Ever since I got the Xa, I have been tailed by everything from a Dodge Intrepid variant to the Durango.

I drive at the same clip I do with my VUE, which I do not get tailgated in. I also do not tail other smaller vehicles. It is like these owners of these larger vehichles want to try to intemidate me becuase I am driving something about 1/2 the size of what they are driving.

Anybody experience this? Are they jealous that I am driving something more efficient and most likely better built than what they drive?

 

You're not alone! Everytime I drive to work, I get tailgated by idiots in SUVs and these rich A-Holes in their BMWs and Benzes. Guess what, I drive even slower when they tailgate me and I love it cause they get mad and drive around me even more ____ed...

 

no, i think it is because they can see over and around you, therefore they can follow closer because they can see what is happening down the road nearly as well as you can.

i don't tailgate, but i drive much closer to smaller/lower vehicles because i can usually see through the rear windows through the front windshield as if the car ahead of me wasn' there, so i can anticipate what is going on down the road extremely well.

to the contrary, i don't follow suv's or big panal vans and work trucks becuase i can't see over and around them so i have no idea what is going on ahead of them. i also don't follow sports cars too closely because i know they can stop much quicker than i can.

so my guess is that like me, these bigger taller cars can see around your little xa so easily that they figure they notice when they would have to stop at the same time you would. kinda like how people think semi's and tracktor trailers tailgate to be intimidating, but th real reason is they can see right over your vehicle and down the road better than a reguler car or non-lifted truck can.

 

The only thing I have noticed is that I tend to be cut off a lot by SUV's & Trucks. That includes the merging lanes and those people that turn right on a red light.

 

I am guessing the urge to tail gate is from two things. One, the hatch back design just makes the driver behind you see closer than they appear. Second, with the high roof line, they are drafting for better fuel economy.

 

If someone tailgates me, I tend to do 5 under the limit.

I also play games with them, like swerving at imaginary potholes. I like to see if they swerve too, since they have no idea if there actually is a pothole or not because they're following too damned close.

 

i think i am going to try that whole pothole bit next time...

 

Or you could aim them at an errant trashcan, or an actual pothole.

If they don't swerve, oh well.

 

i always just slow down to about 10 or 15 below the speed limit and wait for them to pass. i like watching them because they almost always are giving me a dirty look.

 

I've always had this feeling. My car before the xA was a Protege, which, although it was a bit bigger length-wise, it sat a lot lower than my xA.

I try to ignore it, but sometimes it irritates me a too much. If I get a chance I usually change lanes to let the person pass (I do most highway driving). If I don't have that opportunity, I don't speed up, but I try to slow down to get them to pass me up.

I drive about 68-70 almost at all times and I get passed up because people on the same route as me drive 80+. I THINK they're tailgating me really close to intimidate, hoping I'll push forward, but I'm not about to speed and risk a ticket and less fuel economy because someone is riding real close.

I especially hate it at night (when I do most of my driving) because a lot of people here like to lift their trucks and their headlights shine directly into my car...Awesome.

the biggest thing I have access to is a 2002 Nissan Frontier, which is not big by any means. I'm destined for the small car life.

 

I try to draw the BMW's and expensive cars closer, then a quick brake check. If they have good breaks, fine, now back off... if they make contact....it's lawyer time.



I love my car, but I will upgrade if the money is right.

 

QFT

I used to do that with my Protege...my sister had it in a total of 7 accidents before I took it over, and while letting her borrow it she racked up a nice $2200 bill in a rear-end; it woulda been totalled if the air bags went off (which they didn't, the front end of the car drove under the SUV she hit, clearing the airbag sensor in the bumper...heh)... Insurance was saying if it got into another accident it would be "unfit to insure" and they'd deem it totalled. I drove around for 3 years thinking "man, I don't want to cause an accident, but to be in one wouldn't be so bad"

 

I don't think I want to ride with your sister......

 

Yea, neither do I... She's 5'1" and drives a '98 Camaro. And she says MY backseat is small!

 

I had a Grand Am before this car and never had this issue of getting bullied around, but I sure do now. I live in a town where there are loads of pickups and SUVs and they are jerks to everybody(mainly the SUVs), but they really do like to get up on little cars and try to push them around, especially if you aren't doing >15MPH over the limit.
I may not have the power to race around, but I do have the manueverability that they don't have. I let'em race past on the road, knowing in the future I'll be scooting into that nice parking spot before they can get to it. yeah. Let the angry gas burners fly by. I'd be angry too, if I had to dump that much $$ into my tank.

 

the way i go i don't get passed much...

off topic here

theres a line of cars about 2000 feet ahead of me (i take country roads to and from work all the time, too many r-tards on the other roads) and it takes me no time at all to catch up to 'em thru the bends and turns they slow down to 10-15mph while i can get thru there around 20-25mph...

 

That's just the Dodge mentality. I asked a guy not long ago if there was a sticker in Chrysler products that says tailgate people every chance you get. Seriously I've had more Dodge drivers to tailgate me than any other make with my xA and every other vehicle I've ever owned.

 

My mom drives a Caliber, I'll have to see if that sticker exists.

 

I don't really get people tailing me that much due to my car being small. But if they do I just forget about them. If they want to be jerks just brush them off and enjoy my beutiful little car

 

I noticed it a little bit more because people didnt usually tailgate me in my 94' bronco....but people tailgate i just slam on the brakes...teach them a lesson when they ____ themselves because they almost hit me......