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What should you do if someone tailgates you? 

On Behalf of | Mar 4, 2023 | Auto Accidents |

No one likes to be tailgated. In fact, that’s often why drivers do it. They may be frustrated and angry, and they will tailgate to show their displeasure. In other cases, they want the car ahead of them to speed up, so they hope that tailgating will influence the other driver to do so.

But this is a very dangerous practice, and there’s a reason that it is illegal. If someone begins tailgating you, how should you react? What should you do to take care of the issue?

Give them an opportunity to pass

You may not like doing so, but the best option is often to just give in to what the tailgater wants and let them pass. This may mean that you need to slow down or even find a safe place to pull off to the side of the road. If you’re on the interstate, it may mean that you need to switch lanes.

This can be frustrating because you don’t feel like you’ve done anything wrong and your hand is being forced. But it is better to simply allow the person to pass, taking any ego out of the equation, to reduce the odds of an accident.

The one thing to remember is that this could be the beginning of a road rage encounter. If you are trying to pull over to let them pass and the other driver begins to pull over too, do not do anything to escalate the situation. Your goal should always be simply allowing them to move on so that you increase your own safety and the safety of those in your vehicle.

What if you do get injured?

Unfortunately, this doesn’t always work or you may not have a chance to get the tailgater to back up before they cause an accident. Take the time to look into your options to seek financial compensation.

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