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[Martin_1962]

Well. Martin. that is an interesting read. As a bloke I like you, as a driver I think you have some dangerous opinions and ideas about safety.
 

Is this refering to my minimum TED thing or my treatment of a road rager?

The police reported prat I passed was over 10 years ago. I get very little road rage behaviour towards me now - since I drive a car the police love. (Yes tailgating while I was overtaking).

THe dangerously overtaken workmate was in a small Renault and the blocked workmate was in a BMW.

[Martin_1962]

As an ADI mate of mine used to say you very rarely get a person admitting they aren't a very good driver, they will say they aren't very good at playing tennis for example but not admit to being a poor driver.

I know I am not the worlds best driver, I am too scared of crashing to approach cornering limits and night driving I can't handle oncoming traffic too well (over sensitive eyes).

I would say I was better on a bike than I am in a car, but I haven't ridden a bike for about 13 years.

Defiantely a bit slower than when I had the Sunbeam - I used to thrash that everywhere.

However I have quick reactions and above average observation, and I am brilliant at spacial stuff.

I am impatient and hate traffic jams and I get very ratty at non signaller, wrong laners, and MLOCs

[Taxi_Driver]

Simple, if you are being tailgated, leave a much bigger gap between you and the car in front.

Then if you have to brake, you can do it gently, giving you a greater stopping distance.

Then (hopefully) the tailgater won't run into the back of you.

...also it gives him a gap to get into if he wants to overtake, which would be preferable.

Thats sound advice imo AA  

I do a fair bit of motorway driving and if im overtaking and get a tailgater.....i tend to ignore them and pull over when there is a safe gap to my left to let them pass.

What really gets my goat and sorry James for going a bit off topic of tailgaters but i think its related.

Before I pull out, ie from lane 2 to 3 on a motorway to overtake....i study lane 3 from both my drivers door mirror and rear view mirror ( i look in both as you can get a better judgement of speed of approaching car).....to asertain 1. Are there any cars approaching from behind in lane
3 and 2. If i pull out will they need to slow down ie they are going faster than i intend to in overtaking or i wont be able gain speed fast enough.

If i determine that im going to make a car in lane 3 have to slow then i stay where i am until they have passed.....then i check again and dont move until i think i can without slowing a car down in the 3rd lane.

I think thats fairly sensible driving........so why oh why......do others not do this.....how many times driving down a motorway.....that because a driver on an inside lane.....thinks rh indicator on and out i go!   causing me to brake hard in some cases to avoid me hitting them up their arse!

Sorry, as i said bit off topic.....but thats one of my pet hates on motorways  

[MaxV6]

Before I pull out, ie from lane 2 to 3 on a motorway to overtake....i study lane 3 from both my drivers door mirror and rear view mirror ( i look in both as you can get a better judgement of speed of approaching car).....to asertain 1. Are there any cars approaching from behind in lane
3 and 2. If i pull out will they need to slow down ie they are going faster than i intend to in overtaking or i wont be able gain speed fast enough.
 
If i determine that im going to make a car in lane 3 have to slow then i stay where i am until they have passed.....then i check again and dont move until i think i can without slowing a car down in the 3rd lane.
 

THAT is a neat and concise approximation of what i was trying to say earlier. although it applies equally to moves from lane 1 to 2....



nice one Taxi.

[GaryB]

Years ago, my wife was driving and overtaking a car in lane 2 of a dual carriageway at 70-ish,when some friendly chap came up behind and decided she was not overtaking quickly enough.  I happenned to have my camera (SLR with big telephoto lens) under the seat, so pulled it out and 'framed' the other bloke (too close for his number plate).  As soon as he saw the camera he dropped off to a reasonable distance and we were able to resume our journey in safety (back in lane 1 one the manoeuvre was complete!).

Not always an option, but could still work today if you have a passenger

[JamesV6CDX]

Years ago, my wife was driving and overtaking a car in lane 2 of a dual carriageway at 70-ish,when some friendly chap came up behind and decided she was not overtaking quickly enough.  I happenned to have my camera (SLR with big telephoto lens) under the seat, so pulled it out and 'framed' the other bloke (too close for his number plate).  As soon as he saw the camera he dropped off to a reasonable distance and we were able to resume our journey in safety (back in lane 1 one the manoeuvre was complete!).

Not always an option, but could still work today if you have a passenger

I have seriously thought about a webcam rig-up in the rear window...

[Ghosts in my machine]

If the TV is to believed, it won't be long until insurance companies insist on us having CCTV fitted as a requirement of the policy. Trials have been done in the US and seem to have provided many hours of cheap video footage for "Police Camera Action".

From what I gather, the driver can trigger the unit to record at will. It also records the 30 seconds prior to an accident. As long as you don't need £30,000 worth of kit to download it, it may actually be worth it for the reasons suggested.

     
      
Ghosts....
 
You may well not agree, but as I was trained by police and military originally and worked both in  Buckingham Palace and Downing Street as a professional government chauffeur as well as driving around many very famous people, like Freddie Mercury, Banarama, Ridley and Tony Scott, George Cole, Wham, former President Jimmy Carter on his UK visit in 1986 and many cabinet ministers,  before becoming a professional driving instructor, I really do know what I am talking about. Maybe that is why I have never had a road rage incident or an accident in 27 years!

Ronald, I don't doubt your training and you may well be right. I can only speak from my own experience. I have seen people in front of me doing this manoevure (usually because they have misjudged an overtake) and it does come as an unexpected event (probably because I haven't benefitted from defensive driving training!) and the reaction is usually "What a idiot!". I'd much rather piss off a moron in a BMW tailgating me than some innocent granny driving correctly in the inside lane.