The Attack of the Towbar People!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

rode2rouen · Jul 18, 2005

Here's the scenario:

It's night time and you're rolling down the highway with the cruise set at, or maybe a bit over, the posted speed limit, the stereo is flooding the cab with your favorite driving tunes and life is good.

Suddenly you notice that the 4 wheeler you saw closing in the mirrors a few miles back is now "parked" behind you and matching your speed. You are under attack by one of the "Towbar People"!!!!!!

I have no idea what these dolts are thinking when they do this, but it's obvious that they are completely unaware of the danger they are exposing themselves to. So in the interest of their safety I have devised an amusing game that not only gets them out from behind you, but allows you to gauge how stoopid they are.

Playing the game is very simple, reach over to the cruise control and hit the "Decel" switch (this will drop your speed by approximately 1 mph), count to 5 and hit "Decel" again. Continue until they decide you need to be passed.

You can gauge their stoopidity with the following:

1 to 5 clicks on "Decel"....slightly stoopid, but concious
6 to 10 clicks..............stoopid, could be on the phone
11 to 15 clicks.............stooopid, could be drunk
16 to 20 clicks.............BigTime Stooopid, could be comatose
21+ clicks..................RockHard Stooopid, no brain-no pain

Now before you say that nobody would last for more than 20 clicks, I'll tell you that my personal record is a 23 click moron on I-24 east of Nashville about a month ago. The guy was so pissed that he was blowing his horn and had turned his dome light on so I could see him flipping me off as he passed!!! I was laughing so hard I thought I'd have to pull over!!

Note that this game is best played on rural stretches of highway when the traffic is light. YMMV

Rex

Glen Rice · Jul 18, 2005

People never fail to amaze me when it comes to how dumb around trucks motorists can be. I like your example and scoring system. You have a good sense of humor about these morons! Safe driving has never been harder than in the real world of trucking today.

raceman · Jul 18, 2005

The way I handled this was by installing two flood lights on my ICC bar and a switch on the dash. I simply throw those for a second or two and it takes care of the problem. I learned by accident. I had left my brights on behind a T/T. He finally flipped his floods on me. I got the point and quick.

I took his mean approach and put the same thing on my truck and people get my point just as quickly as I got his.

Raceman
OTR O/O

merkurfan · Jul 19, 2005

Not sure bright lights are a wise idea. They would blind someone at night. Slowing reducing speed sounds MUCH safer to me to get some one off your butt.

I've also noticed since our new truck got rear ended that a beat up ICC bar does the same for you. Guess they figure if someone else hit you, your not affraid of the brakes. Oldly enough, the truck was parked and unmanned on the side of the road when a 4 wheeler drove in to it.

Lawrence · Jul 19, 2005

rode2rouen,

That was too funny!

Actually, I'm surprised we don't hear more of this behavior woth fuel/gasoline prices. You know - 4 wheelers looking for a free ride on the back door of a big truck.

Lawrence,
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raceman · Jul 20, 2005

Merc, no one said it was safe. But if I find a person on my tail they will get it with all I can give them. In my book they get 5 miles and two to three warnings of a tap of the brakes, if they remain there at 5.1 they get the lights and if that does not move them and I can determine they have no children in that vehicle, the next tap of my brakes could result in them getting a good taste of my ICC bar.

I have no patience for this crap that goes on anymore. I dont leave the lights on to keep them from seeing, I simply let them know I don't care for their distance. If they stay there and something happens in front of me, they will taste that bar anyway and they know that. If they are going to keep it up, I will just help reach their goal. This is an examply of where I gues I am just not PC as far as tail gaters go.
Raceman
OTR O/O

ATeam · Jul 20, 2005

Awesome! Instead of letting the "tow bar people" get under your skin, you turn it into an ammusement and deal with it safely. Very professional, maintaining control of your attitude and emotions behind the wheel as you do. Great post!

Crazynuff · Jul 24, 2005

I'm surprised you only mentioned 4 wheelers . Some big trucks do the same thing . Not many , but the ones that do are really ignorant . Tailgating is dangerous and some do it in heavy traffic where even if the vehicle in front of them changed lanes there's a dozen more in line going the same speed . I watched one semi tailgating a motorcycle real close at over 65 m.p.h. for over a mile .

redytrk · Jul 24, 2005

>I'm surprised you only mentioned 4 wheelers . Some big
>trucks do the same thing

These cowboy,chicken hauler idiots will someday cause "collision avoidance units" to be manditory in all trucks.

I once asked a Ohio state patrol officer why so few of these tailgaters are ticketed.His answer blew me a way.He said these violations are "to difficult to prove".

Well Lord Mr Ford...It is hard to belive that in the world of technology we live in today,that a way of timing and or video taping, cant deal with these idiots.

A whole lot of those crosses by the side of the road could be eliminated by stopping tailgating.

Crazynuff · Jul 24, 2005

With all the technology of black boxes there should be a way to record following too closely . The problem would be picking up 4 wheelers that pass then cut right in front of you . I've gotten a few tailgaters on the CB and told them I just got them tailing on my digital camera and I was sending pics to their safety department . I never really did but it sure gave them something to think about .

rode2rouen · Jul 24, 2005

When a big truck gets in the "towbar zone" I get on the CB and ask if they dropped out of truck drivin' school before the discussion on proper following distances. I'll let you imagine the responses I get from that, as most aren't suitable for this forum!!

As far as the motorcycle being "towbarred", shame on him! I've been riding since high school and I'll be dipped if I let anyone, in any vehicle, hang that close for any length of time. The power and agility of a bike allow that situation to be dealt with PRONTO!!

Rex

elton10 · Jul 27, 2005

Ok I have to admit that when Im 4 wheeling I do sometimes "hitch" a ride and draft a truck...But good golly I get a decent draft at 10-15 car lengths back at highway speeds.
My wife calls the brake tap for tailgaters the "National Rolling Reaction Test"
We just had another fatal accident involving a truck in Atlanta today.Apparent cause..tailgating and driving too fast throuhg a construction zone. According to witnesses a tail gating SUV hit the the stopped truck so hard that it (the SUV) went straight up in the air and was then crushed between the stopped truck and one behind.
A week ago I saw a 4 wheeler slam so hard into a stopped car that it set off a 5 car chain collision. Too many assholes on the road trying to do everything but drive.

theoldprof · Jul 27, 2005

A few weeks ago my wife and I were in her car driving about 70 or so. The limit was 65. I was passing two trucks. I must not have been going over the speed limit fast enough for the A-Hole behind me. Not only was he right on my donkey, but he was weaving right and left so I would notice him in my rear view. What did I do? The only moral thing: Hit the cruise decel button. Somehow the decel button tends to piss off A-Holes.

:+ :+

yaaintdeadyet · Jul 29, 2005

Tailgating irks the hail out of me! I've got a few solutions that seem to satisfy that sensation of being crowded. One, which is the easiest, is to honk my horn. Yep, just as if someone in my forward line of sight is creating a dangerous situation, honking at a tailgater works. It draws attention to the danger of the act as well as pulling in the attention of others on the road. I've asked law enforcement their thoughts on using a horn to ward off as well as warn others of tailgating. In every case they've said in a worse case scenario I would be ticketed for negligent use of my horn. Yet, and most added, that's the kind of ticket that's easy to contend with. Of course there's always the torn pieces of toilet paper or peanut shells out your window trick. It's amazing how a little of harmless debris backs a tailgater off.

Loose_Cannon47 · Jul 29, 2005

Yea, but then ya get a ticket for littering...I still like the spot light idea best...

Loose

truckerbse2 · Aug 1, 2005

Ha Ha, glad to hear we aren't the only ones. Never done it by clicks, but just turned it off and let it coast down a bit. Amazing how slow they will go!

I have never thought of it with your rating system, but will give it a try....funny though that your record was actually ticked at you!
:7

M A WEBSTER · Aug 1, 2005

Try a golf ball dropped out your window at 65mph.
they are very unpredictable.

finney · Aug 1, 2005

Whatever happened to buckshot? It's non-reflective (unlike BB's) and a little bit goes a long way, and what's wrong with a three million candlepower spot?

Actually, I just ignore 'em (or at least try to). It takes a long time to train yourself that way and I still find it sometimes difficult, but I try not to let the person behind me drive my vehicle. If they want to be on my $*& when I hit the brakes that's their look-out and I'm not about to worry about 'em. I cannot drive for anybody else, 31 years of CB radio has taught me you cannot teach people how to drive no matter how you say it, and I'm not about to stroke out (a good formula for stress is worrying about things you can't do anything about) over some moron.
Approximatly 40% of all drivers (big truck) are in their first year and most people that drive a car may (that's MAY, mind) take a trip of 500 miles or more once a year, but most drive their cars like we do; go to the store and come home type stuff. Run the kids to the game or something. They DO NOT have your level of experience and you shouldn't expect them to. Quite often they really DON'T know what they're doing, and although you'd think common sense would tell them better, that's probably the greatest oxymoron of all time.

I like the game idea, slowing down 'til they go around is probably best, but mostly I just pretend they're not there.

rollingstock · Aug 1, 2005

I'm not at all proud of this. I was north bound on 35 in southern OK at night. I notice a vehicle dart from behind into my West Coasts so I knew I had a T-G. I had an ungoverned tractor and was on CC at 70. I saw a large object ahead, partially in the left lane, just enough to be about a half car width. I did not move until the last second and went LEFT. The driver behind did not have time to react as she was no more than a couple of feet behind my DOT. Needless to say, she centered the recap with her Jetta. Surprisingly, the old gator nearly ripped the front end off of the car. The right head light went out and the rad was punctured. It really messed up the car. I stopped and ran back the half mile or so and the girl was hysterical. She thought that my truck generated the tire. I assured her it did not and she called the police on her cell. When the OSP trooper arrived he took his flashlight and looked my vehicle over twice. Then, he asked her what happened. When he asked me, I told his truthfully that she was so close I could not make her out in either mirror. He was not happy with her and I suspect he knew that I could have avoided the tire.

All said, I believe that if I had gone to the right I might have picked the tire off the road with my tandems and sent if inot the lady's windshield. !!!! That would not be conducive to having a good day.

:7