Follow the tail-lights out of the city

[venta]

One of these days I am going to get round to rigging up some LEDs in my rear windscreen so I can spell "BACK OFF" to the person driving way too close behind me.

I hate tailgaters :(

(Today's finally passed me when I was in the middle lane, pulling onto a roundabout to go straight on. He turned right, from the left hand lane, straight across my bows without a signal.)

Comments

[bateleur.livejournal.com]

I've heard rumours that a new kind of police camera is being trialled on motorways which detects tailgating and records the numberplates of offenders.

In contrast to speed cameras, I find myself approving muchly.

[wimble.livejournal.com]

Cycling home last night, I got to the Traffic lit crossroads between Old Road, Windmill Road, the Slade and ... um, the continuation of Old Road.

So the Volvo at the front of the queue pulls forward to turn right. I also want to turn right, so I pull forward as well, so I'm alongside it, to its left, turning outside it, so I end up on the nearside when we complete the maneouver.

And just as I stop my bike in the middle of the junction, to wait for the oncoming traffic to clear, some idiot comes blitzing through on his bike, from behind me.

He's also turning right, and can't be bothered to wait for a reasonable gap in the traffic, but insists on diving through between the oncoming cars.

There are two stupid maneouvers he could make: to my left, on the outside of the turn; or on the volvo's right, on the inside of the turn.

Oh no. He goes through between us. And narrowly missed me putting an elbow in his gut by accident. Which would have probably cannoned him into the volvo.

Which would have been justice, at least.

[http://users.livejournal.com/_corpse_/]

There are a few extra signals that cars could do with. I propose the following:

Mostly for motorway driving, this addition would be for those moments when you're behind someone moving slower than you, and someone else is approaching from behind in the lane outside you.. but they hesitate in case you're going to pull out like so many nutjobs do. It would basically signal "I'm not a mental-case, so please pass me quickly so I can then overtake in due course."

"Thanks, and I mean that sincerely" and a "Sorry, and I mean that sincerely" indicators might also be useful, as long as they detected the level of sincerity in the driver and fined te driver a thousand pounds for insincere use.

Oh, and a "Get the fuck out of the middle lane, you middle lane hogging spanner... you're supposed to keep left unless overtaking, and you're not overtaking anything, and now a whole stream of other cars have to pull out two lanes to overtake you, you selfish pillock!" indicator would also be handy.

[http://users.livejournal.com/_corpse_/]

Incidentally... that's probably my favourite NMA song.

[smiorgan.livejournal.com]

I hate tailgaters too. It's effectively threatening behaviour in a vehicle, except it's even worse because half of the time it's out of incompetence - so should the person be driving at all?

In London I tend to tap the footbrake, that usually wakes them up.

[broadmeadow.livejournal.com]

You want one of these:

http://www.maplin.co.uk/Products/Module.asp?CartID=04060710033043&ModuleNo=35483&MR=N

Actually, I am sure I have seen one of these moving display things designed specifically to go in the back of a car. Probably in one of those gadget stores - but I can't find any such thing online now.