When a driver is doing 60 mph and following so close to the car in front of him that one would think he's being towed, the "I'm Tailgating" lights illuminate on the back of his car.

The purpose of these lights is to warn the driver *following* the tailgater, who might not see the car in front, of the increased danger of the situation. He will then know to leave more distance for braking and possible swerving to avoid a potential accident.
-- phundug, Dec 03 2003

Why should the last in line afford any more lead space than ususal? My brakes work the same regardless of how close the people in front of me are to each other.
-- phoenix, Dec 03 2003


A tailgater in front of you needs to slam on his breaks if the car in front of him slows down at a normal rate, leaving you less time to react. The “I am talking on the phone” light and the “I am drunk” light would also provide useful warnings.
-- AO, Dec 03 2003


Presumably, there would be an "I'm Tailgating" button on the dashboard for the tailgating driver to push - which would turn on the "I'm Tailgating" lights.

It could also turn on a mechanism whereby the car would leap 50 metres in the air and then explode.
-- benjamin, Dec 03 2003


I'd prefer an "I'm Being Tailgated" button. It does the same thing as [benjamin]'s button. To the tailgaters car, I mean.
-- Detly, Dec 03 2003


"A tailgater in front of you needs to slam on his breaks...leaving you less time to react."
It leaves me exactly the same amount of time to react as I'd have if a non-tailgater in front of me slammed on his brakes. The onus is on me to keep a safe distance, regardless of what the guy in front of me is doing.
-- phoenix, Dec 03 2003


You have my vote! I think this is a great idea, when he switches on I can get right in behind in my 40 tonne ERF (with the 500 sheep) and really make him sweat.

P.S. I hate tail gaters.
-- KiwiJohn, Dec 04 2003


I hate people who transport live animals more than I hate tailgaters. I like this idea though.
-- dobtabulous, Dec 04 2003


That’s a good point, phoenix. If this is a light that warns you to follow at a safe distance, it should be illuminated all the time.
-- AO, Dec 04 2003


This makes sense to me. A tailgater is more likely to have an accident than a non-tailgater. You could stop easily if all he did was slam on his brakes; but if he ends up embedded into something, his car is likely to stop faster than yours can. The only way to be sure of stopping in time then is to leave the stopping distance appropriate to your speed in front of you.

A simple implementation would weigh distance against speed and turn on the hazard flashers when the two second rule was broken. The deluxe version [AO] would also detect mobile 'phone emissions, alcohol filled atmosphere, or loud music / arguing in the car and take the same action.
-- English Bob, Dec 04 2003


I understand that this idea may have very little applicable merit, but I think it would be handy to know if the guy ahead of me was 6" from the car in front of him. Then, I understand that he's following the other vehicle closely, and if I want to aviod an accident, either get off of HIS tail, or look for another lane to pass him.
-- Letsbuildafort, Dec 04 2003


//"get the f*uck out of the left lane you slow inconsiderate bastard light"//
Please exchange 'Left' for 'Right' for our UK cousins.
Many Thanks for the sentiment though.
-- gnomethang, Dec 04 2003


[dag] - Where I live, the vast majority of the roads are single-lane per direction. There are a large number of tailgaters. Thus, people tailgate not merely to indicate that the person in front should move out of the way, but simply because they're bad drivers.
-- benjamin, Dec 04 2003


[dag] - note also that some of us prefer not to go 20km/h over the posted limit simply because some bogan with a souped up Honda wants to prove to the world that God didn't shortchange him downstairs.
-- Detly, Dec 04 2003


(Phoenix) you're right. on the other hand, when you've been driving for several hours on a motorway (highway? USA) your concentation can sometimes drop below the ideal target figure* of !00%, so a little reminder would be OK by me. *does anyone know how to spell figure or figurue or whatever it is?
-- skinley, Apr 09 2004


As a participant in a 3-car crash, I'm all for this idea.
-- tchaikovsky, Apr 10 2004



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