.
I always have to wash my windows when someone gets that close, for some reason. I use vinegar in my washing fluid and that goes right in their air intake. Not harmful to anything but it causes momentary confusion and they back off.
LOL SAME!
If that doesn’t work and traffic allows, I take my foot off the gas and/or cancel cruise and turn on my emergency flasher…coast to a stop. So either has to pass me, turn off at the next opportunity, or stop until it’s clear to pass me.
I love this lol
This is the way.
I just let go of accelerator.
Me in my pizza delivery days. Helped keep me from getting dinged for speeding and let me piss off every Jeep owner who thinks it’s their right to blind me and everyone else with their stupid fucking high beams
The closer they get, the slower I go! And I usually set the cruise to 1 kph below the limit.
I don’t brake check. I just ease up on the gas. Very gradually.
This is it and if u drive a manual drop a gear so slows down just a little faster without brake lights
Live in a rural area and when someone does this to me, I swerve to the right and catch some gravel from the edge of a driveway and throw gravel as I go through, usually gets them to back off.
I suddenly find the need to clean my windshield. Greatest feat was a guy with a new BMW m3 convertible with the top down. He backed off.
I absolutely LOVE doing this
Install a secondary spray nozzle feeding from its own tank. Fill that tank with buck lure.
I have never, will never brake check but what is wrong with these tailgating assholes? If I could drive faster I would. In heavy traffic you can feel how they want to drive right through you. To get behind the next car. What is the pathology? “Get outta my way! I’m more important!” I will confess to slowing down to force them to pass.
And run your wipers with spray
That pathology is even worse with Mercedes drivers. They are clearly the only important people on the road and are all running late to perform emergency brain surgery on baby nuns.
I thought that was BMW drivers.
Tesla drivers in California
>I have never, will never brake check but what is wrong with these tailgating assholes? If I could drive faster I would. Not everyone is like that. Twice on my last long drive through Southern California I thought I was just stuck in miserable bumper-to-bumper traffic, only to discover that the car in front of me (always in either the #1 or #2 lane) had just decided to let a quarter mile of space open up between him and the cars in front of him. I wasn't tailgating, but I probably did pass a bit too aggressively once I saw that.
My bumper sticker reads: if I passed you on the right, you’re in the wrong lane.
normally i am going faster than everyone else so nobody is ever on my ass. but if they are, i dont have a problem ignoring them. they have to have insurance to drive a vehicle in my state.
Just because they "have to" doesn't mean they do... I've seen enough Cop Cam videos to know that there are tons of people in states with mandatory insurance laws that absolutely do not have it and haven't for years.
My state too, but my 6month old car was shortened by 2ft at a traffic light by an uninsured guy with an expired license and registration. My car (Saturn) was still drivable, but his baby truck wasn’t. Since no one was injured, the cops towed his truck and let him go. My insurance company found he skipped back to Mexico overnight.
I don’t normally brake check, but one time this kid in a little pickup was driving like an ass and being dangerous. I was in front of him, flowing with traffic. I look in the rear view mirror and he’s on my ass, holding both hands out and yelling. I did a HARD brake check and I watch him hit his brakes so hard that his chest bounced off the steering wheel. I was still laughing when he passed me and flipped me off.
I don't brake check. I take my foot off the gas and let my car coast and slowly slow down. I'm saving gas! ;) PS: I have seen it seems to infuriate them MORE than brake checks.
I get it, they're annoying. The problem is, you never know which of these angry nutjobs are carrying.
If this is the situation where someone is "carrying"... And you have to worry about being shot at.... Then there truely is a problem with gun ownership and responsible and lawful "carrying".... JFC....
Life in the U.S. everyday.
None in my country because we have gun control.
Do criminals have guns in your country?
Nope
Only the angry nutjobs with blue and red lights on their cars, carry in the country I am in. And they are definitely among the worst when it comes to bad driving habits.
I’ve never been the type of person who feels the need to pass people when I’m on the road, unless they’re driving ridiculously lower than the speed limit. I usually make it a point to go to places and leave enough travel time such that I’m not rushing to places. So if someone in front of me is driving 60 on a 55, I just maintain the 60. That being said, when I stick to that on the right lane, I’ve had aggressive drivers overtake me (sometimes without using their turn signals) and have to slam their brakes immediately after because the car in front of them isn’t going 80 like they want them to!
The only time I brake checked someone was when I was heading home going my usual route down a two lane road. Some lady in a Mercedes was going 20 in a 55 as soon as a passing zone showed up, and I attempted to pass her she speed up to 80 trying to prevent me from passing. I got in front of her and proceeded to slam on my brakes the hardest I could in response to her bullshit she tried to pull.
Ugh, that's the worst. I just drove from San Jose to Portland and I can't tell you how many times I went to pass someone... with my cruise control on... only to have them speed up and run me into the back of the next vehicle. I'm not trying to race you, dude. There are no trophies and you don't have any sponsor stickers on your Hyundai.
I honestly think most people aren't aware they're doing that. It seems people don't want to be passed, so when a car in another lane starts slowly overtaking them, then speed up. The only fix I've found is to speed up to pass. This seems to short-circuit the automatic "speed up because I'm being overtaken" reaction.
Was she from Minnesota? Because they do that a lot here. Basically, if you're going to pass someone here, you'd better be on your accelerator and make sure you have plenty of room. I've gotten to the point where I don't pass anyone unless they're doing 20+ under the limit, there's lots of room, and I'm potentially going to be behind them for 30+ minutes if I don't pass them. The rest of the time, I just use cruise and let everyone else do whatever they're going to do as long as I'm safe.
I do this and I'll gladly cut them off. I have front and rear dash cams so I can show the judge that I was making a safe pass and THEY sped up to cause the wreck. Oh, and my neck hurts :)
i was driving back up north from mankato last week.. the amount of people driving 10 under the posted speed was driving me insane. luckily nobody tried to pull that speed up so you cant pass crap.
There's a few states where people are bad about that. I have to go through Mississippi heading out or on the way home when I go on jobs fairly often, and I can always tell when I've hit that state because EVERYONE there seems to be dying to be in front of someone so they can slow down.
You're describing my Mother. But Mom wasn't even aware she was doing that. I had to ask her not to speed up when others are trying to pass. Oopsie. She may have been clueless but she wasn't being malicious. But I'm sorry that you had to experience the entitled fool.
I was going home and this lady behind me was losing her shit about me going the speed limit. Like foaming at the mouth, hair flying losing it. I just set my cruise control to 1 under the speed limit and watched her implode. She later turned down a residential street. Maybe she had to take a shit?
Uh oh don’t brake check. You don’t want a nut job to rear end you because you did that. You never know how crazy they are or if they’re carrying. Assuming you’re in the US of course!
Yeah, I'll tap the pedal to flash the brake lights, but actually brake check? Hell no, that's inviting the a-hole to rear end you. Sure it's their fault, but who knows if they have insurance and who wants to waste time with that whole mess? If the tap doesn't work, I'll just lightly ride the rear brake. Most people don't like having brake lights in their face and will back off, or they're aware enough to realize that if my brake lights are on they'll have no warning if I do actually check them. Doesn't always work, some idiots are just too oblivious or obstinate.
Maybe I’m wrong but is’nt that just as bad
"you adjust your distance to my speed or I adjust my speed to your distance".
\^\^\^
Tailgating and break checking are both illegal where I live. Not sure about your state.
Gosh! Good thing I wasn't in your state then, huh?
Instead of break checking clean your windshield. If they are riding your ass then it will cover their window too. Keep doing it until they back off. It is surprising how much more effective it is to spray a little water at them than slowing down.
Did you miss the part where he was in a truck and i was going 30mps?
Like a cat.
Years ago I “adjusted “ the rear washer to get em. Removed the rear wiper arm. I considered adding a separate tank/pump but sold the car.
I just turn my rear view mirror so I can't see them and keep driving. There is nothing anyone can do about the guy behind them.
That's awesome!
If you brake check someone and they rear end you and they have a dash cam, you can be responsible for the accident. And there is a recent video of a car that was brake checking a semi then just stopped in front of it on the highway because of road rage. The semi stopped but another truck behind him crashed into him, which caused it to hit the car. The semi had a dash cam showing the car’s driver was at fault. Automobiles are heavy and dangerous weapons. What might be petty revenge to you could put you in the hospital if the other driver can’t stop or gets hit himself.
Incorrect. “Failure to maintain a safe distance.” No matter how hard someone in front of you brakes, you should be able to stop on time without hitting them.
Actually, pulling in front of someone just to slam on your brakes in some states seen as reckless driving. If the driver can prove it via dash cam, then it will hold up.
This particular car was weaving in and out of the truck’s lane in a road rage, then cut in front of it from the other lane and stopped hard. That truck was able to stop but the truck behind it didn’t have time to brake and hit it, pushing it into the car. Drivers of cars don’t understand that a semi can’t stop as fast as they can. Even if the truck keeps a safe distance, it takes a few seconds to completely stop, and it’s same with a truck behind it. But in OP’s case, they were both being dicks, and it doesn’t matter who is at fault if the car is totaled and the driver is injured. In any event, the F150 will have a lot less damage. Fools and their cars are soon parted.
I think brake Checking may be illegal in some parts.
it should be life in prison.
It's always a pick up that pulls this shit. It's never a mid sized sedan
Brake checking is so dumb bc it's going to hurt you way more if they do rear end you.
At 30mph. I'm sure something will end up shattered.
Getting rear-ended at any speed causes whiplash. Having been rear-ended in a corrola by a SUV at 35 mph, caused me to have migraines and disc issues for years. Getting read ended at any speed makes your head whip back and forth, causing the issues.
...and yet...\*looks at the undamaged rear of my vehicle\* Huh. I didn't get rear-ended. How 'bout dat?
I had a guy get pissed at me for brake checking him. The problem was that I did not, or so I thought. But as I was driving home after the encounter, I realized what was happening; My Tesla has three driving modes, the one I use is the regenerative braking that breaks any time I come off the accelerator and turns on the brake light. I realized that I had been feathering the accelerator to maintain speed and that gave the on/off brake lights that the guy was complaining about. Wish I could buy him a beer and explain why I was not actively brake checking him.
Don't brake check just take your foot off the gas and coast slower and slower until they figure out that tailgating isn't making you go faster.
thanks, Dad.
I don't "brake check" because where I live it is illegal. But I do disengage the cruise control or take my foot off the accelerator and just let the car coast and slow down. I was in a 65mph zone in the slow lane doing 55 and a guy started tailgating me. There were 2 other lanes. So off went the cruise control and my speed bleed off to about 35MPH. He backed off and I then went back to 55MPH and he stayed back. He exited the freeway about 3 miles later and I just continued on.
Brake checking is a red flag that the vehicle is dangerous. It doesn’t tell me I might be doing something wrong, it tells me I need to do whatever is necessary to get around them NOW in the interest of safety.
Are you serious? You don't know if you're doing something wrong if you're 2ft away from the bumper of the car in front of you? Ok. You win the dumbest comment.
I put my hazards on. It's extremely hazardous to drive THAT close to me. BACK OFF. When they get off my ass, I turn them off. And they go back on as soon as they're on my ass again!
I used to commute on a road that went from 55 to 40 for a short distance through a small town. The road had lots of curves and lots of traffic, no places to pass. I was going 45 and the motherfucker was really up my ass l, being very sassy. So I slowed down to 15 mph and stayed at that speed until they were off my ass. Then I sped back up to 40 and they stayed away. Fuck you, I gave you an extra 5 mph and you didn't appreciate it so now you get nothing.
Marry me!
Brake checking doesn’t have to involve slowing down. You can keep the same speed and just tap the brake with your left foot while keeping your foot on the accelerator.
Dumbass. Don't brake check people. Just pull over and let them get on with their lives. You will get your ass beat or worse doing what you did.
Nope. They need to behave like adults and not a tiny dicked 3yr old. If I need to go slower, I'll pull over. Otherwise, share the road and don't cry like a bitch when you don't get your way.
A tiny dick 3-year-old gets in the fucking way and brake checks like a bitch. A grown-up pulls over and lets the faster driver get on with his life. Do you think you're the fucking hall monitor for enforcing speed limits? When you're driving slow like that you're in the fucking way. You create the hazard. Of course I just fucking pass people like you, briefly marvel that dipshit losers like you exist, and thankfully get on with my life.
You’re a tool.
I'm wounded.
Funny thing, I witnessed an aggressive F150 weaving in and out of traffic this morning. I just hung back and cringed every time he cut someone off.
Good on you. I hate how certain truck drivers are that they own the road, are the only ones using their road, and know that they won't get hurt if they crush your car with their unnecessarily large behemoths. I've actually installed a dash cam that also records the rear for instances like this. Ironically, these criminals who are reckless driving and speeding are 10 times out of 10 the exact same people who rail on against humans escaping to the safety of the U.S. because they are committing a crime, which the truckers can not articulate, in so doing. I'll take the crime of not wanting to die over the crime of maybe causing others to die any day.
I open the values on my exhaust, gap them, and then set cruise control to the speed limit. Break checking is dangerous. Especially depending on what state you live in. Never know who will shoot you over it or hit your vehicle.
What the hell is it with the "you'll get shot" people? I've been driving for close to 50yrs. If I'm going the speed limit i'm not going above and I'm not pulling over.
Depends on what state you live in
I love how this got removed because............stuff.
I have a 22yr old Porsche Boxster, in great condition. If I put my foot down, it flies!! However, in the small city I’m in, most of the speed limits are 35. I’ll go with traffic flow, neither exceeding or slowing down the cars around me. The guys with the bigger F150’s are aggressive & have tremendous HP and could really mess me up if they ran into me. It’s not worth it. I just let them have the road. The total value of my car is under $10K now, and they might scratch their bumper while I spend months in the hospital.
I take my foot off the pedal and if they still don't get the message then I flick on my blinkers. Suddenly the car behind me either switches lanes or finds an alternate route!
Did you miss the part where I was on the two lane street with a 30mph?
My sister used to drive for her job. She was with the first visiting nurse agency in our area. Her go to move was to slow down a little and put on her emergency flashers. Worked for her every time.
You need to learn that you’re NOT the traffic police. What you’re doing is exacerbating the situation that can quickly become dangerous. Don’t like people on your bumper? Move over and let them continue with their stupidity.
OOH! IMAX is missing a projector. So you're saying to roll over for other people because...stuff? Like you always do?
Downvoted for being too rational...
ngl I hate people who break check. I might have decided to hit you just for spite
Your a dangerous asshole and should not drive, so is the f150, but 2 wrongs don't make a right
brake checked and snitched, ok
You aren't the traffic police. You don't know if he had a medical emergency, going to see a grandparent before they die, had to take a bad crap, etc. "I was not going to pull over and let him pass because....speed limit." That's as much a dick move and a weak power play. Grow up.
No, he's not. But he does not have to accept being forced to drive illegally or dangerously because of someone else's illegal or dangerous driving, which could easily cause an accident with serious injury. Emergencies do not require being an ahole. And frankly, any number of studies ranging from TV news to serious studies have shown that driving aggressively only "saves" about 10 seconds on a 10 mile drive.
He said himself "I was not going to pull over and let him pass". Dick move. Let them go. He was playing speed police.
Exactly. Let him run ahead, let him get the ticket. Better him than you.
the best part is these people that think they are the speed police, they're also the first ones to roll through stop signs and not use their blinkers.
Fuck off with this and stop making excuse for shitty behavior. Hey - maybe I was driving to the ER with a kidney stone? Maybe a child was throwing up in the backseat? MAYBE I was carrying a case of nitro glycerin to blow up a Nazi bridge. Here's you getting mugged: >You: I got mugged. >Them: Why didn't you fight back? >You: I'm not the police.
You seem to be an angry person. I hope you get better.
You seem like an angry person as the other dude replying to you said. I hope you can learn to better manage your anger. That being said, I've read multiple sad reddit comments and news articles about people trying to get to the hospital for life threatening emergencies but drivers decided to be road vigilantes leading to a death that could've been prevented. I suggest you find a class where you can learn more about conflict resolution, anger management, and de-escalation.
Sure. Gosh. You've saved my life, internet stranger! Nice to see you calling out toptech, too, his non-angry "don't be a dick" response.
Please reread what I said. I did not say it was to save YOUR life, it was that I could save the lives of people in general. He said you're being a dick and he's right about the fact that you're being a dick. You're acting quite self-centered only thinking about yourself. I don't get the vibe that he's angry in his initial message, he's just but direct with his comment towards you. You're continuing to prove my point and his point by thinking and caring only of yourself.
And you're acting like a self-righteous harridan desperate to be agreed with. How close are you to righting all the world's wrongs? [https://al-anon.org/al-anon-meetings/find-an-al-anon-meeting/](https://al-anon.org/al-anon-meetings/find-an-al-anon-meeting/)
Oh let's be clear I don't care if you agree with me or not. After reading your last two messages you're beyond help. I'm not stopping you, so keep being a miserable dick 👍
It is my opinion that despite the many accolades OP has got from this post (s)he is insecure enough to be hung up on the the few comments disagreeing with their actions & are going to continue with petty remarks until they either feel like they've embarrassed you as much as they are for being called out on their poor behaviour, or until they convince you they did the right thing. Bravo to you for letting them show their weak character & bowing out of the nonsense.
Yep. I honestly thought OP would be more receptive at first, but I guess not. I'm not gonna respond to any more of OPs messages given they likely won't be receptive to anything I say that goes against their world views. Honestly I wish that OP would've just acknowledged that they can learn from this situation. I know in this case the truck driver was very much at fault, but in future cases OP might kill someone. I've read extremely depressing posts on reddit where "road vigilantes" as I call them block people trying to rush to the hospital. It's really really depressing and I can't read those posts anymore. Hopefully in the future OP might be more receptive to constructive criticism.
In the future, you might want to be less masochistic and believing that the words of an internet stranger carry any weight at all. Are you my spouse or my children? Do you know what the name of the sub is? I took revenge and it was petty. If you're too tenderhearted then find another sub rather than insisting that people acknowledge you. You're not owed that. Take this with you: "Is it easier to wear slippers or to carpet the world?" - Stuart Smalley.
Do you take insurance? Otherwise, I'm not paying you for your analysis. Who are you to me that I should pay any attention to you? Looks like you could use this, too. [https://al-anon.org/al-anon-meetings/find-an-al-anon-meeting/](https://al-anon.org/al-anon-meetings/find-an-al-anon-meeting/)
No one was speaking to you..
Nope. I carry. Not getting mugged.
For those times you drive the 45mins to Walmsrt for your wife's tampons?
Wow, talk about instant karma! It's always frustrating dealing with aggressive drivers who think tailgating is the solution to everything. Glad you stayed calm and handled it by the book with the cops. Hopefully, that guy learned a valuable lesson about road safety and patience
Who downvoted you? (looks at the comments from F150, BMW and people seems to want me to shoot by the other drive.) Right.
You never know what's happening in his world. For your safety, pull tf over.
Oh fuck off with this. "He's having a bad day. Courtesy does not apply to him." And he's going to shoot me over that? He'll go to prison and I might die. At least we'll both be off the road.
He just might shoot you over road rage. People are crazy and often armed. We're you in the right? YES! He could have run you off the road or caused an accident. You would still have been right, but you at minimum could have car damage or, at most, end up dead. I'm not saying in any way that his emotional state is a mitigating factor for his behavior, but it may cause him to be even more irrational. You're just lucky you didn't end up hurt. But you were within your rights to drive the speed limit. It is also your right to be an idiot.
I'm sorry - are you my parent or spouse? Do you frequently go around offering advice to strangers? ("I'd put those PopTarts back because they're *really* not healthy for you.") Did I already tell you to fuck off with this? Consider this: I could be mentally unstable, too, and REALLY sensitive to criticism. (I'm not. This is just a way to tell you take your own advice.)
If you don't want comments, DON'T POST. This is reddit after all. And you can FUCK OFF TOO
Here you are not listening to me tell you to fuck off with this shit. I listened to your comments...and they were stupid. IF YOU DON'T WANT PEOPLE RESPONDING TO YOUR COMMENTS, DON'T POST. But continue not following your own advice to me.
Now I'm just here to piss you off
So you're doing a 180. Bravo. S'ok. Personal morals are flexible.
Child, this has nothing to do with morals
Great-Grandma, are you're saying that your hypocrisy isn't a moral question? You know, there are 89yrs old that are finally getting their GED. Let me know if you need help starting the process.
Geez, just pull over and let them through.
Why should I? Are you going to let someone get in front of you in line at the store because they're being an asshole? You know what that gets us? Everyone bullying each other to be first in line. They're pissed because I'm following the law. Boo. Fucking. Hoo.
No, why should people obeying traffic laws just stop what they’re doing or delay their trip for some asshole who *DOESN’T* by following too close and trying to speed or make the car in front of them speed? Nah. They can deal or wait for a passing area. That’s such ridiculous behavior to condone. ETA: I’m not condoning the brake-checking in the original posting, but I’m never going to pull over and let someone pass just because they’re being an asshole behind me.