Prankster braking lights

I would advise against it for the simple reason that a friend of mine did something similar to this down here and caused a Ferrari that was tailing him on a two lane motorway at about 140km/h to spin off the road, nearly killing the driver. Fortunately there was no one driving behind him or on the other side of the road, as they almost certainly would have been killed if he had spun into them. The look of horror from the Ferrari's driver (as seen from his rear view mirror) will stay with him for the rest of his life.

All actions have consequences, and if you tried that sort of thing here both you and the electrician could very well wind up in jail for involuntary manslaughter. What would the driver of the car tailing you get, probably nothing. Perhaps not, do they have lawsuits in Malaysia?

It is a simple modification to do, but then again so is making a bomb. I would not willingly tell you how to do either.

J.O.A.T.,

I would advise your friend that the driver of the Ferrari's fate was a simple
example of 'Darwinism in action`. Tapping of the break lights is commonly
regarded as a polite way of requesting that a tailgater back off a bit, and
if he was too close, any problems he found were his own resposibility and
he got what he deserved for irresponsably aggressive driving.

As to discouraging tail-gaters, I have had some success, (on a motorcycle),
with carrying conspicuously on the rear baggage carrier, a red plastic fuel
can with the "Danger Flammable" warning picked out in yellow paint.
Pointing to this is generally enough of a threat for them to get the message.
- 'You hit me, you fry`.
(I commonly tour in areas where a gallon of water is a safety requirement
so the container, purchased for the purpose and never used for fuel for obvious
reasons, is needed anyway and the warn-off fuction is a bonus).

A highway patrolman once stopped me to discuss the 'dangerous situation`
but liked the idea when assured that no actual hazard existed.

Tail-gaters - "Why are there so many more Horses Asses in this world
than there are Horses? "

While I share a certain desire to scare the hell out of tailgaters, in the past I found it more satisfying to simply slow down to a safer speed so that the tailgater can pass safely. At this point I enjoy turning on the lights.... Oops I forgot to mention that I was Police Reserve Officer.

Pranks on the road no matter what country you are in is simply foolish. Leave the equipment to operate as it was intended. Many of the members of this forum have spent many hours trying to ensure your safety and others, don't ask them how to undo that work.

Yeah well, though I wouldn't be able to scare the living hide out of tailgaters, I got the point. To be honest though, this was more of a fancy idea, but I guess no body can beat being a cop in scaring those fellas :P.

As of this point, the author of this post no longer have any wish for continuing this project. For those who are inspired to the modification suggested in this thread are STRONGLY ADVISED to stop as was pointed out by replies in this thread. Those who does not, the author of this thread (and webmasters of CR4) hold no responsibility over the legal implications nor any consequences of your own actions. You have been WARNED.

With that said though, this thread is still open as a general discussion over the opinions on general mods for automotive wirings, effects of the suggested mods, etc.

Lastly, thanks for Guests #1 & #2, their warnings are noted and appreciated. A lot of us are caught up in the spirits of creations, inovations and the simple pleasure of making some thing works, sometimes forgot the safety aspect of the inovation. It is good to know that there are those who are kind enough to watch over and point out the obvious that we sometimes forget in our excitement.

Any certified, law-abiding electrician will take the best course of action, and that is to discourage you from doing this. You may get your shadow to slam the brakes on but if someone else happens to be following him (a lady with her kids, perhaps?), you could be the cause of an accident and, possibly, someone's untimely death.

While I agree that tail-gaters are a pain in the rear end (pun intended), the best thing to do about them is to slow down and keep slowing down until he is forced to overtake you. He's faster than you are (otherwise he wouldn't be on your tail) so let him pass.

A tailgater is breaking the law by following too closely, don't break the law yourself or you'll be as bad as he is.

Look over your brake pedal for a switch that is activated whem you step on the brake . If there is no switch on the brake pedal then it is out on the master cylinder wnder the hood/bonnet. When you find the switch, tap into both wires(do not cut wires off) with two wires long enough to reach where you want your hand operated switch. check to see that the brake lights come on when you touch the two wires together. If they do ,get a normally open push button switch and hook it to the two wires. Push button ,brake lights come on,let go of button, brake lights go off.

Here he is, officer! He's done it! He's a MOBSTER (MOdified Brakes Sent a Tailgater to the End of the Road)!

I have never owned a car that upon a slight depression of the brake pedal the brake lights didn't come on before the brakes engage so I can't imagine why you would go to so much trouble to liable yourself in the unfortunate event of an accident. Also, the law states that you are to be in control of your vehicle at all times and anyone who would wreck just because the saw brake lights at high speed is a moron and was an accident waiting to happen. Anyone can need to slow down at any time for any number of valid reasons no matter where or at what speed you are traveling. I muse at the silly signs that read "Be Prepared to Stop" as if that were not always the case. People who tailgate are idiots and I have found there is little opportunity to educate them or modify their behavior. I tried gently slowing down just the other night and the guy backed off only to come back and get even closer when I resumed the speed limit. Then I pulled over and let him go by but that wasn't good enough for him he attempted to get behind me again by cutting through a parking lot so I pulled in and looked him in the eye which seemed to deter him. I'm a scary looking fellow in the dark. Also, I've come to feel it is foolish to engage people since you never know what they may do or what they've got. Two years ago I had a drunk woman assault me with her vehicle then stalk me all the way to the police station where she was summarily arrested for DUI. And that wasn't the worst thing that could have happened to her.

I had a guy tailgate me once, when we came to a section of bends that I enjoy, he dropped right back, then shot straight back up behind me just as I came to another bend. I went around the bend, he shot of the road and did a header into a tree at about 50mph. I was first on the scene and checked him and wife out, she hysterical, he Mr Angry. luckily the police turned up and calmed him down, but he did blame me for the accident. Apparently, I had a switch to turn the brake lights off, so he didn't know when to brake for the corner. After I'd picked myself of the floor, still giggling like a little girl, I explained to the officer that if I'd braked at all, he would have ran into me, but I hadn't needed to to make the corner. The other guy just went straight on. In fact, he hadn't tried to slow for the corner. He got done for driving without due care and attention, and he was only third party insurance, and a BMW isn't cheap to repair a front end wipe out.

That was awesome!!! I am so doing that!!!!

Bravo!!! Common sense!!!

Hi Cloud8521. Yes, I like the idea very much, but here in the UK and the rest of the European Union it is an offence to do such a thing. In fact if you are caught doing this here then you face a large fine and maybe a court apperance. I was left crippled by a tailgating truck many years ago. But under no circumstances would I recomend tampering with ones brake light. The problem is that tailgating vehicles should face serious penalties for doing so, but it just doesn't happen! Spencer.

To true mate, my usual tactic is to go slower and slower, until they get the message or manage to get past. I actually did that the other day and got pulled over by the police car that was tailgating me. He actually tried to suggest that I was causing an obstruction. I calmly pointed out that 40 mph was the MAX speed limit, not the minimum, that I felt he was putting my families safety at risk and asked him for his warrant number. His colleague then tried to 'diffuse' the situation, (the copper was mad, not me), but ignored my request for names and numbers. I then wrote down the police car Reg, date, time and location, and asked if they intended to give me a ticket. At this point they spotted the lad in the car recording with his mobile, bade me good eve, told me not to do it again, and left. I have left 5 voice messages on the local plods 'phone, so far with no reply. I am acquainted with our local MP, so a word in his ear may be the next step.

I recently saw a news report that the police are cracking down on tailgaters in some states (I think the report was from California). They set up on the roadside just like they do for speed traps, but instead they are photographing and ticketing tailgaters.

I prefer Richard L's method for deterring tailgaters. Slowing down sometimes annoys the heck out of them too. And, I have also had police tailgaters too - I slowed to 60kph in a 100 zone before they passed - I guess they like to 'hide' behind other cars when operating their radar. If I knew it was a police car, I might have had second thoughts of slowing down though.

A simple trick gleaned from the movie "The Eiger Sanction" - works in the daytime only - someone tailgates you, pull your lights on for a couple of seconds, then off. the taillights that were off go on with the headlights, seeming to the tailgater as if you were braking. If something bad happens, you were just turning on the lights a second to better read your dash instruments/speedometer. Worked great for Clint Eastwood.

Brilliant!!!...How come I didn't think about this before. I am immediately going to see my electrician and order him to install the little "bugger" as you called it. This guy is the same guy who has installed the two rear looking tow missiles, the oil and smoke dispensers and is now installing the tear gas gun. What is especially neat about your idea is that now I can take the 10,000,000 lumen quartz iodine projector off the rear window as it was killing my 1500Amp battery giving me hard time starting the car in cold mornings. Thank you thank you so much my friend!

Wangito.

PS, Why don't you think a little bit before posting ridiculous and illegal threads?

I handle tailgaters with a factory installed device and it seems to work every time. It is called a windshield washer. Whenever a nincompoop is camped on my rear bumper, I suddenly notice something on my windshield and try to clean it from the inside with a tissue. Of course for the benefit of the tailgater, I exaggerate all of my movements which can certainly be seen through my rear window. Then obviously failing to get the offending particle from the inside I turn on my wipers with the wash fluid flowing mightly and create a cloud of mist which necessitates the tailgater to turn on his windshield wipers. Now it seems I never get my windshield cleaned to my satisfaction as long as the tailgater is behind me. Usually they either back off beyond the range of my profuse and obsessive spraying or they learn a new driving skill called passing. In any case, I wash away windshield scum and road scum. Suggest you try this instead of fooling with your brake lights.

Keep one foot on the gas (petrol) pedal to maintain speed and touch the brake pedal to activate the brake lights. It's effective and saves a lot of wiring and you don't have to remember to deactivate the prankster switch.

Cloud,

Our competitive macho hormones kick in when we get cut off or tailgated. The only response is to keep to the speed limit and not speed up. However, leave the passing lane free for others to pass by. What's the harm in that, except that it felt like he/she won?

Actually, "In the happiness of others lie our own". Two negatives do not make a positive in this case.

I can tell you I feel just like you but it's good to see others share their sensibilities so that we all can better our selves. I can only imagine the "Butterfly Effect" from this post.

S

Once met a guy who told me that he'd painted a fake styrofoam "construction brick" that he would hold outside the driver's window in a menacing manner...needless to say, the tailgater would back off in a hurry! Not something I would suggest anyone do as it might encourage road rage down the line, but I thought it was pretty ingenious....

R.

I could never cease to apologize for this thread. Well, I am sorry. I truly am. Whether you believe me, the fact is I tried to be an honest driver, I stop at red lights, I dont speed and I certainly dont drink and drive.

2 things my dad taught me about driving is never run a red light and number two was never e-brake even before the red light. Which means to say I have to slow down at a traffic light AND be prepared to brake even if the light is still green. And we know there are those blasted places where the green is all too short.

Driving drunk is madness, not to say dangerous. Driving while talking on the phone is dangerous, even with a built-in hands free set that is LEGALLY available on the market is dangerous. Driving with a heavier load than intended by the designed loading limit is dangerous (which a lot of people do without noticing it) is also no less dangerous not to mention illegal as well. Heck, the act of driving itself is dangerous.

The point is when we drive, we drive with responsibility. It is not my wish to break the law nor offend law abiding citizens. I'll admit the action of tempering with the brake lights is illegal not to mention dangerous. I am wrong to have suggested at the illegal action. It is also been worded terribly as to emit an impression of a young-man hot-blooded foolishness (and that is actually what it is - At the beginning of course).

Still, I would like to point out many of the LEGAL things poses the same amount of danger as this contraption/modification. The brake itself if used improperly can caused disasterous effects. The light is of course just one way of handling tailgaters. Other ways (that is also LEGAL as proposed by some of the replies), are argueably borders close to being illegal.

This thread is intended as encouragements for thoughts and discussions. Let it be so. In part we could also learn lessons that we didnt expect to learn. Sometimes a failure teaches more that a lecture could.

I say better failure/admonishment here and now than on the road.

Another thing, thanks for all the responses and replies, especially the ones against the idea of the mod.

It is good to hear of other peoples opinions and experiences. It lets us view the idea on the whole and discuss the advantages and limitations as well as implications. The suggestions were helpful as well.

Thanks.

You don't need to apologise, we all have choices, one of which is to log off.

Yes sir, we all have that option, but we have to spend precious time in reading the stupidities first. Or otherwise, how would I know not to log in?

Wangito.

Dear Wangito,

I am sorry if you felt that this thread created by me is wasting your precious time. I would like to first thank you for your posts. But it is in my sincere belief as an engineer and scientist that things aren't that certain in the real world compared to the ideal world of the advocate. Even things considered "legal" sometimes have surprisingly small factor of safety. In determining the legality (is that a real word) of a device is also influenced by current intergration with other technologies, by the feelings of the community, by ethnic issues as well as ethiqutte, and surely by political influences.

So, I believed that as an engineer, we have the responsibility of introducing inventions that makes life easy and better as well as warn about those that are no longer considered safe.

With that said, I'll agree that this idea is debatable, but it what I considered to be a maybe-or-maybe-not kind of idea.

P.s. I still thank you for your point on the law or any criticism, cause an idea without criticism is probably not a good idea at all.

Regards,

CLoud

Hi Cloud:

First, there's no need to apologize. Your point of view is different than mine and I fully appreciate it.

I, as an engineer, but by no means a philosopher see things in a very simple way: The "invention" which really is not an invention at all , but at best is a trick, does not necessarily makes life easier, at worst it can make life ends. Any "invention" made with the intention of "I will teach this jerk a lesson," is an act of taking the law into your own hands, and is a NO-GO no matter where on earth you are. (Except Iran).

As a second thought, when an engineer named Thompson invented in the first part of the 20th century, the machine gun. His invention was clearly made to kill as many as possible, in the shortest time possible, and "Teach those guys a lesson". And so it did. All those Chicago mobs that the short barrel of the "TOMY" was the last thing they saw before returning their sole to their creator, have clearly learnt the lesson. and it did make life for many a lot easier. A very good invention according to your philosophy.

So really what is a small red light at the back of a car comparing to a TOMY, a Cluster Bomb or a NUKE?, Robert Oppenheimer, (was a brilliant engineer). At least the TOMY wouldn't kill you if you didn't turn it on yourself, where your little trick can turn on it's inventor, the tail-dragger and kill both, you and the tailgater.

"I have never killed, And I have never been killed" (W. Churchill) Enough said.

Yours truly, Wangito

Well-said Sir! I almost responded in a similar fashion myself. An invention must meet certain criteria: It must have merit. It must not be obvious. And it must not have been previously invented. To be honest, as a young driver I had the same idea thirty-five years ago. Fortunately I had the wisdom to get over it before I did it. It is naive to think that such a simple idea has not been "invented" by thousands before you, probably people have been thinking about this since there was more than one vehicle. Also let's talk about "new technology", I don't think two wires and a switch constitutes anything new and is barely technology. Not to discourage thinking outside the box but if your box is so small so as to think that two wires and a switch put anywhere is an invention then I would respectfully ask you to re-think the scope of your imagination and to try again, and again, and again, until you do hit on something that can HELP mankind. First ideas are seldom gems. Stop and think it out before you open yourself to peer review. You might save yourself some embarrassment. Well-said Sir! I almost responded in a similar fashion myself. An invention must meet certain criteria: It must have merit. It must not be obvious. And it must not have been previously invented. To be honest, as a young driver I had the same idea thirty-five years ago. Fortunately I had the wisdom to get over it before I did it. It is naive to think that such a simple idea has not been "invented" by thousands before you, probably people have been thinking about this since there was more than one vehicle. Also let's talk about "new technology", I don't think two wires and a switch constitutes anything new and is barely technology. Not to discourage thinking outside the box but if your box is so small so as to think that two wires and a switch put anywhere is an invention then I would respectfully ask you to re-think the scope of your imagination and to try again, and again, and again, until you do hit on something that can HELP mankind. First ideas are seldom gems. Stop and think it out before you open yourself to peer review. You might save yourself some embarrassment.

You guys are way to nice. If you have a front wheel drive stick shift, just keep your foot on the gas while you gently touch the brake to light the lights, then crank up on "the Big Wheel Brake". You think brake lights scare em,,, when those back tires lock up........ :D

Either that or choose the safe route and get a bumper sticker that reads "I Downshift for No Reason!".

All I can say is, Cloud8521 seems to have come to his senses but you, Mr. Guest, have not.

We're being too nice? Your statement just showed what kind of person you are.

TURNING YOUR LIGHTS ON AND OFF WILL DO THE SAME THING

Turning on the lights will not illuminate the 3rd brake light.

Is it individuals from the phillipines that have no sense of humor, or just Vulcans???

"Friends, Romans, Countrymen, lend me your ears . . . put them right here!"

That statement shows what kind of person you are. Cutting off the ears of your friends! How humane is that? 8-(

Is it individuals from the phillipines...

Keep talking my friend. You're getting deeper.

• Read all "Guest" replies to this nonsense thread. I don't know if all these "guests" are the same person, but I suspect so. The common denominator being stupidity.

Wangito.

Your assumption is incorrect, Not all guests posting are the same. Which means that you are the common denominator.

Read post #44 very carefully.

Wangito.

wangito, here is what I am coming to think. I wish there were no guest status. It may have been intended as a convenience but it seems to have evolved as a means of people, perhaps some of whom are members but prefer to hide under the anonymity of "guest" status to take pot shots and be rude. More and more I ignore guest comments because they are rude and stupid, and if they were a guest in your home you would ask them to leave. Unfortunately that doesn't seem to be an option here.

Hallelujah.

Your post should have been directed to Chris Leonard.

NO guest, NO anonymous posting either. Why hide? If you can't say it out loud, better shut-up.

Wangito.

this is not your house

By registering with CR4, we have become members of this community. We have certain rights and privileges and we also have to abide by certain rules. Same as any member of a house.

I am not your guest

Of course you are. Otherwise, you wouldn't be identified as such. As a guest, you're allowed to post questions and comments but that is about it.

Although I wouldn't go so far as to ask for the barring of guests, I sometimes find that being a guest gives the poster too much security.

A member chooses a user name that may or may not be his real name (as in my case, obviously), but his user name is unique and he can easily be identified. Anything he says will be tied to his name for all to see.

A guest, on the other hand, can say anything he wants without fear of being identified. All that can happen is that his post may disappear from the forum.

If you had been making a joke, then I apologize for not seeing it. It is, however, your responsibility to make sure that everyone knows it's a joke. You can do that by putting a smiley or by careful wording. But putting a statement about my nationality is a real low blow.

Bravo, well said. It doesn't really matter if it is our real name or not it functions as an identity in the community and just like in any other public gathering most of us who are not flaming sociopath have a natural motivation to act with a certain degree of respect and consideration toward other members of the community. Without such an identity there is no motivation to build a social identity. If you have been part of this community you begin to develop a sense of who people are and their personality. This is a valuable thing that adds credibility and substance to what is otherwise just bits on a wire. Also, in fact we do pay for this site by our patronage to the businesses that advertise herein. Most localities have laws against wearing masks in public for a good reason. There just isn't any justifiable reason for people to be able to mask their identity in a free society excepting maybe Halloween or if you are a Muslim in a Muslim society but this is neither.

It is rather universal that insults, name-calling, etc. are rude and infuriating. Although I have recently seen an episode of mega-builders (i think) on discovery where there is a foreman who had the foulest mouth. But somehow his foul-mouthing motives his worker into working harder and their team achieves to build the fastest built arc bridge in the world (the bridge is in Thailand).

Although, I respect Wingito's and co critism, I don't think that making fun of other people religion or country counts as motivation. So play nice and respect other peoples ideas or comments.

That said, some said that tapping the brake as a message to tailgaters that they are too close. I agree with that. My original purpose is somewhere along the line, but with the added advantage that you dont have to release the gas pedal.

If the tailgaters arent able to react decisively to that, then I could almost imagine what would happen if there's a real emergency.

Think of it this way, there has been accidents caused by the highlights (which I myself was once experienced) and the cops can detain those who misuse the brake light the same way as those who misuse the high light. And now we have another way of communicating with those at the back instead of a finger in the rear window or the horn. Anyway, I would like to hear you respons.

If the tailgaters are not able to react decisively to that, then I could almost imagine what would happen if there's a real emergency.

I know this will sound like the proverbial broken record but "Slow Down". I live in a large city where tailgating and aggressive driving takes place as a regular part of day to day driving. This does not make it right nor does it justify my being an "ass".

The tapping of ones breaks is a generally accepted method of communicating to a driver behind you but it is not a clear way to communicate. Are you saying "Back off @#&^!*&", "Hey! traffic is slowing up ahead get ready to stop", "I'm getting ready to slowdown for a turn" or whatever else.

The best course of action in most cases when being tailgated is to slowdown to a safe speed. I would much rather get rear ended at 20-30 mph than at 75-85 mph. I often in dense rush hour traffic spend large amount of time applying my breaks as compared to other drivers. Why? Well one thing I do for tailgaters is to give them time to react. I look five to ten vehicles ahead and when I see them breaking I start breaking but slowly, this gives at least the first five or so tailgaters behind me time to slowdown and by the time I near a complete stop the vehicle in front of me has completed their panic breaking maneuver. You may say "Richard you are full of !#$@" but to date after driving for over 25 years which includes 5 years on the Autobahn's of Germany I have never been hit by a tailgater nor have I hit another vehicle and none of my actions have caused another driver to "panic".

"If you had been making a joke, then I apologize for not seeing it. It is, however, your responsibility to make sure that everyone knows it's a joke. You can do that by putting a smiley or by careful wording. But putting a statement about my nationality is a real low blow."

Hi Vulcan, As far as the smiley is concerned, I did. If you reread my post you will see it. While a colon and closed parenthesis means a "smile", a :D means a "very big smile". Tilt your head to the left as with all emoticons and you will see it. It is the intention and spirit of the post that counts, not the individual interpretation of everyone reading it. Neither I nor you can be responsible for everyone else. If the subject is touchy, someone may be offended regardless of what you say.

Concerning the tailgating thing, in my area tailgating is not only rude and dangerous, but it is considered by most to be theft as well (under certain circumstances). The effects of drafting reduce the gas mileage of the car in front while increasing the gas mileage of the tailgater. The authoriies in my area recommend tapping the brakes and letting off the gas. Our road conditions may be different than yours. In our area it is absurd to think that lighting the brakes would send a tailgater spinning out of control. Tailgating is illegal, touching your brakes is not.

As far as the "house" and guest thing is concerned. Every rude comment I have made has been a reflection of someone elses remarks toward me. I have simply been treating people with the same level of respect that they have been treating me as well as others in this thread. You say you are a member of this community, I agree. But then you should also know that this guest was invited by the administration of this community via an email with a link to this very thread as well as others. It is not common in my culture to begin insulting a guest of the homeowner the moment he or she arrives. Read through the posts that started this and take a closer look at who actually began with the insults (no matter how subtle). The other two were not provoked and my tolerance for such condescension and rudeness is lacking these days. I felt they needed to be taken down a notch or two.

The low blow regarding your nationality was in response to your remark. I did not solicit an insult from you, yet you chose to attack my character with a remark about "what kind of person I am". That being said, I apologize for the remark about your nationality.

I am willing to forgive and forget if you are. Have a nice holliday.

-Mr. Guest ;) <-- smile & wink

Thank you, Guest. I hope you'll join the "house" and register with CR4. Please let me know if you need any assistance. You are indeed welcome here.

On my computer all "Guests" are the same. Generalizing is a dangerous thing to do, but as I can't distinguish between one "guest" or another, and as you chose to be anonymous you should be prepared to take heat and hit. This is maybe the main reason I am against "Guest", or "anonymous" postings. Take the time to properly register, have "face" Avoid nonsense, make sure you know what you are talking about, have a clear opinion, and I assure you that you will not draw any negative fire.

"It is the intention and the spirit ...Not the individual interpretation"? What? All we do here is about individual interpretation and individual opinions. How dare you make me part of your insulting remark about the Philippines? It is your own opinion that I am confident no one else share. What has a "touchy subject" to do with this kind of remark?

I don't know where your "Area" is, but Don't you have hazard lights installed in your cars? Tapping the breaks is certainly legal, sending a false massage to the other driver is endangering him and yourself and can have serious consequences. You are not tapping the breaks in order to tell the driver "I am breaking" but rather to confuse him. Go back to he beginning of this thread and read it. The poster suggested us to install a switch to teach the tailgater a lesson. That is what I was opposing. Illegal, dangerous and stupid. It was my own opinion. The poster after giving it some thoughts has agreed with me and many others, and have apologized and kept apologizing. what else do you want.

Wangito.

PS, Is It your posting that has been deleted? Just curious...

Apology accepted. I just have one comment.

I do not agree that it is the responsibility of the individual to correctly interpret the intentions of the speaker (or writer, in this case). A lot of trouble in this world has stemmed from misinterpretations. It's been drummed in my head practically all my life, "when communicating, make yourself understood." If we were talking face-to-face I have no doubt that I would not have misinterpreted your words. In written communication, however, sound and sight are missing and being careful how you choose your words becomes more important.

Of course, as you say, people may still misinterpret you no matter what you say, but if you analyze your words later (after hearing why a person is offended) you will see where you erred. That's what I believe.

Take our advice and register. There are all types of people here, just like in the real world, so it won't be any different, but you'll be helping others and learning at the same time.

Let us take it one by one even though the cultural level of your answer does not Merritt an answer.:

• "I agree.." I am happy you do. it does give you some credit.
• "you have chosen a screen name..." As a "guest" you should have first read the "Rules and Recommendations" of this forum. It is strongly advisable NOT to use your birth name or give your E-mail address, for various reasons.
• "Arrogant" In your case , definitely yes. I have no other means to confront posters like you. And yes it is my house. I chose to obey by the rules of this forum you didn't and you don't. For that I will do my bet to get you expelled.
• Yes, you are my guest. whether you want it or not. But by the words you choose to express yourself, you clearly demonstrate where you really belong. you might be surprised though, that I not only invite people I like, or who are in total agreement with me, but even people like you, who are showing me how low can one go.
• "Narcissistic". (having spelling difficulties? use the free spell checker) This is really interesting. Not knowing much about the subject, like you Dr.Guest, I went for help. Read carefully: Quote, "A common use of the term Narcissism is made by people defending themselves against their own Narcissism, their concern with their own physical social and intellectual image......" unquote. If you didn't understand this, please let me know, I'll do my best to help.
• "Egoistical" Yes, but not more than a common person.
• "I Don't generally go around insulting individuals of having inferior intelligence." I know you don't. Technically speaking you just can not.

Do you have anything constructive to add to this thread? If not, please don't make me lose more precious time. Get over it.

Wangito.

Of course a better idea is to learn how to drive, stop driving like grandma, and don't be a jerk. It is rare to have someone tailgate you if you are doing the speed limit, unless they are ramping up for a pass, or they came up on you all of a sudden. Perhaps the fact that I usually drive 3mph over the speed limit helps, but there are usually more jerks in front of me than behind me.

I just love it when I merge, and the jerk in front of me taps his brakes making me have to brake, then the guy I merged in front of has to brake.

I now know that there are 4 types of drivers:

1. The one in front of you who is jerk (or worse)
2. The guy behind you which is an idiot. (or worse)
3. Grand'ma
4. And you, King of the road.

It is proven statistically that the "king of the road" is the most dangerous one, and is the one who provokes road rage and violence. Learn to be patient and share your rights with others. You will be surprised at how nice it can be. And most of all, remember:

Right of way is given not taken.

Wangito.

Boys and Toys ... Boys and Toys ... Boys and Toys !

Well..........yes?

OK, never mind million candle power lamps, try an electronic flash! As for the third brake light not coming on when you flash your headlights, half the world has that lamp burned out and doesn't know it.

Seriously, I have had a cop tailgate me at 75mph. It was an unmarked Camaro. It followed me for miles before he shifted far enough over that I could see his red/blue lights flashing in his headlights. He was trying to pull me over for not going back in the right lane after passing a truck. Tailgating at 75mph is very dangerous; all I could see of the Camaro was the top 1/3rd of the hood.

In Phoenix, it doesn't matter whether you do the speed limit, 10 mph over the speed limit or if you're going through a school zone; people tailgate. Tailgating causes more accidents than speeding. They like to blame the speed because people can't stop safely. They can't stop because they ride 25 feet off your bumper at 75MPH or 5 feet off your bumper at 30MPH. Why not scare the stuffing out of them and make them think about what it is they're doing?

Because there is another nimrod 25 feet off their bumper at 75mph or 5 feet at 30 mph.

Why not scare the stuffing out of them and make them think about what it is they're doing?

For the simple reason that scaring the tailgater is the least that could happen. He may get killed or injured and, worst, he may cause others to get killed or injured.

'Not your fault? Serves him right? No, sir. Doing something wrong to correct a wrong deed doesn't make it right, for you or for him.

Ok although we wish, dream and yearn for something like #7 to happen and we can all be a reserved police officers (no offence to those who are), and although we aren't grandmas, there of those who ARE carrying one, and grandpas and little children besides, and ARE actually concerned about the safety of those people.

The point is we don't wish ill to other drivers, don't want an accidents to happen (least of all to ourselves), but the truth is tailgaters are "accidents-waiting-to-happens". And they should hold themselves responsible for their actions.

All,

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