Break checking tailgaters. Kosher?

[go-fish]

So, down herein Mississippi, we have a little all week cruise where about a thousand cars show up and cruise Hwy. 90 along the beach. It is mostly AARP aged street rodders and Kustoms but everyonce in awhile you will get folks who are making an attempt at Pro-Touring.
Last night on my way to a venue at the mall, I'm going about ten miles over the speed limit which was the flow of traffic. Here comes these two boneheads in theses two cars. A claped out '69 Tempest and a mid-90's Z-28.
I had a line of vehicles on the other side of me and I'm not going to speed way the hell up to get out of thier way. I could see them cutting in and out of traffic and "playfully" cutting each other off.
They both take turns trying to drive up my tailpipe because I'm impeeding thier fun.
Now, I'm driving my 94 Z-71 that is just a get around truck and I'm getting annoyed. The moose knuckle in the Tempest got so close to me that his lights disappeared behind my tailgate when I looked back.
I decided to get this guy to pay attention to distances by tapping the brakes (while keeping on the accelorater). I didn't want to get rear-ended but I wanted to scare the piss out of him. I noticed he hit his brakes pretty hard.
He backs off and they do eventually pass me when I was able to change lanes.
It scared me when I looked over to give him a look and I saw a little girl in the passenger seat who was car seat size still, standing in the seat leaning on the dash with her hands!!!
At that point I wanted to follow him and pummel his A$$ when he parked it for being an absolute idiot supreme, but one thing stopping me besides being a chill guy, my daughter was with me. She was in her Recarro booster seat.
I did get a closer look at the car in the parking lot at the mall. It was a horrible example of a car. It was slammed, in the wrong way, and he had what looked to be some heavy and blingy wheels. Oh, no car seat too.
If you guys brake check tailgaters, think twice. You already know they're the kind of driver who disregards safety, they might have un-guided toddler missles floating around in their car.

[shmoov69]

I don't do that, but thanks for the reality check! Usually it is too late to think about the "it was justified" solution.

[Smock67]

Well i just took an aggressive driving class over the weekend on sunday. Anyway I found out that brake checking is actually illegal and they will write a ticket for you. Also if it causes an accident your at fault. So I won't be brake checking people anymore.

[WS6]

It really gets to me when I see some child wondering around the inside of a moving vehicle. The child has no concept of what is going on. The parent or guardian should be slapped. Repeatedly.

[EFI69Cam]

It really gets to me when I see some child wondering around the inside of a moving vehicle. The child has no concept of what is going on. The parent or guardian should be slapped. Repeatedly.

True about slapping people who let their kids roam free in the car. On the other hand, the child seat laws that make you put your kids in boosters until they are 12 are a bit ridicules.

[nbecker]

If you are pulled over and your child is not in a car seat you should be charged with attemted murder. That is completely uncalled for.

[6'9"Witha69]

True about slapping people who let their kids roam free in the car. On the other hand, the child seat laws that make you put your kids in boosters until they are 12 are a bit ridicules.

If there is a law that states 12, that is ridiculous, but until they are big enough for the "safety" restraints in the vehicle to work properly for them then they need to be in one. My wife's niece was in a booster until like age 11 b/c she was so small. My just 7 y/o can come out of hers soon as she is getting so big (wonder where she got that). The number is like 4'9" to be able to sit w/o a booster. My kids will be in a booster until they fit comfortably and properly in the seat without one, regardless of age.

[BonzoHansen]

IIRC, NJ is 8 years old and 80 pounds. No height numbers.

But my almost 7 year old (~60 lbs, also like 4' tall - very tall for his age, literally head+shoulders above his classmates) does not use a booster in the back of my 77. I put a 3 point out of a fox body mustang in the back seat for him, and the belts goes across him perfect w/o a booster. His booster seat woud make the belt ride too low. IMO, this is much safer then just a lap belt, and you can't (ok, not supposed to) use a lap belt & a booster. I'd argue that with a cop till I turn blue.

[EFI69Cam]

My girls 6 and 7y/o fit just fine with the 3 points in the third row seat of our Burb. By law, they need a booster. Its dumb. Second row or front the belt is too high on them, so they don't sit there.

I don't need a nanny state.

[go-fish]

Well i just took an aggressive driving class over the weekend on sunday. Anyway I found out that brake checking is actually illegal and they will write a ticket for you. Also if it causes an accident your at fault. So I won't be brake checking people anymore.

While I was keeping my speed, I only touched the brake pedel just hard enough to trigger the brake light, I didn't have any desire to have a guy hit me with my girl with me.
Now, I don't think I'll even be doing any sort of brake action out of retaliation. The guy could've freaked out and curb checked it or something and hurt his kid. I think a better method would be t just slow down by deceleration or just drive next to another car to try to get the point across.

[parsonsj]

Actually the safest thing you can do is to let them by. "Teaching" other drivers on the highway is like trying to teach a pig to sing. (he says quietly as if he'd never tried to teach another driver a "lesson" )



Let them get ahead of you so they will get the speeding ticket instead of you.

jp

[69Pony]

Well i just took an aggressive driving class over the weekend on sunday. Anyway I found out that brake checking is actually illegal and they will write a ticket for you. Also if it causes an accident your at fault. So I won't be brake checking people anymore.

Yep - in MD several years ago a woman was taligating another woman for quite a while. She finally got fed up and hit the brakes. The woman behind overeacts and slids off the road and wrecks. She ends up dying and the brake lady ends up convicted of manslaughter (not vehicular either since they called it pre-meditated). Now that is an extreme case but it does show you what will happen based on a knee-jerk reaction.

I'm guilty of giving an idiot the 3rd light sometimes but I try to remember that incident as a reason to cool it. Those who tailgate should be fined heavily. Those that do so with kids in the car should be beaten.

[69Pony]

Actually the safest thing you can do is to let them by. "Teaching" other drivers on the highway is like trying to teach a pig to sing. (he says quietly as if he'd never tried to teach another driver a "lesson" )

Let them get ahead of you so they will get the speeding ticket instead of you.

jp

Great thinking and you are 100% correct. However, it is hard to "remember" that when the ass behind you is filling your rearview mirror. When I was younger I drove very aggresive but luckily never hurt anyone. I finally got over it by putting a sticker on my dash that said - "Take it Easy". Similiar to AA and "one day at a time".

Now I value my life and my ride too much.... Might sound vain but it keeps me out of trouble for the most part.

[69Pony]

Forgot - what I do now is turn on my washers for an extended period. Most people back off enough so I can change lanes.

[class67]

I think a better method would be t just slow down by deceleration or just drive next to another car to try to get the point across.

I've done this and have actually had some go around...on the shoulder!

[6'9"Witha69]

Forgot - what I do now is turn on my washers for an extended period. Most people back off enough so I can change lanes.

Hahahahaha. I have done that in downtown LA and once in thje OC to a LAMBO. The guy was PISSED.

[Jim Nilsen]

I was driving down a 4 lane road and this woman came up behind me and was tailgating, I figured I would just back of the gas and when I got slow enough she would just get in the other lane and go around. I kept waiting and slowing ,looking to see her get over so I could get back on the gas. This woman was not paying attention to anything and was just using me as her guide to what speed to travel from what I can figure. I brought her to a complete stop before she realized she had just been screwed with. There were absolutley no other cars around and she was driving like she was in gridlock

It was priceless to see her in my mirror as I kept getting slower, maybe it was just a bit harder to put makeup on and drive at the same time

[69Nova]

I was driving down a 4 lane road and this woman came up behind me and was tailgating, I figured I would just back of the gas and when I got slow enough she would just get in the other lane and go around. I kept waiting and slowing ,looking to see her get over so I could get back on the gas. This woman was not paying attention to anything and was just using me as her guide to what speed to travel from what I can figure. I brought her to a complete stop before she realized she had just been screwed with. There were absolutley no other cars around and she was driving like she was in gridlock

It was priceless to see her in my mirror as I kept getting slower, maybe it was just a bit harder to put makeup on and drive at the same time

Thats hilarious. What a dummy.

[shmoov69]

If you are pulled over and your child is not in a car seat you should be charged with attemted murder. That is completely uncalled for.

I somewhat agree, but......I dont know about you but, I did not ever wear a seat belt and the only booster seat was a milk crate device so that I could see outside. Heck sometimes I rode in the back package tray! Oh, and I lived! LOL!
But we should all try and remember kids saftey since they cannot control their own destiny!

[Camaro Zach]

Usually when people tailgate me and other lanes are open I just gradually slow down to about 10 or 15 under the speed limit. If they are riding me coming up to a light I stop short and put it in reverse just so the white lights will get their attention and get off my ass.

Sad to see so many people are idiots with their kids in the car with them. :(