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Mark Hinchliffe·
Tips/trainingRiding/safety tipsTips on laws
··13 Comments·4 min read

How riders should deal with a tailgater

lane filtering - tailgater business
Commuting

Almost every rider will have experienced a tailgater following way too close.

Why does this happen?

It’s probably for the same reason that drivers pull out in front of you – they just don’t seem to see motorcycles.

There is something about the size of the bike that makes drivers perceive them as further away.

Drivers tend to stay a long way back from a truck because of its size, but they don’t realise how close they are to much smaller motorcycles.

Ok, there are some tailgaters who are just jerks and are trying to intimidate you because they want to pass or they are offended by something you’ve done such as (legally) filtering through the traffic to get in from of them.

Since new TruCAM II speed cameras have the ability to detect tailgate5s we should have expected this dangerous practise to abate … but it hasn’t!

I’m extra sensitive to tailgaters because I’ve been run over – albeit by another rider – so I have developed these options to prevent or deal with a tailgater:

1 COURTESY

A bit of courtesy can avoid road-rage tailgating.

Don’t tailgate others and they may not return the “favour”. (Besides, bikes can’t brake as quickly as some cars!)

When you pass vehicles, don’t quickly whip across in front of them. Leave a gap and maybe give them a short wave to thank them for letting you in front.

2 RUDE GESTURES

It’s very tempting, but don’t do it! I’ve tried rude gestures and yelling abuse, and it just inflames the situation.

If they are accidentally following too closely, try a simple waving gesture to move them back followed by a thumbs-up gesture if they comply.

However, if they are in road-rage mode, it will only make them more aggressive.

3 GET AWAY

Use the acceleration and manoeuvring abilities of your bike to pass the vehicle in front and put another vehicle between you and the tailgater as a buffer.

This may only be a temporary measure, though, as the tailgater may also pass that vehicle.

4 DON’T SPEED UP

Don’t try to put some distance between you and the tailgater as it may mean you are speeding, or you are now tailgating the vehicle in front.

In fact, you should increase your distance to the vehicle in front in case you do get rammed from the rear as that will give you more room to manoeuvre your bike to safety.

Also, speeding up may just invite the tailgater to also speed up.

Lane position automated vehicles tailgater

5 PREPARE AN ESCAPE

If you’re in heavy traffic and you feel you may be hit from behind, plan an escape route off to the side of the road or through the lanes of traffic to avoid the situation.

That’s one of the reasons why lane filtering has been legalised in some states. It gives you an escape route to avoid tailgaters and rear-enders.

But remember, it can also cause road rage which leads to tailgating.

lane-splitting lane filtering tailgater

6 WAVE THEM PAST

If you want them to pass, give them a signal by waving them through.

But hold your lane. Let them go around you.

And don’t slow down to ridiculously speeds, as that will hold up traffic and make more drivers frustrated.

7 TAP BRAKES

You may not realise it, but you probably don’t use the brakes very often to adjust your speed.

Most riders use their gears and engine compression to slow down.

This means drivers behind you can’t tell you’re slowing as there is no brake light signal, so they get closer to your rear wheel.

You need to give them a signal to alert them to you.

Try gently tapping the brakes a few times so the brake flight flashes and catches the attention of those behind you.

Just squeeze the brake lever enough to activate the brake light, rather than actually activating the brakes.

The last thing you want to do is slow down more as that will make the situation worse.

Fingers wresting on the brake lever and around the throttle - tailgater

8 WEAVE

Another way to grab their attention is to weave a little in your lane.

Nothing too dramatic, but maybe switch from one wheel track to another.

However, don’t stay in the kerbside wheel track too long or it may be seen as an invitation to the driver to dangerously squeeze through the lane past you.

9 BE AWARE

Don’t get paranoid about the tailgater and spend all your time looking in the rearview mirrors or over your shoulder.

That could lead to you crashing into something in front of you through inattention.

10 PULL OVER

If the tailgater is persistent, why not pull over?

Most times we are not in a hurry to get somewhere, but just enjoying the ride and the scenery.

So pulling over won’t make much difference and you can enjoy the scenery a little more.

Tailgater pull over and admire the view New Zealand Indian Scout
Pull over and admire the view

If you are on your way to work, pulling over for just 30 seconds won’t make much difference to your arrival time yet it will allow the offending tailgater to get a long way in front.

Tailgating can be a nerve-wracking experience.

It may leave you angry, with a raised heart rate and/or a feeling of nervousness, all of which can affect your riding ability.

Now that you’ve pulled over, take some time to soak up the scenery and calm down.

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Mark Hinchliffe
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13 Comments

  1. If you notice a tailgater the first thing you do is look for an escape next you weave side to side dramatically but not too much so that the guy sees you. Do not wave your hands give thumbs up or any other hand gesture as you may need both hands on the controls and the idiot might think you’re about to do a rude gesture.
    There are four main types of tailgaters idiots who don’t know what they are doing, bullies trying to get ahead of everything in front of them Road rages and cops trying to get you to speed. Unless you can not filter Do Not pull over turn off if you must, pulling over can place you in greater danger .
    My favorite way to deal with tailgating bullies or road ragers is to maintain speed even when the traffic ahead is stopping then slip past the car in front more often than not you will hear a screech followed by a crunch as the idiot rear ends the car you passed and the idiot will have no excuse . By the way very few cars can brake anywhere near as well as a bike can (with the exception of old Harleys) even a bike without ABS on a clean dry surface can brake at up to 3 Gs formula 1 cars can manage 2.5 – 3 Gs the best street car can manage 2 Gs at best, even in the wet and without ABS a skilled rider can out brake most cars. This is another reason why bikes get rear ended they stop quicker than cars .

    1. You are wrong. Most cars can stop quicker than bikes because they require no technique. Irrespective of tyres etc. only a well trained motorcyclist on a sports bike can hope to stop quicker than a car. Learn this at your peril. From an advanced motorcycle rider trainer. If you continue to belie a bike can outbreak a car you will end up rear ending a car.

        1. Very well written. I say to my students that it takes skill and practice to stop a bike quickly and safely. No skill required in a car unless you need to steer while activating ABS (most drivers just freeze). I would love to test my very ordinary BMW with ABS against my Aprilia RS250 GP Replica for braking. The Aprilia has the same front end as the 1000cc V twin but only weighs 140Kg. I doubt either would come close to my Audi S4.
          Brake checking when being tailgated is a recipe for disaster. There is a recent dash-cam video that shows how it ends in tears. NEVER pick on someone bigger than you!! That is my mantra on the road

  2. A while back, on the freeway, I was able to turn the tables on a tailgater – a seemingly deranged woman in a big black Jeep – by using a technique similar to that employed by pilots of Harrier fighter jets. Harrier jocks call it Viffing. That is they engage Reverse Thrust, which causes a pursuing enemy to break contact and fly past. Then the Harrier can then get on the enemy’s tail and send a missile up his ass. In my case – I ride a Victory Cross Country – I changed into an adjacent lane, then making sure there was nothing behind, engaged both brakes, hard. The Jeep flew past. I then changed back into it’s lane and roared up behind (to a safe distance) Ha -it changed lanes and accelerated to get away from me! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8UE9i82Kc_Y

  3. The worst experience I had of a tailgater was in heavy rain on a two lane highway. She (it was a she) sat less than 2 metres behind me for several kms. The next time I looked I couldn’t see her so I did a head check. She was trying to pass me on the hard shoulder! I buffered a bit to the right so it was impossible for her to overtake and really, where was she going?? Very soon I had the opportunity to pull left and away she went, 5 metres. When I arrived home I informed the police of the numberplate, model of car and colour. They assured me they would pay a visit. I checked next day and sure enough, she had a visit and was “visibly distressed and anxious” according to the officer. I said that was good because I was too.

  4. In most instances, drivers aren’t consciously aware that they are too close since they can see around you. The reason cars don’t tailgate trucks is they can’t see. A casual glance over your shoulder and a tap of the brake lights to them will make them aware that you think they are too close and they will usually fall back. If that fails, change lanes if possible or slow down to leave a gap and waive them them to pass. Don’t get aggressive or you are likely to lose.

  5. Mark , Good on you for doing what you do in such a professional way . This article may just help people that don’t ride a bike and read it realise that bike riders in most cases do the right thing along with being a fellow road user, that should have the same respect as everyone else does.
    Thanks for your great work once again .

  7. if this incident happens on a multi- lane carriageway I change lanes, make sure nothing is behind, slam on the brakes, then get behind the tailgater This often seems to make them paranoid and accelerate away.

  8. Bike V Car braking…car every time in the real world.

    Car driver just has to mash the brake pedal to the floor.. ABS takes care of the rest.

    Just look and steer where you want to go as you stop.

    Ain’t that “easy” for the bike rider… is the bike leaned over? What road surface are you on? Is it wet?

    Lots of skill required there even with ABS on board.

  9. We were tailgated on the Venture at max road speed for several Kms by an idiot woman in a black Audi coupe, close enough to nearly touch the car. I told wife on the intercom to take the Lumix camera out of the backrest pouch, turn around and point it at the car. As soon as the camera came into view the car changed lanes and sped off. Unfortunately wife’s gloves cramped her photographic prowess so no evidence. Not something everyone can do though.
    JMB

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