About Tailgating

In recent years, news about tailgating has become increasingly common. Some incidents have even tragically resulted in the deaths of drivers or motorcyclists who were tailgated, which is truly heartbreaking when you think about the families left behind. By the way, tailgating is defined as:

Acts where drivers of cars, motorcycles, or bicycles on the road intentionally intimidate or harass other road users during driving, causing traffic hazards. (excerpt) Most common behaviors include honking horns and tailgating closely. However, some cross the line into criminal acts, such as forcing the other vehicle to stop, threatening the driver, or dragging them out of the car to assault them.
*Wikipedia: “Tailgating“

This is how Wikipedia explains it.

*Image source: Retaliation against conspicuous tailgaters! The risks far outweigh the momentary satisfaction

Regarding the causes of tailgating, it’s written like this:

Cars are spaces where you feel in control and protected, so while driving, people tend to feel psychologically emboldened. Therefore, when things don’t go their way, even minor issues can trigger anger.

It’s often said that “people’s personalities change when they grip the steering wheel,” and this is because their feelings become amplified. Research also shows that drivers of large, high-seated vehicles or luxury cars can sometimes fall into the illusion that they are somehow superior, which can make them more aggressive.

I see… it’s not hard to understand.

Police Crackdown

In January 2018, the National Police Agency issued a directive to strengthen crackdowns on tailgating. They also recommend that if you encounter tailgating, you should install dashcams facing both front and rear, or have a passenger record the incident, then submit the footage as evidence to the police.

*Image source: Retaliation against conspicuous tailgaters! The risks far outweigh the momentary satisfaction

I remember when I was little, riding in the back seat with my brother while our mother drove, we often got tailgated by cars behind us (maybe because Mom drove too slowly). At those times, Mom would always say, “Both of you, turn around and glare at the people behind us!” (there were no child seats back then), so my brother and I would turn around and glare at the driver behind us relentlessly (laughs).

Surprisingly, this actually worked quite well, so whenever we encountered tailgating, my brother and I would eagerly turn around and glare back. But nowadays, with “retaliation” incidents happening, looking back, that was quite a risky thing to do…

Tailgating While Driving a Porsche

When driving a luxury car like a Porsche, it’s very rare to be tailgated. I recently wrote in my blog that I drove 1,000 km round trip in a Panamera without being tailgated even once, and that’s truly the case.

パナメーラのここがすごい！ ー 往復1000km走行で再認識した素晴らしさ

My husband also shared his thoughts on tailgating:

In my experience, I’ve never been tailgated in the Panamera Turbo. As for the Boxster, sometimes cars close in—not really tailgating, but more like wanting a closer look. Occasionally, there are cars that do tailgate, but when that happens, I just turn on the sports exhaust and blip the throttle, and they usually back off (laughs).

I asked, “What about the air-cooled 964 C2? It’s small and cute, and honestly, many people don’t even recognize it, so wouldn’t it get tailgated sometimes?”

Actually, the 964 rarely gets tailgated despite being small and old. Also, I’ve never been tailgated by another Porsche. Even if a Porsche comes up fast from behind, they keep a respectful distance once they get close. I think it’s a kind of camaraderie among Porsche drivers.

He also mentioned that while there are stories of Japanese modified sports cars tailgating Porsches, we haven’t experienced that ourselves. So as long as you’re driving a Porsche, you probably don’t need to worry much about being tailgated.

Avoid Becoming a Tailgater Yourself

What Porsche drivers really need to be mindful of is the possibility of becoming the tailgater themselves.

 

Porsches handle precisely and are very stable, which can give you the illusion that your driving skills have improved. Also, even at fairly high speeds, there’s almost no sense of speed, so you might find yourself pressing the accelerator more and more without realizing it.

That’s why, when driving a Porsche on the highway, I sometimes get frustrated thinking, “Why is this car in front driving so slowly… (-_-)” My husband said,

On Germany’s Autobahn, slower cars usually move aside quickly when faster cars approach. If the slower driver doesn’t notice, a quick left turn signal or a light flash usually prompts them to yield promptly. The manners there are really impressive. But in Japan, many drivers stubbornly stay in the passing lane, thinking “As long as I’m within the speed limit, I don’t have to yield.” I think this attitude contributes to the tailgating problem.

Makes sense…

But even so, tailgating the car in front is absolutely unacceptable. If the car ahead is too slow and you really want to pass, you must keep a safe margin and overtake from the left side. (Traffic laws prohibit overtaking from the right in Japan.)

Why is tailgating absolutely unacceptable? Of course, safety is the primary reason, but also,

“Driving a luxury car like a Porsche generally doesn’t leave a good impression on the public.”

As I wrote in this article, even if Porsche drivers behave perfectly normally, they are often perceived as “wealthy playboys” or “show-offs.”

Porsches are both objects of admiration and targets of envy.

For example, if an ordinary Japanese car is parked illegally, people might just think, “Don’t park here (*_*)” but if it’s a Porsche, it often draws much stronger resentment, like, “Just because you drive a luxury car, you act so arrogantly with terrible manners!”

Also, news about Porsches causing accidents by speeding are reported by name, whereas similar accidents involving regular cars would just be headlined as “Passenger car accident.”

That’s just how it is—not only with Porsche, but in general.

So if a Porsche driver tailgates, it’s likely to generate a lot of negative feelings from others.

The Risk of Being Exposed

In this context, one thing we especially need to be careful about nowadays is social media (SNS). I’ve seen several cases on Twitter where people post videos of tailgating with comments like,

“There’s a tailgating car, so I’m exposing them.”

These videos often show the license plates clearly, and many get retweeted widely. If this escalates, the individual could even be identified.

Just imagining your Porsche being exposed like that on social media is terrifying.

Of course, the most important thing is safe driving and never tailgating others. But as mentioned earlier, drivers of luxury cars like Porsche especially need to practice courteous driving. If you want to push the limits, the racetrack is the place to do it.

On the flip side, I’ve heard that when you yield to others while driving a Porsche, people think, “Wow, a Porsche driver just let me pass!” and your reputation goes way up (laughs).

From now on, I intend to be even more mindful of safe driving whenever I’m behind the wheel of a Porsche.