Fasten your seatbelts - this will be a bumpy ride

And then are the first to gripe about you being on their bumper.

 

Although I certainly DON'T condone a big truck being only "inches" behind you, what were you doing being only 1 1/2 car lengths from the car in front of you at 70mph? Ayup, that truck would likely do more damage to you, but seems you were a hazard as well.

 

Why to 4 wheelers think like this???????????????????????????????. That is what gets me??????????????????

They can constantly cut us off and do everything else in the book around us, but let us do something crazy once a year and they want to cut our heads off.

I drive safe I'm not saying I drive crazy just want to make a point.

 

Well, I don't think slowing to 55 would be the smart thing to do, but, how do you plan on reacting if the vehicle ahead of
you does, when you're tailgating the crap out of him?
But alas, another fourwheeler with double standards, eh.
I'm old enough to remember the commercials on TV many years ago that "tried" to educate people on tailgating. The "old" rule of thumb was one car length for every ten mph. Guess if you're a fourwheeler now, it's "one foot" for every ten mph. Must be the improvement of brakes and reaction time/ distance nowadays.

Sorry, don't get me wrong, I have a few double standards myself.

 

Well, Lorie, first I would question WhY you would slow down from 65-70 mph to 55?

Don't'cha just hate those left side exits?
Here's what I try to do when I'm aware of the dangers that might exist at left lane exits --- I use ANOTHER exit instead.

But, isn't that an inconvenience?, I often hear.
To which I answer, "probably".
And follow up with a question of my own. That being, "How inconvenient is being rear-ended?"

Plan ahead.
It just might save a life, and that life might be your's.
Ya reckon.

If you're aware of all that, perhaps another route would be in your best interest, --- even if it requires additional time and/or miles.
As Big truck truck drivers, we well understand that the SHORTEST route is not always the BEST route. Truckers are restricted as to which routes they can legally use. Not so for 4-wheelers. They have more options and the option to utilize those other routes. And I wonder if it would be more prudent --- safety wise --- to use them?

 

At 70 mph you are moving 103' per second. 1 1/2 car lengths is what, 20 to 25 feet. So at the most your safe distance is almost a full one quarter of a second?

This reminds me of a rant someone posted on a local forum. They were complaining about someone in a big 4x4 who followed them so close that they got scared, tried to out run them to get a safe distance between the vehicles, and ended up running a stop sign. Somehow this was the fault of the person following them too close. I couldn't believe they were ranting about 'the idiot' who 'made' them speed and run a stop sign.

Don't get me wrong here, there is no reason for anyone to be following you as close as you say this truck was.

I've only been driving a big truck for about a year now but have been running the roads in different vehicles for close to 25 years. Following too close has always bothered me and I learned long ago that it's pointless anyway.

Sure, if you leave some extra room between you and the one in front before long someone will take that space. Then you have to back down a little more and some else takes that space. Sooner or later you will end up at the end of the lin with everyone in front of you seems to be the natural thought.

It's not the case though. For the most part you will lose very little time by keeping a respectable gap in front of you. I see this all the time heading into Toronto. Traffic is retarded there and you will go from 60mph down to almost a stop, back up to a good speed, back down to a crawl repeatedly for miles. Or most people will. I keep a good following distance, a medium speed and pick a vehicle to watch. I had one guy in a big truck pass me at least 20 times going through there once. I just cruised along, my speed varying by no more 10 mph while this guy would be flying past me one minute and at almost a complete stop the next. Engine racing on the way up, jakes screaming on the way down and when I caught a look at his face it looked like his head was going to explode. I caught his attention a couple of times and the last time I went by him I waved. I think something did explode in his head at that point lol.

Anyway, the point is simple. Keeping a respectable distance will cost you a very small amount of time. You can't control the person behind you so the best you can do is compensate for the small amount of space behind by leaving some extra in front. As soon as you do that the idiot on your bumper will see the big hole in front of you as the place to be and will change lanes to get there. Problem solved.

 

This is what happened today... I'm north bound I-91 in CT. Weather is sleet to snow mix, turning to all snow. There are 3 travel lanes with all but the center towards right lane mostly clear... I'm following behind another big truck at aprox 350 ft. speed is 35 mph and I have plenty of stopping distance. First a black Ford Pickup cuts in close to me, about 20 ft. space from front of truck, he came out of the left lane that is snow covered, and when he started to slow , he hit his brakes to hard , Thank God he Recovered and I had no place to go... but I had let up to slow before he cut in 'cuz traffic was slowing down in front of us... I wonder if I had not already started to slow before he jumps in front, Do I hit him if he fails to recover from his slide??? I did not have an out at the time 'cuz some car had just got on... That's just one of the silly things that happened in the space of 2 and a half hours from Milford to Enfield CT. Two cars spin out and 1 was a car length ahead of me as he changed lanes from the left to center??? Even in this weather I still had time to watch a few drivers play Frogger... Every one as unhurt so not a bad day all things considered... Always wonder just whatgoes thier minds as they spin in front of me and I see them... Scares me every time...

 

Too true, Lorie!
But as Big truck truck drivers, there's only so much they can do about other drivers being nervous around them.
Believe me.
Nervous drivers make US nervous, too.

Not really.
A car tailgating another car, can cause a crash that can involve a Big truck.
I think tailgating is pretty much wrong, all the time.

Stupidity affects the gene pools.
If any driver is nervous to the point of being stupid, they should be smart enough to know not to be driving stupid.
Ya reckon.

Sadly, some find out they're not.
The hard way.