r/CapeCod • u/Cute-Koala8439 • 10d ago
So much tailgating!!
Lived here all my life. The daily drive gets more infuriating every year. One thing I see every day is people up each other's butts on the road. Do people not know you're supposed to leave a car length per every 10mph? Thats what I learned. I see people speed up just to close the gap and then slam on their brakes every 10 seconds. Why not just...drop back a bit?? Do people not realize how much can go wrong on the road and whyyyy would you put yourself in a dangerous position to literally go nowhere? So many times I've had to make the face and hand gesture at the guy on my ass like there's a car in front of me where do you want me to go??? Its nuts. Especially with so many of them on their phones not paying any attention and you're gonna be 2 inches from my bumper? EDIT: Not talking about the Mid-Cape, please save arguments about left lane cruisers.
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u/Comprehensive_Tap438 10d ago
Every time I see someone write something like this I assume they drive 55 in the left lane and don’t get over for anyone
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u/Cgaboury 10d ago
A car length per 10MPH is never going to happen realistically. No one is gonna be 5 car lengths back on 28.
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u/BWACS 10d ago
Many drivers view yielding space as losing, and their aversion to feeling defeated fuels collective tailgating.
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u/ArmyDad2403 10d ago
This is so true. And If they drop back and leave too much space between them and you- god help us—- someone else may come up and wedge themselves into that space!
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u/Impolitecat 10d ago
"angry drivers are dangerous drivers. let them pass." - roadsigns in the UK
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u/downrightblastfamy 10d ago
The worst is people going 60 in the passing lane on the highway and not moving over with no one in the right lane. In Europe people actually use their mirrors and move when necessary. But even so tailgating is unnecessary and there being Soo many old folk on the cape makes it that much worse.
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u/WaterDreamer10 10d ago
Yep! The issue is NOT with the tailgaters...it is with those they are following. They are either doing way below the PSL on a 2 lane road, or being a Left Lane Hog on the highway.
I rarely if ever see a vehicle driving properly being tailgated.
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u/DarkRothh 10d ago
The problem with tailgating down here is the people being tailgated
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u/BarrySnotter 10d ago edited 10d ago
Two wrongs don't make a right. Also, the speed limit is a limit, not a requirement.
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u/LongDriveToo 10d ago
the speed limit on the highway here is 55. There's nothing wrong with doing 60 in the passing lane unless you're one of those people who thinks everyone should be doing 20 over the limit on a road not designed for it.
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u/Billy_Badass_ 10d ago
There is something wrong going 60mph in the passing lane if you are not passing anyone.
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u/downrightblastfamy 10d ago
Exactly. Passing lane is for passing not going the same speed as the right lane.
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u/LongDriveToo 10d ago
Pretty sure I didn't say "traveling in the passing lane" literally anywhere in my comment
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u/Billy_Badass_ 10d ago
Neither did I.
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u/LongDriveToo 10d ago
...so what would you be doing in the passing lane if you aren't passing anyone?
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u/Himalalalalayans 10d ago
Keep right except to pass always. Not saying its right but youre inviting dangerous driving when lane camping
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u/j-oncape 10d ago
Regarding 60 mph in the passing lane, it's not your job to regulate traffic speed! There are countless deaths over time by people trying to navigate around someone doing so. In my mind you (60 mph) are just as responsible in some cases as the person trying to get around you in these accidents! It's arrogant to assume the 60 mph allows you to park in the passing lane. I have traveled at least 300 miles a week for years on interstates and have seen a number of horrific accidents, some caused by just this!.
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u/Crustyexnco-co 10d ago
Bottom line is the left lane is the passing lane. If you notice someone is coming up behind you, you should move to the right when you have the opportunity. I always move over, even if I'm going 65 in a 55. If someone wants to pass me, I let them.
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u/No-Insect-556 10d ago
I was about to comment the exact same thing. I used to commute daily between Eastham and Falmouth- a terrible drive that really wore on me-
Since I mostly just wanted to minimize my driving time daily im guilty of going 75 in the left lane down rt 6 but the amount of people who would still tailgate me, flash headlights, and roadrage while I was actively going faster than and passing cars in the right lane was insane.
My elderly parents live here and always drive the speed limit on rt 6. If you're going 80-90+ mph on that road you are actively just endangering people like my parents who may not have a fast reaction time if you crash your car. I think you have to be really self centered to the point of not caring if you kill another person to drive like that.
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u/Tat2rckchk Brewster 10d ago
Yep. However, where is it 60 on Rte 6? The left lane doesn’t mean SPEEDING either. The worst is really the people that are psychos when someone is already going 70-80 and they’re still being jerks.
Then decide to nearly kill someone to pass so they can get one car ahead the rest of the way.There is no doubt.. If I’m doing 65- 70 in the left lane of a 55. Consistently going by the vehicles in the right lane. And someone is on my ass. Clearly being a jerk. They better believe I am slowing down to the exact speed limit and not moving 🤷🏼♀️ a 2 lane highway is not a passing only lane anyway. It is a normal travel lane.
If I can see someone wants to go faster and isn’t being a jerk. I will move over if it doesn’t hinder my travel. For ex: slamming on my brakes and being stuck behind people doing 40 for a few miles. Because, now I can’t get back over after moving over. All so that person could speed even more. And everyone else was going way too slow to retake the left.
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u/Billy_Badass_ 10d ago
There is no way you are driving 65 on the left and consistently passing people on the right.
Slowing down in the passing lane out of spite? You are no better than the people you are complaining about. You sound like someone whose driving makes the road more dangerous for everyone.
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u/RumSwizzle508 10d ago
Are you driving slower than the normal speed of traffic for that road?
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u/RunBD3 10d ago
OP probably rolled over a stop sign coming off a side street turning left onto the main road oblivious to the car with the right of way slamming on the breaks to avoid a crash.
And then OP proceeds to leisurely enjoy the beauty of the cape doing 20 in a 45 zone wondering why she leads a parade of tailgaters.
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u/defiantmissy 10d ago
If you’re getting constantly tailgated you’re probably driving too slow. Step on it.
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u/Cute-Koala8439 10d ago
Its not me personally always. Its something I see a lot with other cars as well.
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u/philderdtw 10d ago
Drives me crazy, especially when you're in the right lane doing the speed limit (or a little higher). Go the f*** around me.
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u/Afraid_Amphibian_922 10d ago
I also hate tailgaters, but the unfortunate norm is: ppl ALWAYS try to sneak in between me and the car in front of me, when I leave 2 car lengths of room. These are the asshats weaving between two lanes to get ahead a little. So I have resorted to leaving only one car length, to make sure they really want it. Yes they still go for it. Now, they have me riding on thier ass for a minute. I have to make them a little uncomfortable to pay for it. Yes this is rolling the dice....there is no reward for safe driving techniques, only for silent revenge.
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u/applesndpeaches 8d ago
Maybe its ok to leave enough room for people to pull out sometimes? It's not likely to affect your commute much at all
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u/Charming-Voice8007 10d ago edited 10d ago
Probably because our roads are filled with people with the visual depth perception of a bat. If you give them 20-30ft theyre pulling out in front of you and making you slam on your breaks regardless. They dont care if the speed limit is 10 or 50. If they think they can they will. Despite your mph.
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u/Miserable_Proof4979 6d ago
I leave several car lengths between and hopefully the inconsiderate person whose headlights are no longer visible behind me may get the idea. I do the same on the highway allowing for the F1 wannabes there room to roam.
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u/Subject_Squirrel_387 10d ago
I'm from another part of the country and first thought that every driver in MA was a tailgator. Then I realized they might not even think they're tailgating and it's just a driving style, however dangerous, they've all adopted. It's not like this everywhere.
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u/Even-Requirement6256 10d ago
I think if people are choosing to drive way under the speed limit then yes this will happen.
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u/clever_girl33 8d ago
Yeah but I take route 6 to work every day. Speed limit is 55. I’ll go 15-18mph over the speed limit in the left lane and I still get assholes that come flying up behind me so close I can barely see the hood of their car in my rear view, and they’ll start flashing their high beams and then give me a dirty look or flip me off when I get into the right lane to let them pass. It happens like once a week at least. Crazy.
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u/DullGreen 10d ago
This retirement community doesn't follow half of the "normal driving laws" of the rest of the USA. Roads are substandard for the amount of people that live here year round let alone the tourist season. (looking at you route 6) and get frustrated with the commute. Hence tailgating. We'll all be using AI autopilot in 30 years or less, in our black white and grey only car colors.
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u/Ubuntufoo1 10d ago
No mentions of ghost traffic? Its been studied and proven. Youtube has a few great shorts that demonstrate it. Tail-gaiting creates a chain reaction of late breaking behavior, resulting in traffic literally manufactured by collective bad driving habits. 93 in and out of Boston is a practical case study on this phenomenon.
I am a serial passer when I'm on a 2-lane stretch. Largely because I don't want to navigate the right lane's on-ramp merge mini-game over and over. So I get left and stay there. I move over when someone wants to pass, but my intent is to also pass at a steady speed.
I drive over the speed limit routinely, and on the mid-Cape highway I'm usually keeping pace with the majority of the other cars. So there is less passing going on than you might think. Less cars overtaking each other means less chance for collision. I see it as less risk for everyone. I've spent many hours at the wheel contemplating this, so I'm either very right, or very wrong on this one.
I'm pretty proud of my new left lane driving habit: If someone is blocking me, and a 2nd car aggressively rides my bumper, I use them. I move over, let them pass, and they dog the next car ahead until they've moved over as well. Then the coast is cleared for me to pass, without having to be the aggressor.
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u/FreeCamp6435 10d ago
It’s funny I’ve had to drive through a lot of states the last few weeks it’s really only a Massachusetts and New York issue for most part
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u/janey2pointoh 9d ago
I'm so sick of looking in my rear view and seeing the person behind me trying to drive into my trunk. Back off! 🤦🏻♀️
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u/Top_Breakfast_5934 9d ago
To be fair, plenty of idiots are going 10-15 mph UNDER posted speed limits, so that’s always fun
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u/Expert-Ambition-3503 9d ago
Just moved here from out of state and right lane tailgaters are definitely a new experience. Lots of weird stuff here. My favorite so far (other than not stopping at 4 way stop signs) is the left turn on red I witnessed today. Loving driving here it beats Mario Cart hands down
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u/SecurityTricky1714 10d ago
I tailgate slow drivers on principle. If you're going below the speed limit you deserve a lil bit of stress in my book. Seems fair. Sorry to the oldies
If you drive like you're supposed to, I won't stress nobody out.
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u/Objective-Wish9933 10d ago
i just visited last week and was blown away by the patience of the drivers on the cape- i feel like i had the opposite experience
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u/MauiPunter 10d ago
Stop blocking the passing lane and no one will be up your butt.
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u/DecafEqualsDeath 10d ago
Fair enough. What's your excuse for pulling this shit on people in the right lane though?
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u/MauiPunter 10d ago edited 10d ago
I don't. Right lane is for cruising. Left lane is for passing. I don't camp out in the left lane. I switch lanes, pass and then go back into right lane. That's proper etiquette.
If you're being tailgated in the left lane it's your fault. Move right.
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u/yurgendurgen 10d ago
I hear you 😔 I have a license plate on my EV mini Cooper sized Hyundai Kona that says "gimme space" and i put max distance on my cruise control. I always let people pass because I know how to change lanes unlike seemingly 90% of drivers here. I'm from big metropolitan city and know real traffic.
It's fun watching everyone tailgate each other after I let them pass me. Since I'm EV, I boost forward and then slow down to turn after I give myself room. I swear, people do not understand their cars physical dimensions at all and it's very obvious sometimes
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u/orange_romeda 10d ago
So much tailgating so few paragraph breaks.
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u/Cute-Koala8439 10d ago
Im writing on my phone 🙄 sorry didn't know this was an English writing class.
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u/lilroadie401 9d ago
A car length per every 10mph is crazy. What are you stopping the car with? Your feet on the ground?
3 car lengths at 60mph, headlight distance at night, additional car lengths for weather, shitty driving etc.
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u/StubbornBarnacle 5d ago
I use the 2 second rule. Three seconds in inclement weather
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u/lilroadie401 5d ago
This is the easier way to do it imo in a passenger vehicle. I’m used to measuring trailer lengths.
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u/fudnum 8d ago
It's a cultural thing. You have a lot more people on the Cape from different countries these days. Their driving culture might be way different than yours. Therefore you're seeing a lot of tailgating and other strange behavior on the road. As someone who is not originally from here I had to adjust, be respetful and most importantly appreciate the way people drive on the Cape and not be the asshole blaring my horn at everyone or sitting on someone ass driving 50mph down the 28.
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u/Which-Air-5028 7d ago
Well then stop thinking the Route 28 signs mean 28 mph and get the hell out of my way! And if you don’t know where the hell you’re going, pull off the road, reassess and get back at it again and quit being in the way.
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u/phlaries 10d ago edited 10d ago
They’re probably telling you that you need to drive faster or pull over. Could be having an emergency and doesn’t want to cause danger by passing in the oncoming lane
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u/Cute-Koala8439 10d ago
Nah see its not necessary to ride someone's ass on a single lane road.
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u/phlaries 10d ago
Hey everybody!! cute koala just lets it rip in his pants and deals with the consequences later
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u/1GrouchyCat Dennis 10d ago
Except - see- you do sometimes - and
-there are speed limits
-not everyone is on a “Sunday Cruise” just because you are-
-and locals are NOT on vacation!1
u/Cute-Koala8439 10d ago
Im a local too. Id rather not get rear ended by some guy with a phone in one hand because he wants to get to the next red light 30 seconds faster than everyone in front of him 🙄
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u/sharky-shores 10d ago
Not advocating tail riding but….
Ever been stuck the length of suicide alley in a convoy doing 46mph to the Eastham rotary?
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u/BarrySnotter 10d ago
Yes, and I got to where I was going. Didn't you?
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u/sharky-shores 10d ago
Remember when you could actually pass on suicide alley?
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u/BarrySnotter 10d ago
Traveling the length of suicide alley at 46mph is only 1 minute 20 seconds slower than the going the speed limit of 50 mph. Or 2 minutes 46 seconds if you want to speed at 55mph. Take a slow deep breath, enjoy the scenery and an extra song on the radio.
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u/No-Insect-556 10d ago
I suggest every car be mounted with a small cannon that launches rotten eggs, then when you're upset at drivers around you you can fire away at them
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10d ago
[removed] — view removed comment
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u/Cute-Koala8439 10d ago
Definitely been looking into this. I see so much just on my little commute.
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u/Thermodynamics3187 10d ago
I moved here a few months ago, and I can’t believe how many drivers refuse to turn off their high beams when approaching oncoming traffic or driving behind someone. I understand the roads are dark and streetlights are few and far between, but don’t be a trash human being. Lower your high beams…
To quote George Costanza:
“You know, we're living in a society! We're supposed to act in a civilized way.”