Bill V
Well-Known Member
I just can't get this "teach people" mentality. It's arrogant, plain and simple.
Yet isn't that what you're trying to do here, with me and all the other proactive drivers here? You're trying to teach us that, in your opinion, our actions are inappropriate. Seems quite hypocritical to say that, while demonstrating that "'teach people' mentality" yourself. Whether you agree with my "mentality" or not, it's at least consistent with my actions.
It is you with your head in the sand, if you believe that simply ignoring a tailgater will be a safer situation for you than taking action to get them off your behind. One of my friends who died in a situation like this had a passenger in the vehicle with them, who survived. That passenger confirms that my friend was doing his best to ignore this tailgater, give them space, politely slow down, etc. And the tailgater still drove them off the road, to his death. If my friend had been more proactive in getting him off his tail, I am confident he'd still be with us today. And although I'm less confident this would have happened, it may have also gotten this person to stay off other people's tails in the future. Both of these reasons make taking such action well worth it.
if you KNOW you are so correct, why not poll 10 defensive driving instructors and see if they recommend what you are doing as a way to teach drivers to drive better.
Actually, a far better approach would be to poll 10 proactive drivers and see if they recommend what youa are doing as a way to teach drivers to drive better. I don't care what "defensive driving instructors" say--it's their strategies that got my friends killed.
You would be better off with a bumper sticker that said: "Alert and considerate drivers safe lives!"
I don't know if I'd say that I would be "better off"--but I agree that something like this would be a good supplement to the rest of my approach. Akin to the whole "Start seeing motorcycles" bumper sticker campaign.
I just think you are kidding yourself if you think at 60mph you can do maneuvers with a vehicle that will effectively TEACH people anything.
For the record--I never said to do anything at 60mph. That would be crazy. To this point in the thread, I've never said a speed--but allow me to clarify that anything like I propose needs to be done at as low of speeds as possible--far lower than 60mph. Also, if you're considering throwing a soda or something like that, preferably it should be done by a passenger in your vehicle, and aimed at the passenger side of the windshield, or the grill, etc. It's got to be done in a way to make the point, not endanger the other vehicle.
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