Not around here they don’t. It might be a little bit better, but still happens way too often given the bad conditions.
While driving?
bad drivers will be flashed and tailgated everywhere in the world, not just here
Why is it that after donkey's years of driving in CH I can honestly say that I have rarely been tailgated, have had no memorable problems with roundabouts, have never had park damage, can't remember having had an irate driver behind me, and I'm pretty sure that most Swiss drivers use their heads. Naturally there are exceptions, accidents, mistakes (we all make them) and I can't for the life of me see a difference between the driving habits of various makes of cars. I find the standard of driving here high and constant. Maybe the personal subjectivity of our individual exposure on the roads impinges certain moments on our minds.
There are countries, especially in Asia, where road cacophony reigns. Portugal and Spain are also problems. I've been tailgated more than expected in the USA and Canada and had a horrible experience on the way to my brother in Herne Bay in Kent driving along at ridiculous speeds, sandwiched in a column of relentless maniacs on narrow country roads in the rain and at night. In England stay off country roads!
It really can't be that hard to observe traffic around you and adjust to it...?
Whenever I drive in Spain/France/Italy, I never follow the speed signs - what's the use of doing 80 on 80 when all the other are doing 110? If I'd stick to 80, I would only pose a threat to myself and others by not circulating at the same (average) speed as others. This is something I learned the hard way
In Switzerland, get a GPS and drive according to the speed indicated on the GPS. 100 on the road means exactly 100, which in my car actually means 105 km/h - just like in many other cars. If I would drive 100 according to my speedometer, it would mean 95 in "real" speed, which would annoy fellow drivers. And use the cruise control - it's the best way to keep the right speed, feel comfortable and avoid tickets.
Oh, and the slow lane " closest to the tunnel wall " is actually the right lane here. Stick to it if you're feeling tailgated - no one tailgates on the right lane in this country.
As an aside - I have yet to find anyone fast enough to tailgate me
I'm sure there are those reading this thread who sensibly preferred not to blow such an 'only to be expected' trumpet...
Again: Why should your OH dodge that action and risk flying over the guardrail? The worst thing that could happen to him if he just kept his course were a little scratch, but there would be plenty of eye witnesses to testify the downright criminal behavior of the other driver.
Pushing other cars off the lane is material for movies but extremely rare in reality, just like cars exploding in accidents.
Firstly - isn't it ideal for drivers to drive the speed they're comfortable going? If one is driving in an area where the posted limit is 100/km, and the driver is comfortable going at that speed as indicated by their speedometer (makes no difference really if it is actually 95, 100, or 105, does it? comfortable sensible driving is where safety comes), should they not drive that speed - rather than some speed suggested by people who are not the ones administering the tickets?
Secondly - One should not have to buy external addons in order to drive the proper speed. If the posted limit is 100/km and one's speedometer reads 100/kmh, according to THE LAW, that is as is proper, isn't it? Posted limits are about safety - driving "real" 5kmh under according to someone's gps really isn't going to bother general road safety for everyone as much as someone else driving 10 - 15 (and more) over, is it?
Thirdly, this makes me laugh and shake my head...
If you really think this, you've not been paying attention. Perhaps perception is different as a driver than as a passenger, but this passenger who used to drive herself in all sorts of traffic fairly often (learned in Chicago, have driven cross-country in the US several times), I can tell you, people (including the person who is my most frequent driver) certainly do tailgate here.
Finally though, I have to say I agree in some cases with what some others have written.
I usually judge the speed of the traffic around me, and adjust my speed according to their speed and my own comfort level according to road condition.
NO, I will NOT drive the "usual" 10 above the limit in Florida when the road is soaked and the melted-in-ruts are channels of water - but certainly on a beautiful, pleasant day with ideal road conditions I will match that SUV who just passed me and follow in their wake. (And if anyone thinks driving on Florida's rutted streets and highways are bad, I challenge you to drive the main roads in Savannah on a stormy day)
Of course. Drive at whatever speed you like. But awareness of, and respect for, other road users is an inherent part of good driving, so if by rigidly sticking to your own interpretations and preferences you're upsetting other drivers, isn't it a good idea to be aware of this and perhaps moderate your own driving to minimise this effect?
For example, the person doing a genuine 70kph in the RH lane has every right to do so, but if s/he overtakes a lorry doing 67kph and refuses to speed up to do so, it may cause significant tailbacks to the traffic in the LH lane that was doing 85kph up to that point.
It's not only common courtesy, trying to avoid inconveniencing other drivers, to accelerate to perform the overtake then resume your preferred speed afterwards, but safer as well, as is clearly evidenced by the complaints here of being tailgated. Sure, that can happen anyway, but doesn't it make more sense to adjust your own behaviour to try and avoid it rather than just ranting about it and rigidly maintaining your right to drive as slowly as you like?
My experience is that unless you are driving in an exact range (say 53 to 57 in a 50 zone), you will either be tailgated or frowned upon for speeding.
I once came out of a round about with a car tailing, doing normal speed and picked up to about an indicated 52 (which is a real 49 in my car). The car behind is 5 feet from my number the entire time, so I put the foot down and hit maybe 65...so the d.ckhead flashes me, like he was upset he could no longer tailgate.
For such a non aggressive culture, the tailgating has taken me by surprise.
and this is how the other driver saw things
Some guy cut me up at a roundabout, making me brake heavily, then when we got to a clear bit of road where I could overtake the bastard sped up! wtf was that about??
Two sides to every story
hw was behind me the entire time.
by your own admission, you sped up, if you are that bothered with people driving close to you just let them past, its really that simple. Speeding up will just piss them off even more.
Maybe stop watching the Speedo and look at the road instead
That's not a speedo. This
is a speedo.
Well, you could always get a clue and figure out what speed is correct on your car - y'know, like most people do.
The vast majority of Swiss drivers obey limits, with the odd few taking the piss. Therefore if everyone is overtaking you and getting frustrated behind you, then who do you reckon's got it wrong?
You can skip the bad TBH While being true, I can imagine that some TGs have already been pulled over and became a dentist's worst nightmare.
Yea, I know, Speedo is famous for their "banana hammocks" but I liked the chick better, so I put that pic
...anyway...
I guess my car is the only one where the speedo matches my gps...
There are bad drivers everywhere, except in my car