A motorist was left astounded after using a straightforward trick to discourage a tailgater while travelling along the motorway. Tailgating is when a reckless driver follows another vehicle too closely, typically to pressure them into moving over, driving faster, or simply to be inconsiderate and irritating.
This is also against the Highway Code, which advises motorists to maintain a gap of at least two seconds behind the vehicle in front. Driving too close to the car ahead is not only illegal, but also hazardous and could end up with both vehicles seriously damaged – or worse. Despite this, it remains one of the most frequently committed offences on British roads, according to studies. However, what many drivers may not realise is that there is a simple and safe method to deter someone from tailgating you.
While some motorists might gently tap the brakes to illuminate the brake lights, or activate the hazard warning lights, this is not always the safest course of action. Instead, drivers have discovered a new technique to deter tailgaters, which many have found even more effective than braking or switching on the hazard lights, reports the Express.
A driver named Cat demonstrated the trick in a TikTok video, where she talked about having used the hack for the first time. She proceeded to explain that a grey Audi Crossover had been tailgating her while travelling along the motorway. Cat revealed she had been in the fast lane at the time, as a vehicle in the adjacent lane was moving more slowly, meaning she was in the process of overtaking.
To put a stop to the tailgating, Cathrine recalled a tip someone had previously shared with her — the windscreen trick, whereby the driver being tailgated activates their rear windscreen wash while on the move, causing some of the fluid to spray onto the vehicle behind. “Tell me why they back up, and they have to clean their windshield because I got it all wet,” she told her viewers, before bursting out laughing by how effective the tip had been.
Viewers swiftly flocked to the comments section, with differing opinions on whether this was a wise approach to dealing with tailgaters. “Even better if you have rear wipers, mess with the nozzles and baby we are playing Mario Kart,” one person said.
Another viewer replied: “One of my nozzles are a little off and I deliberately haven’t fixed it. It works SO well on tailgaters.” Another user shared: “I did that and then they drove up next to me and matched my speed and flipped me off.”
Not everybody was in agreement with the hack, however, as one user argued: “Folks gotta just start moving and letting people speed in peace. I’m not saying they’re right for being on your bumper but if you were going slow then you are also in the way. “People would do anything but get out of the way,” a second person added.
