LogFAQs > #972306363

junk_funk posted...

I posted before reading the topic throughbut after reading, this topic is full of a bunch of nervous Nellys. The brunt of the danger while driving is definitely in front of you and to your immediate sides. Theres hardly anything behind me that concerns me unless Im stopping quickly or a butthead is up my six.

Right. A tailgater is a danger, but knowing they're there is really all you can do if they refuse to pass you - if you have a tailgater behind you then the danger you need to watch for is actually ahead of you - you need to not get surprised by anything that would make you brake suddenly.

The status of someone tailgating you is not something that changes every 2-3 seconds; there is no need to keep checking on them by looking at the rear view mirror constantly. Pretty much all meaningful dangers on the road are in front of you because that's where your car is going. This is pretty simple. If you have a tailgater, that's dangerous and you can try to let them pass but this isn't something that requires constant monitoring of the rear view mirror.

In my opinion, the rear view mirror isn't really important unless you're changing lanes. Obviously if you do any kind of turning or lateral movement you need to do a full check - rear view mirror, side mirror, blind spot check (turning your head to see to your immediate side where the mirrors don't reach in most cars). If you're driving in one lane, though, there's nothing that looking at your rear view mirror can really *do* aside from telling you whether or not it's safe to brake suddenly, but it does not require constant monitoring to know this because cars aren't coming in and out from behind you every 2-3 seconds. You should have a pretty good idea if a car might or might not be behind you simply by noticing upcoming intersections and turns/entry points to the road, especially because a car that is at an intersection is something that *does* require careful monitoring. If they turn onto the road and are behind you now, one glance - not every two to three seconds, just a single glance - is enough to confirm that you have someone behind you now, which, if they're at a safe following distance, should not change how you drive. You should use your turn signals and avoid hard brakes *regardless* of whether or not someone is behind you.