I travel a specific two lane road to and from one of my rental apartments. It's about four miles long and is well paved for most of the stretch with a single traffic light at about the middle of the journey. The road is a single lane in each direction with no passing capability for the entire stretch..........rightly so because it rises and falls and has some slight curves.

I take the Dodge B-250 with all the tools and parts on this road and I always drive at +5...........45 mph. The limit is 40. Anything faster is totally unsafe for the B-250, especially at night.

So, my question is simple:

Why does a DB follow the van at a distance of 25'..........every single GD time that I take this road?

Brake check?

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1991 560 SEL / 185k miles
1992 750il / 17k miles - project car

Because your sig specifically mentions that you live in New York.

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1982 300GD Carmine Red (DB3535) Cabriolet Parting Out
1990 300SEL Smoke Silver (Parting out)
1991 350SDL Blackberry Metallic (481)

"The thing is Bob, its not that I'm lazy...its that I just don't care."

Anal virus?

Sometimes - if the spirit moves you into the position of yelling at some DB tailgater - tell them that if they do it again you'll slam on your brakes and let them crawl right up your a$$.

It's probably best to maintain speed - regardless......that's what any LE would advise to do. Avoid an 'accident' at all costs....

Yep...........I'm definitely not a person to get heavily involved with a DB. There is absolutely nothing to gain and a whole lot of things to lose............

Cause people are so dumb its not funny. It always pisses me off when I do dump runs I'll have someone 6ft from my bumper even though I'm doing the speed limit or a bit over. I'm like can't you see the truck is full of crap, you want a 2x4 through your grill? I'm pretty good about packing and very rarely drop stuff but it does happen.

It will get me into trouble but the first time such a persons car gets hit by something I'll be sure to tell them they are a moron.

I remember once I was backing my uncle up in the dump truck into a driveway. Some DB almost ran me over since he decided he didn't want to wait. My uncle saw the whole thing and was like F it he kept backing up. The Honda CRV that did it ran up onto the curb and a lawn at 40ish to avoid the side of a fully loaded dump truck. Sadly he kept going, even though his tires and rims were most certainly damaged; we both wanted him to stop. Some little weeny looking guy in the car, probably a wuss when not behind the wheel.

A few years back when my uncle was doing a sewer a DB in a Dodge pickup hit one of his guys with his mirror and kept on going. Luckily their was a cop directing traffic who radioed to one of his friends up the road. DB in the Dodge was pulled out of the truck, cuffed, taken to jail and charged with a hit and run, among other things. That was most satisfying.

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1999 SL500
1969 280SE
2023 Ram 1500
2007 Tiara 3200

..........yep...........and it appears to be getting worse by the day............

I don't understand the rush, people will ride me all the time and I don't drive slow. I'll be doing 35ish in a 25 and they are still on my bumper. What do they want to do 50? 60?

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1999 SL500
1969 280SE
2023 Ram 1500
2007 Tiara 3200

I've thought the same thing.

One day, I'm going to stop the van...........right in the middle of the roadway. Going to get out, walk back to the frickin-mo-ron and ask him what speed he'd like to travel at?

"What speed would be appropriate for you to follow at a safe distance? Would 60 in a 40 be OK with you, DB?"

I always kinda liked Maverick (Tom Cruise) in Top Gun's approach: "I"ll hit the brakes and he'll fly right on by".

or, how about retrofitting your pick up with one of those dump truck kits? then fill the truck bed full of cow manure and wait for the next tail gater. be sure and have a bumper sticker that reads, "GET A LOAD OF THIS".

When I get a tailgater, I gently slow down; eventually they can be trained that the closer they get the slower I drive.

We must be related. And for act 2 when the head light start flashing high to low I get beside a really slow one and pace him.

Cant do it in the benz but in the subburban I have halogen back up lights on the bumper. Now thats is entertaining. When the first flash happens I can almost see what color their eyes are when I "light em up"

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86 300SDL. 250,xxx on #14 Head. One eye always on temp gauge.. Cruising towards 300K

X2 on the bright reverse light.
You could try turning your hazard lights on, the confusion of not knowing if you are turning or what sometimes slows them.
On one of the work 1 toners here it has a long flat tow bar (18"). There is a sign on the back saying "smile as this goes through your radiator".

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Grumpy Old Diesel Owners Club group

I no longer question authority, I annoy authority. More effect, less effort....

1967 230-6 auto parts car. rust bucket.
1980 300D now parts car 800k miles
1984 300D 500k miles
1987 250td 160k miles English import
2001 jeep turbo diesel 130k miles
1998 jeep tdi ~ followed me home. Needs a turbo.
1968 Ford F750 truck. 6-354 diesel conversion.
Other toys ~J.D.,Cat & GM ~ mainly earth moving

That's a very useful technique. I've used it myself many times, but I've never articulated it as nicely as you did here.

You guys wouldn't believe some of the DB's I have had to deal with doing traffic control on an accident scene! I had one idiot actually go around me and drive towards the live powerlines laying on the road! Unfortunately another firefighter pulled his keys from the ignition before he was vaporized. Another time a lady got all pissy with me because the road was closed while we cut 3 dead young men out of a car that had hit a tree at 80 MPH. That was the only time I ever lost my temper and I told her that she would at least get home eventually, but these boys were never going home again so she should zip her lip. I pull over a lot for people who are respectful as I drive a IDI diesel crewcab with a utility bed loaded with parts and tools or a 240D most of the time, and don't feel it is my job to enforce the speed limit, but when they weave back and forth and hit me with the high beams before I even have a spot to pull over, I just ignore them.