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Dealing with tailgaters
If you can't see a clear stretch of road in your mirror between you and the vehicle behind you, you have a tailgater, and you need to know how to deal with them.
Reduce speed momentarily, to increase the gap from the vehicle in front of you. "Buy time to brake safely"
When a vehicle is tailgating you, it cannot stop in time if you brake hard, without hitting you. So it's time for you to take control and keep yourself safe. You never know when you might have to brake hard.
By checking your mirrors regularly, you will know who's behind you. If the driver behind is on their phone, you might want an even safer gap as their reactions will be slower.
Buy time to brake safely
First, buy yourself time, by momentarily reducing speed to increase the gap from the vehicle in front of you. But, don't continue to drive slowly, or they will do it more. If there isn't a vehicle in front of you, just make sure you're driving at a speed which maintains safe progress. By speeding up to try and get rid of them, they will just tailgate even more dangerously. Providing you are driving at an appropriate speed, you are not holding them up - unless they want to break the speed limit. And that's their problem, not yours.
Take control. If you forsee a possible need to brake, such as a traffic light which might change, or a hazard they might not have seen, or if you need to slow to take a turn, show them your brake lights. Brake sooner, and more gently, buy time to be safe.
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