Tailgater gets brake checked... and loses control of his car in the process

[JMoses24]

I didn't rely on the video in the article. Instead, I went to the actual YouTube video.

Upon review of this footage, it's patently obvious that the lead driver didn't have enough room to get into the right lane without creating an unsafe situation for the drivers in the right lane. Furthermore, this video actually shows the lead driver getting into the right lane, as the SUV in the right lane (in front of the truck from which this video is recorded) gets off onto the right shoulder. Given this context, the lead driver's only transgression was the brake check (and PERHAPS leaving the scene). The rest of this is the tailgater's fault.

[Zeffy]

Usually when I can see someone who is gunning it down the lane, I would get over before they end up on my bumper. Besides, the guy entering the roadway is supposed to yield anyway, so the lead driver could've switched lanes (given the distance at when he could've gotten over, which would've given the merging car time to safely tap the brakes and ease in).

But yes, it appears that most of the fault is the douchebag SUV tailgater.

[jeffandnicole]

If there's someone in the left lane and no one in the right lane, there's no reason to yield on the acceleration lane. A motorist is supposed to be in the left lane in order to allow the oncoming motorist room to merge into the right lane!

[Zeffy]

If there's someone in the left lane and no one in the right lane, there's no reason to yield on the acceleration lane. A motorist is supposed to be in the left lane in order to allow the oncoming motorist room to merge into the right lane!

Unfortunately, not many drivers in this area seem to realize that. I almost always ride the center lane until the last merge before my exit before I switch lanes. But there are times where many people do NOT get over when they have the ability too, and instead speed up to prevent the person merging from accelerating into the flow of traffic!

[Jardine]

If there's someone in the left lane and no one in the right lane, there's no reason to yield on the acceleration lane. A motorist is supposed to be in the left lane in order to allow the oncoming motorist room to merge into the right lane!

IF they are using their turnsignal correctly.  Otherwise, I 100% totally ignore the sons of bitches.

[Pete from Boston]

If there's someone in the left lane and no one in the right lane, there's no reason to yield on the acceleration lane. A motorist is supposed to be in the left lane in order to allow the oncoming motorist room to merge into the right lane!

IF they are using their turnsignal correctly.  Otherwise, I 100% totally ignore the sons of bitches.

I prefer to yield when practical.  I have no reason to assume the person in the left lane is going to do the right thing and sufficiently warn of their intentions, and the cost to me and everyone else is minimal (particularly when compared to the potential cost of being wrong).

[mgk920]

Southbound (compass westbound) I-41 at County 'N', interchange 146, in Little Chute, WI.  The next interchange is the WI 441 freeway (Northeast Interchange), interchange 145, in Appleton, my hometown.  That is normal workday traffic for that highway and I do understand that WisDOT is beginning to study the remaining four-lane part from WI 15 on the northwest corner of Appleton to Scheuring Rd in De Pere for six-lane upgrades.

Tailgater's plate (WI) 'PRINSES'.   

I do note that the tailgater almost *missed* the cable median barrier at that cop crossover, which would have had far, far worse, very possibly multi-fatal, consequences.  IMHO, those crossovers should be prohibited on interstates and compatibles unless there is no other practical way for someone with a need to get to the other side of the highway.

Mike

[jeffandnicole]

If there's someone in the left lane and no one in the right lane, there's no reason to yield on the acceleration lane. A motorist is supposed to be in the left lane in order to allow the oncoming motorist room to merge into the right lane!

IF they are using their turnsignal correctly.  Otherwise, I 100% totally ignore the sons of bitches.

I prefer to yield when practical.  I have no reason to assume the person in the left lane is going to do the right thing and sufficiently warn of their intentions, and the cost to me and everyone else is minimal (particularly when compared to the potential cost of being wrong).

I would love to travel behind people that say one thing but do the complete opposite. I doubt that anyone here would slow down in an accel lane when there is no traffic in the adjacent lane.

[wanderer2575]

Unless you're a hemorrhoid, get the fuck off my ass.  I don't care what lane I'm in or what is the speed limit.  Get.  Off.  My.  Ass.

Having said that, I'm generally not looking to deliberately piss off someone or incite reckless driving.  I don't camp out in the left lane.  But if I'm there because I'm passing someone or my exit (within the next mile or so) is on the left, and I happen to not be going fast enough for you, that's tough shit on you.  Life is full of disappointments.  I will take my foot off the gas and coast, and then tap my brakes if that doesn't get your attention.  I don't need you plowing into my back seat if someone cuts me off and I have to brake suddenly.

I actually had some a-hole pull this on me just a couple days ago when I was in the RIGHT lane -- freeway carriageway was two lanes wide with heavy traffic volume in both lanes, I was in the right lane which actually was moving a little faster than the left lane.  A-hole was right on my bumper.  I know it's not right, but that's a situation where I deliberately slowed way down (but not slamming on the brakes) to get the message across.

[vdeane]

If there's someone in the left lane and no one in the right lane, there's no reason to yield on the acceleration lane. A motorist is supposed to be in the left lane in order to allow the oncoming motorist room to merge into the right lane!

It's certainly polite, but I don't think it's a legal requirement anywhere; certainly isn't in NY.  People merging are supposed to find a gap where they can slip in at speed and not affect traffic on the mainline.  Unfortunately, in the real world people usually pork on 15 mph below the limit, merge left wherever they can butt in, and only then speed up.

[SP Cook]

First, tailgater simply lacked the driver skills and the quality of motor vehicle to perform at the level he was attempting to.  By being "break checked" he lost control.  S/he should improve her skills and replace his/her SUV with a more appropriate car for the type of driving being attempted.

Second, leaving out the possible exception that the left lane bandit was laying over to allow a merge, he, while not doing anything illegal, is simply, like all left lane bandits, a piece of s**t.  One the right, one the ass (which is different than tailgating), passing at the highest rate of speed possible, on the side road, stay home.  The only acceptable places to be.  Don't be a selfish f**k, KEEP RIGHT.

[Pete from Boston]

First, tailgater simply lacked the driver skills and the quality of motor vehicle to perform at the level he was attempting to.  By being "break checked" he lost control.  S/he should improve her skills and replace his/her SUV with a more appropriate car for the type of driving being attempted.

Second, leaving out the possible exception that the left lane bandit was laying over to allow a merge, he, while not doing anything illegal, is simply, like all left lane bandits, a piece of s**t.  One the right, one the ass (which is different than tailgating), passing at the highest rate of speed possible, on the side road, stay home.  The only acceptable places to be.  Don't be a selfish f**k, KEEP RIGHT.

And they say half of conflict on the road is people showing up with a chip on their shoulder.  Wherever do they get that idea?

[jeffandnicole]

Unless you're a hemorrhoid, get the fuck off my ass.  I don't care what lane I'm in or what is the speed limit.  Get.  Off.  My.  Ass.

Having said that, I'm generally not looking to deliberately piss off someone or incite reckless driving.  I don't camp out in the left lane.  But if I'm there because I'm passing someone or my exit (within the next mile or so) is on the left, and I happen to not be going fast enough for you, that's tough shit on you.  Life is full of disappointments.  I will take my foot off the gas and coast, and then tap my brakes if that doesn't get your attention.  I don't need you plowing into my back seat if someone cuts me off and I have to brake suddenly.

I actually had some a-hole pull this on me just a couple days ago when I was in the RIGHT lane -- freeway carriageway was two lanes wide with heavy traffic volume in both lanes, I was in the right lane which actually was moving a little faster than the left lane.  A-hole was right on my bumper.  I know it's not right, but that's a situation where I deliberately slowed way down (but not slamming on the brakes) to get the message across.

Did you get the message across to the guy behind him...and the guy behind him?  You know...the ones that had nothing to do with the supposed tailgater?

I'll see it often on a highway - a car many cars ahead of me.  They brake, because they're approaching a clearing thinking there may be a cop there, or because they think they're being tailgated, or just because they have no clue what they're doing.  That causes the car behind them to slow down...and the next car...and the next car...and so forth.  Me, being 6, 8, 20 or whatever cars behind, is now also forced to slow down, and because of the chain reaction, most likely I'm slow doing further than the car that originally did the slowing down, and often times now the entire line of cars is travelling 20 mph or more slower than we had been.  And of course, this continues for the cars behind me as well.

So thanks to people like wanderer who is pissed at the car behind them for whatever reason, they have now instigated an entire traffic slowdown at best, or jam at worst, all because they wanted to send a message to one car.

These are the people who should be handed tickets related to aggressive driving.  They are only concerned about the car behind them, but fail to see, or care about, the others in the vicinity.

[Zeffy]

I'm not going to drive more than 5 over if there is a spot where a cop could easily be hiding (around a curve, on the other side of a slope, etc). I'm sorry if that inconveniences everyone behind me, but considering the fact that the law is you shouldn't be going faster than the speed limit at all, I really don't see the point of getting angry that someone is, shockingly enough, following the law.

I'm well aware of the flow of traffic rule; If I'm in front and no one is visible in front of me, then I control the flow. If I choose to do 40 in a 40, then whenever possible go around me. Riding my ass isn't going to do much to change my decision.

If that's "unsafe" driving then have fun getting a ticket going 10 over just to move slightly quicker.

[KEVIN_224]

I didn't rely on the video in the article. Instead, I went to the actual YouTube video.

I pinpointed it to near the Vandenbroek Road overpass, Interstate 41 in Little Chute, WI. The video must be new, since the mile markers signs on Google Street View still showed US Route 41 on them. 

[jakeroot]

For some reason, in my five years of driving (not that long, I know, but bare with me), I really haven't had any problems with tailgaters. Most often, my run-ins are when I'm on a back-country road, and there's usually someone else in front of me preventing me from going faster, but the car behind me doesn't realize that. In the end, I usually overtake, then they overtake, and then we all spread out.

Most of the freeways around here are posted at 60 mph. I usually travel around 68-70. At that speed, I'm passing 80% of all cars, but there's still plenty of drivers who are going faster. Sometimes I'll find myself in the left lane because of semi trucks in the right lane. Because I'm in the left lane, inevitably a driver approaches going faster than me. If there's no one in front of me, I'll speed up to his speed, or faster, and then merge right once there's a gap. I signal early to let him know my intentions. I rarely see brake-checking end well (someone gets pissed, road-rage ensues, or they lose control and crash), and I don't like the water spots that washer-fluid leaves, so I don't use that either. My current method of speeding up and merging over has never failed me. The legality of driving 20 over the limit is questionable, obviously, but neither is brake-checking, at least in Washington: http://goo.gl/sp9RZK (~ 3).

[NE2]

The legality of driving 20 over the limit is questionable, obviously, but neither is brake-checking, at least in Washington: http://goo.gl/sp9RZK (~ 3).

Um...nobody shall brake without using brake lights (or a hand signal)?

[jakeroot]

The legality of driving 20 over the limit is questionable, obviously, but neither is brake-checking, at least in Washington: http://goo.gl/sp9RZK (~ 3).

Um...nobody shall brake without using brake lights (or a hand signal)?

Good point. That subsection has more to do with signals than sudden movements, it would seem.

Brake-checking could be perceived as an attempt at insurance fraud. That's definitely illegal.

[Pete from Boston]

The legality of driving 20 over the limit is questionable, obviously, but neither is brake-checking, at least in Washington: http://goo.gl/sp9RZK (~ 3).

Um...nobody shall brake without using brake lights (or a hand signal)?

Good point. That subsection has more to do with signals than sudden movements, it would seem.

Brake-checking could be perceived as an attempt at insurance fraud. That's definitely illegal.

That's a reach.  Fraud is a serious charge with presumably a much higher standard of proof than that.

Do people that tailgate like this ever consider that they risk their lives to do so?  I'm really impressed with the degree to which we've suppressed not only good sense and patience, but our very survival instincts. I mean, there are going to be slow people.  You can't fix this by tailgating or complaining about it on the Internet.

[SP Cook]

Fraud is lying to get money, more or less.  Break checking is not fraud.

[vdeane]

It's simple, really.  Car A is tailgating car B.  Car B slams on their brakes, knowing that car A will be unable to stop in time.  Because the rear car is legally at fault in any rear end accident, car B then collects insurance money from car A.  Anything other than "car A hit car B" is theoretically "he said, she said", so in the absence of dash cams, it's a flawless plan.

I don't know if that's ever happened, but people backing into the cars behind them definitely does.  It's the reason why dash cams are so popular in Russia.

[kkt]

Just because tailgating is wrong doesn't mean brake checking is right.

[Pete from Boston]

Just because tailgating is wrong doesn't mean brake checking is right.

But tapping the brakes is harmless unless someone is tailgating.  The reverse is not true.  Thus, the creator of the danger is the tailgater, upon whom the burden of safe distance rests.

[jakeroot]

Just because tailgating is wrong doesn't mean brake checking is right.

But tapping the brakes is harmless unless someone is tailgating.  The reverse is not true.  Thus, the creator of the danger is the tailgater, upon whom the burden of safe distance rests.

The tailgater is certainly not the person in the right here. But "tapping" your brakes puts you in a legally questionable bind: on one hand, you want the driver to back off to create a safe following distance, but in order to achieve that, you have to effectively scare them into backing off. That "scare" only exists because you made a sudden, dangerous movement. What if they aren't paying attention and hit you? Instead of playing chicken with them, speed up and get out of their way. Certainly it's not legal to exceed the limit, but it's far less dangerous than brake-checking, and is far less likely to incite road rage. Like I said before, I don't have run-ins with tailgaters because I speed up and get out of their way.

[wanderer2575]

Unless you're a hemorrhoid, get the fuck off my ass.  I don't care what lane I'm in or what is the speed limit.  Get.  Off.  My.  Ass.

Having said that, I'm generally not looking to deliberately piss off someone or incite reckless driving.  I don't camp out in the left lane.  But if I'm there because I'm passing someone or my exit (within the next mile or so) is on the left, and I happen to not be going fast enough for you, that's tough shit on you.  Life is full of disappointments.  I will take my foot off the gas and coast, and then tap my brakes if that doesn't get your attention.  I don't need you plowing into my back seat if someone cuts me off and I have to brake suddenly.

I actually had some a-hole pull this on me just a couple days ago when I was in the RIGHT lane -- freeway carriageway was two lanes wide with heavy traffic volume in both lanes, I was in the right lane which actually was moving a little faster than the left lane.  A-hole was right on my bumper.  I know it's not right, but that's a situation where I deliberately slowed way down (but not slamming on the brakes) to get the message across.

These are the people who should be handed tickets related to aggressive driving.  They are only concerned about the car behind them, but fail to see, or care about, the others in the vicinity.

When the car behind me will plow into my back seat if I should HAVE to stop suddenly, yeah, I'm concerned.  Sorry about that.

I thought I stated pretty clearly that I don't plant myself in passing lanes, and I'm not a crusader out to preach any gospel.  The matter is simply that if you're on my bumper, there is no way in hell you will avoid hitting me if I have to stop suddenly for any reason.  If you're behind me and not keeping a safe stopping distance, I'll do the adjusting.

I'll see it often on a highway - a car many cars ahead of me.  They brake, because they're approaching a clearing thinking there may be a cop there, or because they think they're being tailgated, or just because they have no clue what they're doing.  That causes the car behind them to slow down...and the next car...and the next car...and so forth.  Me, being 6, 8, 20 or whatever cars behind, is now also forced to slow down, and because of the chain reaction, most likely I'm slow doing further than the car that originally did the slowing down, and often times now the entire line of cars is travelling 20 mph or more slower than we had been.  And of course, this continues for the cars behind me as well.

Or someone changed lanes suddenly, or merged in at slow speed.  That chain reaction is the cause of pretty much every "free-flowing" freeway traffic jam anywhere.  Is this a new phenomenon to you?  It's overreaction due partly to general nervousness with high-density traffic and partly because everyone's driving too close to the vehicle ahead to calmly react to variances ahead.  And that's when people think they ARE leaving enough room between cars.