Every so often, you will realize that you are being tailgated. The best thing to do is to try to get the tailgater to pass rather than retaliating. Tailgaters are very dangerous, drastically increasing the odds of an accident. Getting that driver to pass keeps you and others safe.
You may also find yourself wondering why tailgating happens in the first place. You know that it is dangerous, and the rear driver presumably does as well. Why would they do it anyway?
1. They are impatient or in a hurry
Much of the time, the following driver is just in a hurry and feeling impatient. They are tailgating you because they hope it will make it easier for them to pass or they hope that you will drive faster to get away from them. Tailgating could often be avoided if drivers just left home a little sooner.
2. They are angry and aggressive
In other cases, the tailgating driver may be doing it intentionally and aggressively. They do not want to pass, but tailgating is the result of road rage. Maybe they are unhappy with some aspect of your driving – they think you cut them off, for instance – and this is how they have chosen to express their displeasure.
3. They are oblivious or distracted
Finally, some tailgaters may not realize that they are tailgating. Maybe they’re distracted by their cellphone, so they’re not looking at the road. Maybe they are just oblivious and they don’t know what a safe following distance looks like, so they are accidentally tailgating.
No matter why it happens, a tailgater could injure you in an accident. If so, be sure you know what legal steps to take as you seek compensation.
