Which is worse: tailgating or brake checking?

Discussion, in general

Which is worse: tailgating or brake checking?

Tailgating
2
13%
Brake checking
9
56%
They are exactly equivalent
1
6%
Tailgating is worse, but brake checking AND fleeing the scene of an accident is worse than tailgating
4
25%
They are equivalent, but brake checking AND fleeing the scene of an accident is worse than tailgating
0
No votes
Other
0
No votes
 
Total votes : 16

Which is worse: tailgating or brake checking?

Postby cmsellers » Tue Aug 14, 2018 8:27 pm

So I recently learned the term "brake checking," which is when you suddenly brake in order to mess with tailgaters.

Now, I will admit that when someone tailgates me I will slow down, as far as ten miles below the speed limit on country roads, if I believe it is possible for them to pass me. But this is because I want them off my fucking tail, and my hope is that I will both make it easier to pass me and give them a greater motivation to do it. I do not use the brakes when I do this and do not even take my foot entirely off the gas unless I was already going 45 or below. It is a very gradual slowing to try to avoid an accident.

The fact that people deliberately brake hard to teach tailgaters a lesson is horrifying to me, and yet I am sadly unsurprised that people do it. When I was googling, I came across a YouTube video where we see two sets of cars on the highway which involve a vehicle tailgating dangerously close. In the second set, the front car brake checks, causing the tailgater to drive off the road, which on a highway could be a fatal accident. The driver then keeps driving.

In other words, the driver deliberately caused a potentially fatal accident and then fled the scene. As unlikely as this is in the US, I really hope the tailgater had dash cam footage, and the brake checker got in trouble for it, but I know that it is more likely that the driver got off Scott free.



The YouTube comments being the YouTube comments, most of them are saying that the tailgater got exactly what they deserved. But even the most critical comments are saying that brake checking and tailgating are equally bad. Suddenly, it occurs to me that if YouTube commenters represent the average person, I might actually be an above-average driver despite having believing all my life that I am a below-average one. And it also occurs to me to wonder how common the view that tailgating and brake checking are two sizes of the same coin is.

As I see it, tailgating is—depending on the driver—either negligent or reckless and passive aggressive. Some people tailgate because they are clueless, and most I suspect do it because they are hoping that driving dangerously close to the person in front of them will lead them to increase their speed. However while the behavior that they are doing increases an accident, the goal is not to cause harm to the other driver.

By contrast, brake-checking is malicious. At best, the brake-checker is trying to scare another driver. They might claim that are trying to teach the tailgater a lesson in safety, but I doubt the kind of person who tailgates is likely to learn that lesson. And on the other side of things, in my experience I drive much worse when I am frightened, and I would imagine most people are the same. At worst, a brake-checker is deliberately trying to cause an accident.

But what do y'all think? Are tailgating and brake checking exactly equivalent? If not, which is worse and why?
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Re: Which is worse: tailgating or brake checking?

Postby ghijkmnop » Tue Aug 14, 2018 9:01 pm

Redacted
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Re: Which is worse: tailgating or brake checking?

Postby iMURDAu » Tue Aug 14, 2018 9:51 pm

I'll brake check anyone riding too close to me on a road that isn't a highway. It's their fault for not keeping clear distance if they hit me. Highways are a different game. I'm moving over if I see a vehicle approaching me fast from behind if I'm in the left lane. If I'm in the right lane, they can pass me on the left and if they want to ride my bumper I'll forget where the accelerator is.

Last time I brake checked someone was a few weeks ago on the way home from work. It was after 11 pm and this SUV was riding me and it was annoying because they could have safely passed me multiple times and chose to ride my bumper instead. I even slowed down before a passing spot so they'd get the hint. Anyway, a deer jumped out in front of me so I had to hit the brakes. As I'm doing that the idiot behind me lays on the horn. So I sped away. They sped up to of course get behind me since that's the fun thing to do. I slammed on my brakes and came to a full stop, they went off into someone's yard to avoid hitting me. Then, imagine this, after I resumed driving they got right back on my bumper. When we stopped at the light the passenger began to yell at me, I cut her off with "I've got a dashcam" and that was the end of the conversation.

The person being tailgated isn't causing a potential accident. You should be able to slow your vehicle down for any reason without fear of being hit from behind. You should also be able to avoid hitting things you can clearly see. That's why we've got assured clear distances allowed laws in most places.

If I'm driving and there's a car directly behind me and someone pulls out in front of me causing me to hit my brakes thus causing me to get hit from behind, please tell me how there's no malice intended by the person who is following me so close that they can't stop their vehicle. Brake checking is saying "hey you're too close and could hit me if I need to slow down", it may be malicious to the tailgater but maybe they could try following the traffic laws if they don't want to risk an accident.
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Re: Which is worse: tailgating or brake checking?

Postby cmsellers » Tue Aug 14, 2018 10:09 pm

iMURDAu wrote:The person being tailgated isn't causing a potential accident. You should be able to slow your vehicle down for any reason without fear of being hit from behind.

While the person you dealt with a few weeks ago was awful even by tailgater standards, this reminds me of those people who insist that sitting in the left lane of the highway going 65 is OK because they're going the speed limit.

Other people can be doing illegal and unsafe things too, but two wrongs don't make a right and what you are doing is also illegal and is making things more dangerous.

If I had dealt with your driver, I would have pulled over completely and given them the finger as they passed.
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Re: Which is worse: tailgating or brake checking?

Postby NathanLoiselle » Wed Aug 15, 2018 12:21 am

I'll brake check on the freeway for no apparent reason. Because I'm oblivous and stuff.
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Re: Which is worse: tailgating or brake checking?

Postby Kivutar » Wed Aug 15, 2018 4:03 am

NathanLoiselle wrote:I'll brake check on the freeway for no apparent reason. Because I'm oblivous and stuff.


That was you?
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Re: Which is worse: tailgating or brake checking?

Postby Piter Lauchy » Wed Aug 15, 2018 9:16 am

I think about brake checking every single time I'm being tailgated, but never do it because of the potential harm to everyone around.
Instead I just ignore the tailgator and drive as I would drive if there was no one behind me. That probably annoys them the most.
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Re: Which is worse: tailgating or brake checking?

Postby DoglovingJim » Wed Aug 15, 2018 12:59 pm

Once I get a rear bumper bar I'll be doing a lot of brake-checking, I have no problem with that system. If you are tailgating then you are bringing it on yourself, and you are the one who is legally liable because you couldn't slow down safely.

Brake-checking shouldn't even have to be a thing, I have had people in front of me suddenly stop to turn into a sidestreet without indicating (with other cars coming in the opposite direction so they are stuck) and due to the good gap I can even speed up and zigzag them. Very few times did I get delayed and only once was I temporalily stuck behind them (bastard on the other lane accelerated so we were side by side and I couldn't change lanes).

Tailgating is unsafe and costly in terms of fuel consumption and your brakepads, why anyone does it I have no clue.
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Re: Which is worse: tailgating or brake checking?

Postby iMURDAu » Wed Aug 15, 2018 9:12 pm

cmsellers wrote:
iMURDAu wrote:The person being tailgated isn't causing a potential accident. You should be able to slow your vehicle down for any reason without fear of being hit from behind.

While the person you dealt with a few weeks ago was awful even by tailgater standards, this reminds me of those people who insist that sitting in the left lane of the highway going 65 is OK because they're going the speed limit.

Other people can be doing illegal and unsafe things too, but two wrongs don't make a right and what you are doing is also illegal and is making things more dangerous.

If I had dealt with your driver, I would have pulled over completely and given them the finger as they passed.


There's no law against suddenly slowing down. I mean, I did just about broadside an animal that is large enough to have caused damage to my vehicle and they didn't think it was a good idea to back off after almost hitting me then.

I'm not getting behind idiots. Idiots belong in the rear view whenever possible. That way when they wreck it doesn't affect me.

The reason I am in total disagreement with your tactic of pulling over w/finger extended is that it only rewards their behavior. They tailgate and then I let them pass? Why would they ever stop tailgating if they get that reaction?

And Nathan, you're doing God's work. I hope you're getting paid for it.
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Re: Which is worse: tailgating or brake checking?

Postby Piter Lauchy » Wed Aug 15, 2018 9:48 pm

iMURDAu wrote:There's no law against suddenly slowing down.

But isn't there one against posing a danger on the road? I know here is. And suddenly braking without reason falls under that.
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Re: Which is worse: tailgating or brake checking?

Postby Anglerphobe » Wed Aug 15, 2018 10:22 pm

I prefer to pour buckets of oil and/or caltrops out through the specially designed machicolations in the rear of my car, preferably while twirling my tiny moustache and cackling.
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Re: Which is worse: tailgating or brake checking?

Postby cmsellers » Wed Aug 15, 2018 10:40 pm

iMURDAu wrote:There's no law against suddenly slowing down. I mean, I did just about broadside an animal that is large enough to have caused damage to my vehicle and they didn't think it was a good idea to back off after almost hitting me then.

In nearly states, suddenly stopping without reason and with a car following you counts as reckless driving or a similar offense, though you will probably only be ticketed if you cause an accident. OTOH, Kate told me that Maryland does not mandate the use of turn signal when changing lanes, so you may be right about your state.

iMURDAu wrote:The reason I am in total disagreement with your tactic of pulling over w/finger extended is that it only rewards their behavior. They tailgate and then I let them pass? Why would they ever stop tailgating if they get that reaction?

Again, you remind me of people who drive the speed limit in the left lane. And as someone who speeds on the highway, I can assure you that those people typically lead to me speeding even more when I finally get around them. And I imagine doing things to fuck with tailgaters has much the same effect on them, except that while the left-lane-riders will not see the consequences of their actions, you may.

It takes a particularly obnoxious kind of person to tailgate, and I doubt anything short of an accident or a ticket can change their behavior. I am not sure that even an accident will sway them, particularly if you brake check and give them a convenient reason why they are not at fault.

Assholes gonna ride your ass, and I would rather get them and the danger they pose safely away from me and free myself from the stress of dealing with them. Now, admittedly some tailgaters will ride my ass and then go 10 MPH slower when I let them pass, and I wish an especially slow and very painful death on them, but I would say nine times out of ten it works, and it makes my drive much more pleasant.
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Re: Which is worse: tailgating or brake checking?

Postby Anglerphobe » Sun Aug 19, 2018 6:19 pm

Sometimes you don't need to choose between the two. I've known drivers to tailgate, overtake, and then start brake checking. Usually this will be accompanied by obscene hand gestures and mimed throat cutting.
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To sharpen others, when themselves are blunt."

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Re: Which is worse: tailgating or brake checking?

Postby Kate » Fri Oct 19, 2018 5:15 pm

I am a reformed aggressive driver. Brake checking just encouraged me to tailgate more because I got angry and it became personal. It is conceivable that I have tailgated iMURDAu and he has brake checked me in response, leading me to actively and maliciously tailgate instead of just accidentally getting too close because I am in a hurry and a slow driver is one more thing making my day shitty and I want to get past them asap.

I'm a Sicilian redhead, there is no winning with my temper. I don't drive aggressively anymore (I gave it up for Lent one year and after that kept it up) but back when I was an aggressive driver, you better believe in the heat of the moment I felt brake checkers would get what was coming to them if they did it and I hit them because I couldn't brake fast enough. Helps that I had a crappy car that was worth more totaled than working and a complete disregard for my own life. I mean, I still think brake checkers get what's coming to them if they get hit since they are consciously making a choice to risk getting hit vs. a tailgater potentially just driving poorly. I just don't want to be partially to blame for someone getting hurt by driving like an asshole myself.
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Re: Which is worse: tailgating or brake checking?

Postby cmsellers » Sun Oct 21, 2018 6:51 am

On a lighter note, I rewatched that YouTube video and noticed that this comment showed up.

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