I get followed to closely about half of the time where ever I am in both Highway and City driving. I really don't intend to, and I stay in the center or right lane at all times, but I must be "driving" them nuts.

 

re:
tarabell vbmenu_register("postmenu_47651", true);
Enthusiast


Location: Los Angeles
Hybrids: 2006 HCH, magnetic pearl, no nav
Posts: 43


Re: Following Too Closely



Just front--no wipers on the back, unfortunately. Can cars with back wipers do the spray thing too? Cool.

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MY Prius does...

 

[QUOTE=PriusGuy04]
another rule of thumb i really like is: when you stop behind someone, if you can't see the bottoms of their tires (where they touch the pavement), you're too close.

either way, it also usually allows you some room to dive for the shoulder or the median if you think the bozo coming up behind you ain't gonna stop... or if you realize you need to be in another lane and you just goofed... if you're too close, you can't pull off that kind of lane change, no matter what!

cheers!
+af

 

It freaks me out when they follow too closely, I think becuase I was just rear ended in my 2004 HCH.

Not really yhe samee but...I was stopped at a stop light, hit by a Ford F250. I was stopped far enough back to see the bottom of the tires of the car in front of me and I was hit hard enough to hit the car in front of me who hit the car in front of her.

Whenever possible, I just get out of their way, not need to upset them and put myself in danger.

 

Clyde, it just dawned on me... i wonder why the "other 37%" who aren't bothered or don't care, per the poll.. are thinking!?

even in slow-moving stop-and-go traffic, being followed too closely is a risk to your vehicle as well as your neck joints!

what are they thinking?! "i can get out of the way"?! "it won't happen to me"?!

whew!

 

I hate it when I'm riding with my boyfrined and he gets too close to people. I'm afraid someone is going to brake-check him. That gets me more nervous than people tailgating me, which isn't a usual problem.

 

If I had been in an automatic not a stick, I think I could have pulled up enough to get out of the way but i did not have time to get in gear and creep up enough to get out of the way. I saw him coming and cringed while it happened.

Luckily, I was not hurt - Thank you Honda for making a safe car for me.

 

Amen, Katie! i've always wanted to ask the passenger in a tailgating car why they're willing to endanger themselves with a driver like that. i hope there's a worthwhile payoff... i know MY nervous system wouldn't stand it! i'd look for a trade-in!

seriously, if you were to ask him to "back off a little 'cause it makes you nervous", his answer would, in my not so humble opinion, be a good measurement of whether you should continue to be his "passenger."

 

I don't know, plusaf, you seem to be implying that the passenger has an awful lot of control over the driving habits of the driver, and I just don't think that's reality. Consider how much everyone hates a backseat driver (or a side seat driver, whatever) and add in the defense mechanisms that come along when you could be implying that someone who thinks of herself as safe and environmentally friendly is actually wasting energy or (gasp!) even being unsafe. That kind of backlash usually obscures constructive criticism. It's probably a hard conversation to have.

 

true, Lean [darn, you're good!], and i'll bet most of us have been in that position before, and know how hard it is to start that conversation, let alone create the space for the listener to be open to hear the message!

i'm just getting old, i guess, and it makes me unhappy to see young people let themselves be put at such risk without apparently opening their mouths in ways that might even save their lives.... recently four high school seniors were killed in a high-speed crash near here. they might have been drunk or not, but if two or three of the passengers had made a strong call to the driver to slow down, all four might be alive today....

of course, depending on your beliefs, maybe that's the way "it was supposed to happen", but i'm a strong believer in free will, too...

if i feel i'm in danger, i'm going to speak up, no matter how hard it is. that's a promise i've made to myself. i'm worth enough to me to try to protect me.