7/21/08

The Free Lance-Star, VA
The driver of a motor vehicle shall not follow another motor vehicle, trailer, or semi-trailer more closely than is reasonable and prudent, having due regard to the speed of both vehicles and the traffic on, and conditions of, the highway at the time. (§ 46.2-816)

--The Virginia Code

OF COURSE, many an argument can be made over the meaning of "reasonable" and "prudent," not to mention "having due regard." In fact, there's room enough in that statute for tailgating to flourish--and, unfortunately, it does.

http://fredericksburg.com/News/FLS/2...7212008/395963

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Well you never are going to 100% rid the tailgating...

Education is the 1st step....
They need to teach this during drivers ED... Need to be burnt into the kids by constantly reminding them every time they drive during training that tailgating will get you killed...

2nd, Parents should take alot more interest into thier kids driving habits.. Most just hand them the key and think that drivers ed taught them so they should be okay... Or the "I simply don't have time" to teach my kids... Perfect example is my little sister, she just turned 16 about 5month ago and got here license, I rode with this girl and oh my gosh was it scary.. I think the fact that she is 100% blond enabled has alot to do with it but drivers ed did not teach her nothing.. taking turns way faster then she should, tailgating, doing 60 on gravel roads and she is a brand new driver???? what the heck!!! We was going to my other sisters house that she just moved to and we didn't know exactly where it was, we seen her car in the drive way and she hit the breaks hard in order to make the driveway entrance I yelled go go go pass it and we will find another spot to turn around, we had a big truck behind us and I know he was back there saying $##%$%$^$^$$^.. Another words she is another person that we see everyday and this tell me that training for kids is simply poor... So, I have done my best to teach her...

3rd, Info commercials on TV how to practice safe driving.. This cost money so, you will never see this, at least not on a scale where it will be showed enough to make an impact... little 30 second clips each showing different safety tips, You know a clip showing how to merge properly by TURNING your head going down the on ramp to look, turn signal, and be going AT LEAST THE SPEED LIMIT of the road you are merging onto at the bottom of the ramp, another would be a clip such as don't ride along the side of a truck, pass the truck don't hang out on the side of it or slow and get behind it... Another words just have about 20 or more different clips that run on TV... We are lazy and constantly need to be reminded to practice safety especially when it comes to driving....

Again you would never see the money spent on such info commercials, Why????? because it would actually work as a safety tool... They much rather spend millions of dollars on camera systems to catch speeders so they CAN MAKE MONEY, because we all know that's what is about, "making money not safety"... that's all they want because if they really wanted "safety" then you would see programs that were much more effective then the money making traffic enforcement......

A 100-watt driving light mounted at eye level, pointing backwards, works wonders.

At least, that's what I heard

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He ain't wrong, he's just different, but his pride won't let him do things to make you think he's right.

If you ask yourself "If this person in front of me makes a sudden stop, will I be able to keep myself from wrecking my beautiful car?" and answer "No" then you're too close. A car length for city driving. 100 feet on the interstate. Much more for a truck driver.

I was thinking somebody should make an invention called the personal flatus device. It'll look like an #$$ you can mount to the back of your car. If you think somebody is riding you too close, simply press the button labeled "Press here for gigantic fart".

j/k

What about just slowing down? The take-that-buddy factor is low, but they do eventually get frustrated and pass.

You CAN'T. Education may be one thing, but people are pretty much FULLY educated about this, for the most part, and it doesn't matter. Heck, look at kids in school, they are HIGHLY educated about the dangers of sex (at a VERY early age), yet MILLIONS of them STILL get pregnant, STD's, and more...education on some things doesn't mean CRAP. The only way to stop SOME is enforcement...tear their wallets apart when they are caught and they WILL think differently next time..especially these days! Take the money they use for gas and it will KILL them and they WILL think, I BET ya!

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LOL wise you can't compare sex and tailgating when it comes to teens... A teenage boy will just about hump anything with all the hormones flowing threw his body.. Something they are thinking about 99% of the day lol....

Sure there is education but we tend to forget.. Education also can be reminders and that's what lazy Americans need, to be reminded on a constant bases that there are rules and guidelines that should be followed on the road....

You can say well that's what the signs are for... People are to dang lazy to read the signs, that takes an effort to read something.. They much rather sit and watch TV or listen to the radio, In another words they like to be TOLD thier information then reading it...

Education as in a constant reminder by TELLING them threw small info commercials on the radio and TV, would be an effective way to curve many (not all) bad driving habits...

I say we equip the trailers with the led signs that you can type in messages that show up, like the banks have. Then put in a few preselected messages that you can on the fly have show up to the driver behind you.

You know, something like :

Don't tailgate or I'll flick a booger.

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Funny you should mention that, because I've thought of the very same thing... with six preset buttons like a radio for different frequently used messages.

Of course, this would only last for a little while, then the nazis that make the laws in our country would declare them illegal.

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Yes, as a matter of fact, I DO know everything!

ROFL, yeah I hear you.

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