Like the young woman in the little blue car who was less than six inches behind me – and accelerating – on St. Albert Trail northbound on Tuesday evening, April 28, gesturing rudely at me to get out of her way – I was the woman in the white Ford Edge who gestured back at you. There would have been no way to avoid you ending up in my backseat if I had been forced to brake. You were in such a hurry to get to Visions that you had to cut over two lanes and then back again just to get in front of me to turn right less than half a block ahead.
It's not like this is unusual. And it's not like this is only at slow speeds. It's not just young people. Tailgaters are everywhere throughout our city – and elsewhere – and posing a very dangerous threat to all of us – not just themselves.
Here's the thing: driving with your bumper almost touching the car ahead of you does not make the car in front of you go faster – chances are, the driver of that car is going to hit the brakes – and then sue you for hitting him from behind. Your insurance rates will reflect your poor decision making skills. With luck, that will be the only consequence.
Tana Farrell, St. Albert
