I have seen this question posed many time in various places. I recently read someone pose the question again. I was thinking about posting my article on this subject in the Safety Tips section of this Blog, however, I decided to post my article in the Biker Laws section, because what you do could result in serious legal ramifications to you. This is however, a cross-over issue regarding legal and motorcycle safety.
Those of us who ride motorcycles have almost certainly been tailgated by a cager in a car or truck. It is not a fun experience, especially if they are driving close to the back of your motorcycle at high speed.
Now I must admit; the question that this article poses, does in fact make me chuckle, because I already know the standard bad assed biker responses that I will hear, such as; “I would throw ball bearings through their window;” “I would swing my homemade gauntlet at their windshield;” “I would flip them off as they passed by;” “I would let them pass, and then chase them down and kick their ass;” “I would turn my head and stare them down.” I even heard one biker say that he would throw pink confetti at them.
In reality, the vast majority of motorcycle rider riders would do none of the things that they boast that they would do. There are however, some bikers and motorcycle riders that would actually do the things mentioned above!
There is no set answer to the question I posed in this article, i.e. what would you do if a car or truck is tailgating you while you are riding your motorcycle.
I will offer my humble opinion and solution based upon my own real world experiences, and based upon common sense.
The first thing that every motorcycle rider knows or should know, is that no matter how big, tough, muscle bound, and bad assed you are, grandma driving her 1980 Buick can easily take you out with just a slight press of the gas pedal or a flick of her wrist on the steering wheel. This also goes for the 16 year old school girl on her cell phone. If you do not know this fact, than you should not be riding a motorcycle. The bottom line is that any time there is a situation where a car meets a motorcycle in an accident, the car will always win. This fact should be self evident.
Your goal as a biker and a motorcycle rider is to avoid impacts with cars at all cost, even if your ego is bruised, and even if you have to give way.
If you are being tailgated by a car, the first thing that you should do is to put your turn signal on, switch lanes, and get the hell out of the way as fast as reasonably possible. This is not rocket science, this is common sense. When the car passes, you just let it go. I will talk about this more later.
If you are on a one lane road, I suggest putting on a right turn signal, and then tapping your breaks to get the cars attention. In some cases this will cause the car to back off if they are simply not paying attention while driving. If it is an intentional tailgater behind you, this maneuver hopefully will not piss them off because they will see that you are trying to get off of the road, and they will back off and give you time to pull over to let them pass. You should then try to pull off of the road at a place where is safe to do so and let the car pass. When the car passes, you just let it go. I will talk about this more later.
Remember, I am talking about life threatening tailgating here, and not simply a car that is a safe distance behind you.
The reason why you want to get out of the way, and let a tailgater pass you is obvious; it is to avoid being rear ended if you are forced to stop or slow down suddenly; if you have a mechanical problem which causes you to slow down suddenly; if you have to switch to your reserve tank if you run out of gas on the main tank, etc. There are voluminous reasons that could cause you to have to slow down suddenly, and your job is to not get hit by the tailgater so you can go home and ride another day.
With respect to the legal ramifications of letting a tailgater pass, there are numerous reasons why it is better to let them pass, and let it go. The number one reason is that you do not want to end up in the hospital or lose your life, just to prove a point that you own the lane and have the right of way. Your job is to ride your motorcycle, and to not get jacked up in the process, so that you can live to ride another day!
Car v. Motorcycle injury accident cases are not pretty, and you sure don’t want to be the victim in such a scenario just to prove a point.
With respect to the options of throwing ball bearings, hitting the other car with a gauntlet, or chasing them down and beating them up, come on; you will either go to jail, or get hit by the cager who is now the victim of an assault and battery or attempted murder. Why would you want to do something so stupid? Do you really want to either give up your life, or your freedom, for some idiot cager who was tailgating you? No way! Chasing a tailgater could also result in an accident where an innocent victim is hurt or killed in an accident. Is it worth it? No! In the above scenario, you now become a criminal and not a victim. I am not willing to give up one day in jail for a stupid tailgater.
With respect to flipping the cager off, why would you want to potentially provoke an incident where the cager in a road rage, decides to take you out with their car on a spur of the moment impulse, or even worse, pull a gun and shoot your ass. It happens! Remember; car v. motorcycle = motorcycle loses. Let your ego go, and just enjoy your motorcycle ride.
With respect to the turning your head to get their attention and/or stare them down option; what if there is something in the road ahead of you? Imagine turning your head back around to discover the horrible scenario of stopped traffic in front of you, or an obstacle in the road ahead of you that you cannot avoid. It takes much more room for a motorcycle to stop than a car. We only have two wheels on a motorcycle. Turning your head would be a stupid thing to do. When you turn your head all the way around on a motorcycle you are putting yourself in extreme danger. This is not recommended because there is a significant chance that you will end up becoming an accident victim. You could also provoke a road rage incident with the tailgater. This is all common sense folks.
With respect to the throwing pink confetti option; come on, you could potentially get dinged for a 2 thousand dollar littering fine, or worse, a criminal charge for assault and battery on the tailgater. You could even provoke the tailgater into hitting you in a road rage incident.
Remember, the tailgater is either not paying attention, or intentionally tailgating you, and is in a rush to get to where they are going. In either case, your best move is to get the hell out of the way as fast and safely as possible, and to let the incident go. This way you are safe, and not yourself facing criminal charges for doing something stupid.
If you are riding your motorcycle and you yourself experience road rage, pull off of the side of the road, take a deep breath, and chill out. Road rage and riding your motorcycle are not compatible! You already have enough problems just riding your motorcycle on the road. The last thing you want to do is to have anger cloud your judgment.
If you are really upset and pissed off try saying this prayer to yourself:
“God, grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, the courage to change the things that I can, and the wisdom to know the difference.”
This prayer works for me everytime!
By Norman Gregory Fernandez, Esq., © 2007
Welcome, my name is 
Norm
Its very cool to read your comments. The serenity prayer is not well known to many. I wish I used it more with my wife and not just my life. Its use makes this world a better place .
Keep on keepin on
tony
Tailgaters are the worst problem I have while riding my motorcycle.
People who drive cars should be better educated on the mechanics of riding a motorcycle; specifically, the dangers we often face while riding, such as debris, potential obstructions of right-of-way, and the like that we must diligently watch for. ALL drivers should be made to take motorcycle safety courses, after all, it’s not only motorcyclists who share the road with motorcycles.
I don’t believe most drivers realize that motorcycles do not have “fender-benders”. They become so secure in the safety of their vehicles that they no longer watch for dangers at all, and do not consider rear-ending a motorcycle to be a danger.
The police should begin enforcing tailgating laws, not only in violations with motorcycles, but cars as well. Vehicles approaching you while tailgating are at a large risk of taking your right of way while they are making a left turn.
I try to ward off tailgaters in several stages. First, I flash my lights a couple of times. Then I flash my brakes and momentary display a palm in a back-off gesture. If they continue to follow too closely, I gradually slow until the distance they are traveling would be considered a safe following distance.
I believe that any maneuver, even one that you would be getting out of their way, being followed at an unsafe speed is dangerous.
For those of you who tailgate, whether on a motorcycle, or in a car – stop! It is ridiculous to put life at danger to arrive somewhere, literally, 2 SECONDS faster.
If I have a deliberate tailgater behind me I prefer to accelarate away to give myself enough space to pull over out of the way safely.
Once the car has passed, wait a couple of minutes for the adrenaline to subside. If you catch the vehicle up keep your distance.
This subject is extremely important to me. I am the one following the speed limit, yet what you are saying is for me to pull over to let this law breaking individual go by so I can be safe? I totally understand that – but there is one problem with that…I would never get anywhere because I would be on the side of the road letting EVERYONE get by. I know you are supposed to go with the flow of traffic. Why is everyone in such a hurry? I bet they would reconsider the next time if they lost someone close to them due to a tailgaiter. So what is the real answer? I have lost sleep over this subject, seriously. It is a very disturbing subject. I do not know why I feel I am doing something wrong by obeying the speed limit.
One doesn’t lose their edge by trying to preserve their own life. Great article, SK
Out here we ride a lot of back roads that have no safe place to turn off and the sides tend to be ditches. There have been times when it takes 2 or more miles before there’s a place to let them pass. And we’re not loafing, just a lot of speeders out here.
Why not press charges for assault? A car tailgating a motorcycle is assault with a deadly weapon, period. I’ve recently mounted my video camera backwards to document the situation, and I will be sending anything I get to the appropriate county prosecutor along with a letter and my offer to press charges/testify. If I don’t get any action from that, the state A.G. and every news outlet I can find will get an ear full.
In the mean time, when there are no other options I will be forced to defend my life and that of my wife with whatever force is necessary.
Lest you think I’m overreacting, I’m talking about cars 3-4′ from your rear tire at 60MPH.
Exactly. The tailgater is TRULY putting ones life at risk. Unintentionally, yes there (are) idiots. There are also city slicker assholes m/f young old & every color who WILL INTENTIONALLY ride you, WONT back off when you let them know.. I stopped carrying when on my bike for this exact reason.
& I do believe in some cases, 55-80mph scenarios, highway , -one should be able to judge or be permitted to defuse / or defend this very possible life threatening situation THAT YOU DID NOT CREATE!!
..God help em if I have my girl with me, I can feel my face twitching & heartbeat in my throat as I write this, as I’m sure others can as well. -We no longer ride (on the roads) due to a lot of things these days- (Texting, internet, & just fcuked people) :/
-& to those kinds of people, oh.. “I pray for you” for alright.
son of bitches.
Careful to *all those who ride (decent).
Follow the lawyers advice above. Like the voice of God speaking to you in that scenario! Awesome advice man
B>W> I can’t wait to see what you get for a response. I am curious to see about how one could enforce this idea. There is never any police or highway troopers around when you need one. My personal pet peeve is when I can feel the heat off the engine tailgating me. I want to jump off and kick their door in……..I don’t do it…..I just think about it. Is this your new girlfriend in this picture Norm?????
Did some more research with the help of a law student. The only law in Ohio that might be applicable is Aggravated Menacing, BUT.. that requires they knowingly threaten you. Quite frankly the car drivers that do this are likely just idiots. The likelihood of any prosecutor taking this on is likely not worth my effort.
Seems the law doesn’t have any recourse for this really. I’m convinced that avenue is pissing in the wind, probably why nobody has done it already.
I will however keep the video pointing backwards, pretty nifty device (POV.1) it’ll record loops and delete old loops unless you tag them. The wireless remove has huge button and it’s easy. Anybody does this I’ll at least have documentation if they hit me, at least then civil action would be possible.
Good point, lately for whatever reason the tailgater situation here has been less of a problem. We’ve been riding different roads, tighter stuff where cars can’t keep up with a relaxed motorcycle pace.
Last weekend had some insane women swerving into the opposite traffic lane repeatedly, trying to pass my wife. Pulled off and called the DUI hotline, provided a description, LP# and direction. Can only hope she was busted.
BW which I could figure out how to do that video tape which keeps taping until needed.
As a cdl holder,I had an eighteen wheeler inches from rear tire while doing 80 mph in a 70mph zone.I10 I also had a passenger.
This weekend I had a idiot cager that stayed on me.I did 50/45 then 75/45 still right on me, with a passenger on the back. When we hit the 4 lane they started coming over before they cleared me then I gunned it. And the 4 lane ended. But I made sure they were no longer on my back tire. I don’t get it, I ride a GSXR THEY CAN’T OUT ACCELERATE ME. The cagers fuss when we fly down the road then tailgate when we are within 10-20mph of speed limit. My bike will probably lose most cars in 2nd gear.
off topic, but..
gixxer, the device I use is a POV.1 camera, it has a loop mode where you specify how many ‘minutes’ of loop you would like. The details are a bit complicated, but basically you leave it running and it keeps 3 loops of specified length, when you ‘tag’ them with the remote it will save 1 or 2 of the loops getting you at least the last ‘x’ minutes of footage. It safes tons of space and basically allows you to ‘go back in time’ as it were.
The device is pricey, but worth it I believe.
I had this happen in mid-Florida last week; kept changing lanes to evade, cager stayed on my tail. I have a cell phone to a Garmin 550 which allows me to talk while driving — something I never do unless presented with this situation. Called 911, they met me 2 miles up the road, and charges were filed against the driver for attempted vehicular assault… a felony in FL. The point made by everyone above is that no matter how Rambo-like your retribution fantasy might be, the only viable recourse is a legal one. In this case, I won, I’m still alive, and one more jerk is off the road and facing the anxiety of prosecution. I’m enjoying his anxiety every single minute, believe me.
Congrats on having Bluetooth on the helmet & turning in some idiot cager. I’m sure ur grateful. I think I’ll have a friend of mine help me find a similar helmet so I can call 4 help in my own described situation. Ill go explain 2 him something’s been going on, & ill go from there. I currently do carry a cell w/ me, so I can also get a description of the car & use the cell the regular way as needed 4 now, since my situation happens ONLY while stopped…. I won’t put up w/ this crap,m& I personally am so mad from yesterday I AM at the very boiling point of pitching up something & throwing it next time I must dodge like I was forced 2 yesterday. I was stopped & BOTH freakin times I was forced right out of my own lane!?!?! Had I NOT gone, I would’ve been rear ended since the car behind me wouldn’t even stop. I’d already spoken w an officer in my town, & was told 2 do whatever I need 2 stay safe out there. We have a main drag where cops sit all the time, so I know that dangerous drivers won’t pull nothing w/ a cop sitting nearby. I only wish there were awaiting cops @ every single intersection, like maybe posted in some enclosures up a pole somewhere!!!!!
There ya go! Anyone faced with this should tell the officer you’d really appreciate an attempted vehicular assault charge & really go into detail to describe the severity of the situation. Deep breaths, try to remain calm…
Keep in mind a good amount of law enforcement also ride or have cop buddies who ride so most will understand.
A helmet cam alone & having a good idea of the laws so you can sound intelligent from the start & get the investigating officer to throw the book at whoever this is putting your life & your loved ones life at risk.
-& in almost all cases, there’s no reason for it other then just being a real prick to someone on a bike .
Norm, you are not kidding. It sucks the joy right out of the ride, and I personally consider this type of behavior to be the equivalent of having a gun pointed at me. Now this is totally OT but I’ve used this bluetooth setup twice on the road and it really works; I consider it to be an essential part of my safety gear. I would suggest looking into a Nolan helmet with their N-Com system, works like a charm. Have also installed Hyperlights in conjunction with the brakes — flashing LED blocks — and would like to say that 99% of the time these seem to have the desired effect.
Space, visibility, and common sense devoid of rage are the three essential components of survival on two wheels. BTW appreciate your website and want to thank you for this valuable service you are providing.
Hey Tony I got your voicemail this evening. I am out of the office for the next 2 weeks but I will try calling you tomorrow!
Norm
Thanks for the comments Carl.
Norm
Well Sam the problem is that on a motorcycle the tailgator can easily kill you, whereas in a car you have more protection. I have handled and am handling cases where bikers were rear ended by cars and it is usually not pretty! As you know, bikers are totally exposed, especially in accidents.
You don’t necessarily need “to pull over,” but you should get out of the way if possible. I for one would not risk my life to prove a point! In my experience, the faster that you go, the faster the tailgator will follow you. If you have to make a sudden stop, you better hope the tailgator does too.
There is a big difference between being tailgated, and not following the flow of traffic.
Norm
Tell us how it goes B W.
Norm
No Sandie. I have tons of pics going back many years. After writing the article I just picked one. Most of my pics are not appropriate for the Blog!
Norm
I cannot give advice on Ohio law. However with the law as stated, i.e. knowingly threaten; a very good argument could me made if there are vehicle states which require that vehicles keep a safe distance from the car in front of them, that there is little doubt under both laws combined, that a vehicle riding inches or even a few feet from a motorcycle in front of them are knowingly threatening them with a deadly weapon.
Even without using a safe distance rule the argument could be made and one. What other reason would a person have for driving inches or a few feet from a motorcycle then to threaten them?
Norm
Well MN I have been in that spot before and to be frank it is scary as hell when you on a motorcycle. A car is one thing but on a motorcycle you are at their mercy. I have been thinking about getting a bluetooth rig on my motorcycle. Right now I have a Garmin, but it is not set up in my helmet to do the bluetooth thing.
Norm
Hell a couple of ton vehicle used improperly is the same as a gun; a deadly weapon.
Thanks for our tip MN, I will look into it.
Norm
I don’t recommend this for everyone, but this is what I do. I ride every year down to the Texas Hill Country with my wife to watch the bluebonnets bloom along the way. It’s a beautiful ride and there are lots of bikes. There must be some bad apples on the road because one thing I noticed during my first two years is that many of the locals HATE bikers, and will tailgate on many occasions. After the second time it happened to me, I decided to take action. (And when I say tailgating, I mean within 3~5 feet at 70 mph).
The last 4 years, I keep a .380 pocket pistol easily accessible to my right hand. When it happens now, I turn on my right blinker, and start slowing down while waving the pistol in a motion for the cage to pass me. Each time they have given me a VERY wide berth with VERY wide eyes. It’s fun, and it likely cures them of that very bad habit (and I don’t even charge them $ for the therapy that I have provided). I guess in a worse case scenario, if it seemed like they were going to accelerate out of anger into my rear end, I would likely hand the pistol to my wife while I accelerated away from the vehicle. She is an excellent shot (from her Army days), and could easily place a couple of rounds into the radiator. The cage engine would fail long before they had a chance to catch me. I would never want for this to happen, but if my life and the life of my wife were in risk of death or serious bodily harm, then I am comfortable using deadly force in defense of our lives. Like I said, this is not recommended for everyone . . . but it’s what I choose to do . . . and it’s worked out so far. 🙂 If you live in the Texas Hill Country, please don’t tailgate a white dresser . . . it might be my wife and I.
Sorry, I meant left hand.
I don’t know Steve. You may run into some loony tune who thinks you are pointing the gun at him and they may shoot you off of your bike or ram you off of your bike. By the way, I am responding to you right now from a Restaurant while sitting at a table eating a late meal, at the Palm Springs American Heat 2011 biker rally, on my Asus Android Tablet!
Norm
Hey, now THAT I LIKE!!!! A pistol???? WOW! I ride a scoot, & am most vulnerable @ mandatory red light & other stops. I was nearly rear ended twice 2 day while stopped,m& was forced out of the way by a cagers who either wanted me gone, or pinned on2 the next car’s bumper. Both times I had 2 just get outta there 4 my immedi8 safety.
I ride in Houston and tailgaters are all over the place here. Thus I went to a custom sticker store and ordered a white reflective sticker with 4″ tall font that reads “BACK OFF!”…It works most of the time, if they get too close, they read it and usualy back off. So yep, that’s me you see on 290 during rush hour every day… And to the silver scion xb that’s always speeding, tailgating, and cutting everyone off, knock that crap off, you’re in a scion… Even my bikes engine is bigger.
I am 50 years old and new to riding. Just got a Triumph Bonneville and love riding, but I have had a few cases of tailgaters, that last one happening just today (hence my google search on this topic leading me to this website).
Your article is well written and very helpful. It is hard not to let my anger cause me to do one of the things you listed, but you are absolutely right…. just let the idiot and the emotions pass. Thank you very much.
Thanks Dave,
Norm
I agree wholeheartedly with not doing anything to provoke them. I use two techniques myself. The palm back signal doesn’t appear to work well, so instead, I make my fist with the thumb out (like a hitchhiking request),hold it out in front of me with my thumb pointing up, and jerk it back quickly a couple of times over my shoulder, telling them to ‘get back’. It seems to work quite often. If they so, I usually follow it up with a ‘thank you’ of some type, sometimes just a biker wave.
I also used to just weave in the lane, this seemed to startle the cagers who are just plain ignorant and make them get back ‘from the crazy biker’. However, it doesn’t matter to the guy in a hurry who just wants to ride your backside.
If these don’t work, I use the two second rule … times two. If two seconds is the appropriate stopping distance, I make sure I have a total of four seconds in front and behind me. The risk isn’t from them hitting me while driving as much as them slamming into me if I have to come to a stop. By giving myself more room in front than usual, I can combat their idiocy. Plus, when seeing the gap, many will go around me anyway, solving the problem.
I respect that changing lanes is a good idea, but that also introduces more risk. I prefer to control the risk by remaining in my lane.
I’m having a similar problem: a few drivers are caging me thru intersections & onto other car bumpers at mandatory stops. Today, I was almost rear ended twice in a few minutes while commuting. Both times the driver wouldn’t stop until I was all the way thru the intersection, & had no other choice but to go against a red light, which is NOT my norm here!?!?!
The next incident was when I was stopped, turning onto the road leading to my local Walmart, & again, I was caged onto the next car’s bumper. The huge car behind me wouldn’t even stop until i was right on the other car’s bumper. When I had the clear, I dodged out of turn, since the car behind me had me nearly pinned against the next car ahead of me. This too, is getting me pissed 2 the point Im seriously considering throwing something. if no be out there is going to protect me against things like this, I’ll have to take matters into my own hands. I don’t really have no other trouble, but just being most vulnerable at mandatory stops. I have a small gas scooter, & I try my best to stay out of the way. I’m now too scared to travel much during the day, which is y I travel at late nite. Now that the notes r getting way 2 cold, Im forced 2 have 2 go during the day. I usually take side roads unless I must take the main road that leads,2 where I’m going, & there’s no other way 2 get there but the main road, which is where I’m most vulnerable. I’m female, on fixed income, & no family. Im all alone out there w/ nowhere 2 turn, & @ my rope’s end. I among many bikers won’t stop riding, & find bikes cheaper on gas. I don’t have a car right now, & winter’s coming, which means ill soon have 2 stay home. Meanwhile, I won’t let some idiots drive me out of the saddle.
Oh yes, the 2’nd incident forced me out of the lane & when I had the clear, I had 2 go out of turn & pass the car I was almost pinned against, & turn early 2 get away from the caver behind me.
2 that rider of who ordered the sticker, I’m glad it worx. I went 2 Walmart & got those reflective letters & made a sign, which worx most of the time. Surely, there’s something we can do about my situation. I was wondering if I should go alert other bikers in the area as the situation permits & have some backup? My situations getting more & more dangerous here. I read a sad article where another lady biker WAS rear-ended while stopped @ a red light, & I’m NOT gonna b next
Well, another idiot closed in on me again 2 day, nearly rear ending, me. I was nearing another stop, & as we’re supposed 2, I slowed 4 the safe stop @ that light. A dark hunter green car was gaining on me so fast, I had 2 pull on the curb & let him by. He then later stopped @ the next stop down the road & got out of his car, started after me, & almost physically attacked me, had I not throttled it & got away. He was actually closing in on me as I was getting out of his way, & this dirty, ugly white haired unkept guy was likely drunk 4 all I know. All I was doing is getting out of the way & got in2 it w/ him as he almost hit me from behind as I was coming 2 that red light… YES, it WAS red, so I was in the right. I never had THIS close of a call since I started riding. I got in2 a deeply heated argument w/ him right there as he was in the wrong 4 following 2 close & NOT slowing down 4 the stop. I got his plate & discription, & turned him in. Things like this is EXACTLY y we NEED stiffer laws & far better protection. That ugly cave man had better b glad I didn’t have a rock in my hand,mas I was in the right 2 defend myself as he was acting very violently as he started chasing me. I have a sign on the bikes back end that tells others 2 back off & stay back. It was not only reflective, but very highly visible, so he had NO excuse 2 NOT c it. I’d just LOVE 2 have take MY version of street justice if I could’ve gotten away w/ it
We really do need stiffer laws where following 2 close @ stops is considered a felony. If ppl lost their licenses 4 rear ending a biker, that would get others thinking 2 back off & leave room. I know if we don’t get some better protection, maybe we bikers should go flip some cages over & send a strong message til we get the protection we need. If no 1 ELSE will protect us, then I guess we must do a little street justice
If enough of us bikers got mad enough 2 take action, we can stand strong against cagers who hate us enough 2 terrorize us. If we flipped over the cages of those who keep terrorizing us, then those monsters wouldn’t b able 2 terrorize no 1 else, & that cage would b off the road, never again 2 hurt another biker
Something must b done, & if the law won’t protect us, we must then protect ourselves in any way possible.
Glad to have read this, informative article and comments.
Recently had some big pick-up tailgate me on a 2 lane road. Was doing the speed limit and the area is infested with deer. Mine is a ‘stand your ground’ state.
Agree with the author that it’s best to avoid, but it’s complicated… what if tailgater decides to follow u when u pull off the road and run u over?
It’s really impossible to be sure if tailgater is simply in a hurry or seriously mentally damaged. It’s probably the former… but are u willing to bet your life on it?
Not going into details of how my situation played out, it would be too time consuming. Suffice to say I am now getting a CCW license.
People that tailgate have a very serious mental problem which they are such Losers to begin with anyway. Ans since we have a passing lane on the left which they should lean how to use it since Most of them i would say are very Spiteful and are looking for trouble since they must have a very boring life to begin with. I wish that we could’ve much more police on the road to enforce this law to begin with, and this might cut down the problem much more before more innocent people like us get hurt.
I begin my 45 mile commute from Berkeley to Livermore at 4am on my r1150gs. So very little traffic, cruising along at 80-85 in the fast lane around oakland and I see headlights coming up, he had to have been going about 100-110. Move over about 5 seconds before he reaches me and he flys by. Mid to late 90’s beige camry.
Well I end up seeing the same car cruising around 70-75 in castro valley in the fast lane. So I signal and casually pass on the right. He cuts me off without signaling. Figured okay, maybe he was just trying to get out of my way. Now I’m in the 3rd lane and as I’m passing he gets closer to me and I look at him like what the hell are you doing? African american male, just starring at me. I didn’t flip him off or anything. Car>motorcycle etc.
So I pass him and get back in the fast lane at my usual pace and he starts riding my ass. Move over and he keeps tailgating. Now I’m starting to freak out. I couldn’t call 911. I’ve only started riding a month ago. I speed up to 105 and hes still coming. I said forget it, tried to get off the highway and he was still following me.
Topped out the bike around 125 and tried to go as fast as I could the next 10 miles to work. Hoping a cop would show up especially with me flying down 580 but no luck. Not sure when I lost him, didn’t bother looking back.
Times like this I wish a CCW permit in contra costa wasn’t restricted to only millionaires and gov’t officials.
Up by me I have to deal with a lot of crotch rockets weaving in traffic. Just last night I was coming home going 70 in a 70 shifting to the left lane when I hear the roar of a bike coming from behind a few cars back and zooming up the left lane I’m shifting into. The only reason that biker is still alive is because I have blind spot mirrors and I caught a glimpse of him coming out from behind in mid zig and stopped coming over.
If you are going so fast that people don’t have time to react to you being in one spot when you where not even visible because you where in another lane 3 or 4 cars back you have no right to even think about blaming anyone but yourself for what happens when you get hit by the flow of traffic. Shake that fist or head at yourself.
Follow the rules of the road including the speed limit and don’t weave and it will be a lot easier for us drivers to see you all.
That prayer will help me in my car to let it go. It makes me mad because they get offended about nearly being side swiped when they are speeding so fast what was a safe maneuver for the car became unsafe.
Thank you for posting this article Mr.Fernandez. From what I am reading, it seems that the law is not taking an aggressive enough approach to discouraging tailgating. When someone tailgates me I perceive it as a deliberate act of aggression. Driving is a privilege; not a right. Those who abuse this privilege should be punished. Oh, how I would love to administer my own type of punishment on these arrogant and offensive vermin but I am not prepared to go to prison for some low-life scumbag. The government and the media have made a big deal out of bullying. Well tailgating is a potentially fatal form of bullying. Look, there are a lot of us who ride motorcycles. There is strength in numbers. Why don’t all of us bikers band together and petition our lawmakers to impose heavy fines, points and even loss of driving privileges to those who abuse their driving privilege and tailgate? We have as much right being safe on the road as the next person. It angers me that anyone should feel they have to acquiesce to abusive drivers out on the road. Please, let’s all get busy and lean on our lawmakers to do something about this problem.
People that tailgate on the road are definitely very mentally sick people that need help very badly the way i see it since they Shouldn’t be on the road to begin with and should have their License taken away from them forever. They are very Pathetic and such Losers as well since Most of the time they really do it on spite to cause Trouble which makes many innocent people like us that can get very badly hurt. Unfortunately there aren’t enough police on the road to look out for these type of people that drive like that when there is No Reason to do this at all in the first place. This is a Law that really needs to be Enforced which will save our life otherwise more people will be at risk if this Doesn’t happen.
Just to add a little more truth to my comment which the speed limit on the road that i drive on is only 50 miles per hr and Most drivers are passing me by like i am only going 30. I keep my speed at 55 and i will stay on the Right Lane which i still get Tailgated which i refuse to go any faster since Most of these drivers are going between 80 to 90 miles per hr which makes it very sad how they can get away with it.
I’m new to biking. I have to say the tailgating is concerning almost to the point where if it doesn’t get better I may quit riding because I feel like I’m threatened. I don’t need to deal with someone rear ending me when being new I’m focused on what is in front of me…
Does the lights that strobe for a second then switch to a sold brake help? Why do people insist on trailing a bike leaving only 10 feet of space, its insane!