apierson2011

I never understand the logic of people who tailgate large vehicles. If you're riding the ass of a semi, mixer, or car hauler, what the fuck do you expect will happen if they slam on their brakes? Their velocity is so many more times greater than a four-wheeled vehicle that they would pulverized. I hate tailgaters in general, but when it's on a large vehicle, it's just fucking stupid.

Then there would be a lot less road rage.

Hey, my other comment got deleted because it wasn't a question, but I just wanted to let you know that I've had some perspective on what big truck drivers have to deal with and that I definitely appreciate the bullshit you put up with. Its definitely a thankless job, so thank you for putting up with the bullshit and stress that you do. And thanks for doing this AMA and being live for so long. You rock.

It does, but you also have to account for reaction time. If I remember correctly (according to driving class four plus years ago), you should leave one car length for every 10mph you are driving between you and the vehicle ahead. At least that is the rule I use. But I am referring specifically to cars driving 1 car length or so behind a large vehicle at highway speeds. In that circumstance, you don't have NEARLY enough reaction time and if the large truck has to slam on their brakes you might as well be hitting a building at that speed. It's not an applicable circumstance in every situation, obviously, but I always just assume that is the case for my own safety.

But yes, smaller vehicles definitely have the ability to stop more quickly than larger vehicles do. But if you're tailgating like a motherfucker, yiure fucked in a dire situation.