Felt like creating this thread for those of us that freaks out when we brake in busy traffic conditions.

To put it in a nutshell - I always worry about the guy behind me when I am on the road. I find myself in situations where there is stop and go traffic and we'll get to speeds of easily 45+ mph and then suddenly have to slow down. I have no problem slowing down since I give enough distance. There are times where I suddenly have to slow down much faster than normal and I just watch my rear view mirror as the guy behind me is flying and realizes a bit later than necessary and rapidly brakes to avoid hitting me. It always gets my heart jumping 'cause I know its potentially coming. I've been in one rear-ending incident due to stop and go traffic but fortunately the damage only required only a repaint of the rear bumper which was surprising. Yesterday I had another close call... Don't these guys know better than to follow me too closely?

 

i look in my r.v.m all the time ! and try to slow down as gradually as possible... i have been rear ended by some b. that was dialing a cell phone... she didn’t even look up. I saw it all like in slow mo….

 

I no exatly how you feel...thats y i stop like a 2 feet away from the car infront of me...Just in case if the car behind can't brake in time....i move up like a foot to give him more room

 

+1 i was actually rear ended in my truck due to this.

 

^ i'm glad that i was in my truck, not the z... i'd kill that b.

 

I too use my mirrors a lot and people behind me in stop n go traffic are the worst! I tend to stop with enough room that if they do hit me I will not hit the car in front of me. I've have never been rear-ended using this; laying into the horn helps too!

 

keep tapping your brakes if ppl are tailgating.

 

I worry about getting rear ended too. Sometimes if the person seems to be approaching fast I'll tap the brakes once or twice to hopefully get their attention by blinking the lights.

 

i got rear ended in an open road after being stopped for over 15 seconds.. after that all other driviers worry me. some people just don't pay attention or just can't drive. on the highway when i see brake lights ahead i let off the gas right away, not because I can't stop, but to give the person behind me more time to realize we're going to be slowing down. i know how it feels rockin!

 

I must say that I am lucky I live out in the middle of no were. I don’t have to deal with stop and go to often, only in town. But what really pisses me off is when the a-hole is on your *** in the right hand lane and the left is clear. They do that S*** all the time here, Gets on my Last F***ing nerve.

 

I was once at a red light and 3 crack heads were all high as $hit rammed into the back left side of my truck when I was already standing still. Then the f*cking guy proceeded to back up and ram into the back right side of it He reversed and as I get out the car he squeezes between the truck and a bus almost running me over and runs the red light almost getting t-boned by an Escalade. I was so pissed off. I got the license plate, he almost got into three other accidents trying to run away. Turns out the car was of his grandma (according to the cops) and it was insured, so we got fully reimbursed without having to pay deductibles. Only damages to the steel bumper, thankfully.

I found the car a few weeks later sitting in front of an abandoned gasoline station all smashed up and in worst condition that when I first encountered it, I assume that I was not the only one that had an encounter with these idiots.

 

I know the feeling, it makes me really nervous when i stop and see an suv behind me with a girl driving while on her cellphone and doing makeup, i am just waiting for her to plow into me

 

Trust me you are not alone. The traffic in Atlanta is all stop and go with tarts on their cell phones or putting on their makeup using their rvm so i always have to be cautious of the cars around me and have more than a few close calls.

 

I get the same thing when I'm stopped and I look in my RVM and see how close they are to my car... I am like WTF I cant even see the front of the car sometimes just the windshield and can only imagine how much space between the two cars there is.

 

i drive either in LA or in Denver, so I feel your pain. Give this a shot: Instead of braking all in one consistent motion, press the brakes and scrub some speed, then release, then press again, etc. until you are stopped. The end effect is that your brake lights switch on and off, giving a sign to the idiot behind you to slow down. This is also actually better for your brakes (keeps them cooler).

if you are ever driving a car without ABS...this is part of threshold braking...essential for slowing down especially in slippery conditions

 

You think that's bad. Im my driving career, I got rear ended like this at least 6 times. (and twice I had morons back into me)
Last one was 10 days after I bought a brand new car. I only had 300 miles on the odo, and it was longer in body shop than in my possesion. Two days before that, a friend hit it while it was parked. Guess how happy I was with my first new car (it was a Hyundai Tiburon)

 

I brake check without mercy

 

Braking looking in the rearview mirror, lane changers without looking, curbs and wheel scrape, curbs and the front lower valance, parking lot morons, what is the difference...freaking out about a chip, a nick, a scrape, a wreak

 

happens to me ALL the time.

 

I've been rear ended twice because people don't pay attention. But if its gonna happen its gonna happen. Some one in here said keep tapping your brakes to keep them aware of you and where you are. Thats a good idea. but other then that in traffic you cant like keep an out or anything unless your in the fast lane i guess and swoop into the emergency lane cuzz some one is going to hit you. Tap your brakes and try not to worry about it your causing yourself alot of stress for something that may happen and when it does you prolly wont see it coming.