Tailgating is an
odd social phenomenon. Over the few years I've been driving, I've observed a few things about
tailgaters:
- They get really pissed when people tailgate them.
- They're often blown away when someone actually pulls over to the side and lets them by. So much so, sometimes, that they don't know what to do for several seconds. This can result in mental anguish for the tailgater, as (s)he loses valuable chunks of momentum during that time.
- There actually are nice tailgaters. These are the ones who pull back once the car in front of them actually starts going at or above the speed limit.
- They have amazing reflexes. This is because the ones who don't have amazing reflexes stop tailgating when they find they can't afford their car insurance anymore after all the accidents.
- 8% of the time, they actually do really need to be somewhere fast. The rest of the time, it's anyone's guess.
- They sometimes end up getting to their destination a few seconds faster.
- They tend to be very unhappy a lot of the time.
I'm compiling this list in an attempt to aid my own effort to stop tailgating. For me, it's a subconscious thing. I didn't even realize I had a habit of tailgating until a friend pointed out that it was the only aspect of my driving that he didn't like. So I've been trying to fix it. Oddly enough, it's harder than it would seem.
I often tailgate without even meaning to. It's just a bad habit I've gotten into. Luckily, I've never hit someone. But it could happen. So I'm trying to get better. Yay me.