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What is/are safe way(s) to deter tailgaters?
I'm looking for a way to give a polite message to the driver that is tailgating that they are following too closely and could potentially cause an accident without angering them and possibly making the situation much more dangerous. This could be for a passive tailgater who doesn't even realize they are following too closely and as well for an aggressive tailgater (to which I'm not sure of a solution).
For someone aggressively tailgating, they generally want to pass, so you can slow down and pull to the side, or change lanes if possible, so they can pass you. You don't want to have them around you so letting them pass is your best option. Unless you did something to anger them, like cutting them off. In which case you will either have to deal with it for a short while or call the police because they will likely just tailgate you till they are satisfied. Whatever you do, do not stop or engage them, people die this way.
The problem with the other type is generally they aren't paying attention so there isn't much you can do besides my first suggestion since they won't notice anything you do because they aren't paying attention.
Examine your environment. What's the speed limit? Are you going too slow, or is the tailgater going too fast? Is there a way they could pass you, or you could move out of the way? Give them an opening, if you can. A lot of times, these problems can be solved by focusing on the world around you, instead of just focusing on the angry person behind you.
Of course, if you're dealing with a person who's tailgating you just to be a jerk, then there is little you can do to resolve the problem. Just slow down (gently) to avoid serious damage.
Many are suggesting to use the brakes which seems a very risky proposition.
Someone used the following technique on me when I was inadvertently tailgating a corvette that was driving irresponsibly (he was gunning it when the light changed to hurry up to that next red light.) I assumed he would speed off at any moment so was following a little too close for his comfort.
He put on his hazard lights for a few flashes. That immediately got my attention and did not use the brake at all. This is less abrasive than the windshield wiper method but probably can't be seen as a coincidence but is less likely to further anger someone I would think.
However, none of these answers will likely work for the aggressive tailgater out to get you, so you should probably (try to) let them pass.
I generally do the following::
Ease off on the accelerator
Tap the brakes gently occasionally in the hope that the lights cause them to slow down
Slowing down in either of these ways obviously creates some risk that they'll immediately hit me, but the relative speed would be low so it's better than a serious rear-ending later if I have to stop suddenly.
I had a friend tell me his "trick" today for deterring tailgating and I actually gave it a shot on my commute home.
Basically, if a car is following you too closely, you can pretend to adjust your rear view mirror repeatedly. I just lifted my arm up and slowly wiggled the thing while driving, with my eyes forward the whole time.
The car that was tailgating me let off the accelerator for a couple minutes before resuming with the tailgating. I did it again, and sure it enough he let up some space again! Not sure why, maybe the person behind gets "spooked" that the person in front is watching them (meanwhile they can't actually see the driver)?
A technique I've found useful on occasion is to briefly turn on the headlights. This causes the brake lights to illuminate as if you're braking, but without reducing your speed at all.
The illuminated brake lights are generally enough to get the tailgater to back off (as they think you're slowing down), but since you don't actually lose any speed there's no risk of closing the gap and causing a tail-end collision.
This is a similar approach as the left-foot braking advocated in Lefty's answer, but much easier to accomplish safely (especially if you're not practiced at left-foot braking).
There are, however, a few downsides to the technique:
As a result, this won't be useful under all circumstances. However, it should still be useful to some drivers, under some circumstances.
How do I stop cars from tailgating?
I have a method which works well and/but which I use only in circumstances where it seems likely to reduce and not increase the all round risk. I've used it more on large trucks than cars.
Why do it:
If it makes good sense to let the tailgater go I would generally do so.
This may not be the case in some traffic situations where the tailgater is dangerously close if a stop is required and allowing overtaking is not a good immediate option. Reasons for this can arise for a range of reasosns but two typical situations are if allowing overtaking may
increase the danger as they overtake (some mix of: tight winding road, low visibility, wet, no overtaking lines, ...)
create a situation where my overall 'quality of travel' would be severely degraded with no or vastly less gain (eg stock transporter streaming effluent in a high traffic country road situation - if he overtakes me he is then trapped in front of me and I get splattered with cattle excrement for many miles - dangerous as well as unpleasant.
Warning: Bear in mind in the following situations that a large laden truck may weigh 40 tons and probably mote than 20, and has a stopping distance better than ocean liners and freight trains but much much much worse than for cars. The action should be taken to try to reduce the chance of deathy not to increase it.
Method:
Ease very gently back on throttle to close gap between you and tailgater and, "until you are certain that you have their attention". ie there WILL come a point where they must be aware that the gap is closing towards zero. You are hardly if at all in any more danger at this point as an accident was almost certain in the prior case in the event of a sudden stop.
Then continue to slowly lower your roadspeed and open the gap between you and the vehicle ahead of you. The vehicle behind you has no realistic option but to maintain minimum gp and lower speed. An utter idiot / drunk / man on a mission may make vehicle to vehicle contact, but this is extremely unlikely, and you might as well find out about him now with some degree of control, than later by mistake.
When an "adequate" gap has opened up in front of you accelerate "very crisply" and then brake very visibly (good long burst of brakelights) to arrive at and maintain a safe following distance behind the car in front of you.
The tailgater is now well clear of you, you are at safe speed and distance from the car in front and the tail gater is travelling below queue speed. They can choose to adapt, to now maintain a safe distance, or may "as sometimes happens" accelerate aggressively and get back 'on your tail'. You can repeat the procedure above multiple times and they cannot prevent you doing so BUT odds are that 2 or 3 times max is the most that is useful. It it has not worked after a few applications a modified version will work, one way or another.
Plan B
Drop back as before and stay back. If possible and useful make it possible for them to overtake safely. If they do not overtake and do not increase the following gap you can maintain a following distance that is enough for both of you in an emergency.
Occasions where I would try not to allow them to overtake might be the "stock truck" situation where they cannot go anywhere once they have passed and will then be splattering excrement all over your car indefinitely. In such cases you can generally control the speed and location of the following vehicle. If they are so aggressive as to continue to threaten your life repeatedly then a record of their number plate and a subsequent telephone call may help prevent others being similarly threatened. Large heavily laden trucks generally cannot realistically overtake in such situations if not 'allowed to'.
Again - the aim is to improve safety and reduce risk overall. If you can realistically let them go then doing so will often be the best choice.
You don't want to brake when you're being tailgated — but you do want to activate your brakelights. That's why a friend installed a mechanism to activate brake lights without actually braking. He said that he wasn't sure if it was quite legal — but that it certainly was effective.
Of course, if someone is actively assaulting you, the correct response is to phone emergency services (112, 911, etc., depending on location).
You could put some sort of sign on the back of your car like a piece of poster board in the window (maybe a small piece of plywood and some screws? Although that could damage your car.) that says something about not going any faster so they can just go around.
My experience in my area is some percentage of tailgaters will correct themselves after you flash the brakes, some percentage will correct themselves if you slow down by 5 or 10 MPH, and some percentage will correct themselves after you do both, and this adds up to almost all tailgaters, although some are more stubborn than others.
I usually flash my brakes first, as it also counts as a warning that I'm going to start slowing down. (flashing the brakes is also useful to make sure you're noticed by someone who is a ways behind you and travelling a fair bit faster than you)
"Correct themselves" usually means that they will finally think about passing you, although occasionally it means they will back off a bit (and some will even maintain a reasonable distance for a while after you speed back up).
I am the only person on the road who travels the speed limit, though; if you tend to speed, you'll probably get different results than I do. (also, different areas probably have different driving habits)
I will also advise giving yourself a lot of extra room between yourself and the car ahead of you, so as to reduce the likelihood you'll have to slow down rapidly and consequently exacerbate the danger of being tailgated.
Using the above methods to remain safe. You can always use your wiper blades as a deterrent. Typically if someone is following very closely, it will spray onto their wind shield. Again, only use this method if you are alerting the driver, do not use this method to drive ANGER to the situation, just throw him off his feet for a minute so he realizes he is following closely. I do this all the time and people just move out of the way, no horns, no FU, just a quick pass and they are no longer tailgating me.
Consider why they're tailgating. You should be paying attention to the road and the traffic, driving close to the speed limit (weather/etc. conditions permitting) and staying in the right lane(s) except to pass. If you're substantially under the speed limit, speed up or occasionally move safely off the road to let others pass. If you're in the left lane and you're not passing at a reasonable (quick) rate, move over! No need to "give a message". Stay out of the way of other drivers is the rule that I follow and expect (hope) other drivers will follow.
