[rajeev k]

I have no problem someone trailing me provided,
the guy keeps his headlamp in low beam, doesn't unnecessarily honk and importantly, leaves a decent space in between.
Otherwise I prefer the guy to be in my front.

[nfsfreak]

In South Africa, Blinking your hazard lights for 1 or 2 sec is used to thank the drivers (and same to Apologize as well)

Waving up hands should convey the message here in India as using Hazard lights here might confuse other drivers.

My experience: many drivers do not like to lead especially during the night. The moment they come to know that they are being tailed, they become nervous, reduce their speed and allow the followers to overtake.

Anyway, my way of thanking fellow-drivers is by way of two short honks both during the day and night.

[kiku007]

Nice thread. I've experienced this just once, from kumbakonam to Chennai during one of the night drives. After a tiring day drive, the pilot car in front was such a boon didn't get the chance to thank him though.

Like someone has posted, returning the favour to fellow road users is the best we can do.

[ff1609]

In pretty much all of Europe, drivers have 'thank you' as well as 'welcome' signals.

E.g: Someone lets you overtake his/ her car, you turn on your hazard lamps for a sec to say thank you and they flash their head light at you to say you are welcome.

However, here in India if someone lets you overtake them and you turn on your hazard lamps, they assume you are challenging them to race

Likewise, while in India - flashing headlights at oncoming traffic is done to warn them that you will pass first, in Europe it means "you go first!" and the other person just raises his/her hand to thank you.

[condor]

I flash my hazard lights after I pass them. I hope they get the message - that it is a friendly, thank you gesture only and not one of aggression. I also use this signal -or a wave during day-time .. when the driver in front has guided me correctly in an overtaking manouvre (telling me to wait & giving me the go signal when the road was clear).

On a recent trip to Sringeri about a couple of weeks ago, I was fortunate to find a KSRTC bus. It was past 8pm, and raining. The road was un-divided and I also had to endure the high-beams of on-coming vehicles. This bus was doing 70kmph, and I was more than happy to stick to that speed. Tailed him for about 30-45 minutes, after which he turned into Yediyur town. I was on my own after that, and was just about to manage 50kmph.

[Delta Wing]

I had this experience two years back too. After a long tiring day/night drive of 600 km with the last 100 km to go in Maharashtra, I had this OHC overtake me and slow again after a min to let me overtake. Then he kept 100 m behind me and stayed there. After about 40 km, he went ahead and didn't pull away despite his faster car so I tailed him for about 30-40 km and then he repeated the same thing by falling back. No signals, pitch dark road, felt good for the company though. When I had to enter my town, he went off into the bypass road and that was that. I recall feeling very pleased that his headlights somehow reduced the blinding glare of an oncoming truck's lights. And more than that, when the oncoming vehicle drivers see multiple vehicles, they offer more space to let you pass by. Drastically increases driving comfort.

[ashphil]

What a lovely thread!
I have been in both, the lead position and follow position on many occasions on the old Madras -Bangalore route which I used to know so well .
When being in the lead I ensure that the following vehicle keeps his headlights in low beam. If he does not then I slow down or pull over allowing him to overtake.
If I am in the following vehicle I keep my headlights in low beam and ensure that the lead car has it's indicator and more importantly the brake lights in working condition. If not I go into the lead.
On roads which I am not familiar with I usually look for a lead car. On quite a few occasions I have teamed up with another car taking turns to lead.
I have never had a chance to thank any of the lead cars that I have followed nor have I been thanked when I took the lead. Most probably this is because most of my trips are made in the night.
I agree with the others who have posted on this thread when they say that the best way to thank the lead drivers is to return the favor to fellow road users!
May our tribe grow!
Regards
Ashok

[plain.vanilla]

I never knew of the honking gesture to thank people. I have been in situations where the honker could have meant to thank me for letting him overtake but I never responded to that gesture. Another thing is that if he has one of those loud horns I would prefer him passing without thanking me at all. Loud honking is disturbing and provocative.

I let someone tailgate me only if he can keep a safe distance and not turn on his high beam. And I tailgate other vehicles only if they have working and visible brake lights.

When I want to show my appreciation I roll down my window and wave or give them the thumbs up sign. Many times I have seen the smile on the other drivers face (in my IRVM) in response to my gesture and that feels good.

[Desmosedici]

I started doing this 3 years back when we were going on the Mum Goa Highway at night. We let a car pass by and started tailing it. After sometime he let us pass and this continued for sometime. During daytime in the ghat section, the truck drivers are really helpfull in signalling us to wait or pass. I generally wave to thank them. If i find someone on highbeam, i let them pass and then tail them.

[vigneshnr]

Thanking the "Lead Car" - Awesome subject. It never occurred to me that someone would capture this subtle element. As many of us here, I do trail a car of similar speed on highways especially during nights.
But never had a chance to thank any of them. Though I'm thankful to them, I've never actually thanked. A loud thanks to all those whom I trailed.

I recall one major incident from my initial days of driving. I was driving from Dharmasthala to Mangalore through the hills. It was night time, narrow roads, bumpy tarmac, rainfall, downward slopes, few sharp turns. And I'm a novice driver in my brand new car with my wife. There I discovered this method to get pass that distance - Black Scorpio was the saviour. I maintained a close but safe distance & trailed till the end of the hill road.

Then I realised the safety & comfort in doing this and it became a habit. In my parlance I call the lead car an 'Escort'.

[haldar_siliguri]

An leader car driven by a good driver at night maybe a great thing, especially for bad roads, but a leader car for a FOGGY day with visibility down to a few metres is the most commendable feat a driver can usually do. It is a tendency in a foggy night/day that cars tend to slow down and just follow the car in front. In which case a leader car becomes so much more useful.
I remember tons of such experiences driving between Kolkata and Siliguri in the winters......
And damn all those who never use the dipper at night and especially in the Fog. It gets really frustrating.

[Milestone]

Nice thread, for me the simple way of thanking is by a soft honk. Though in city driving it hardly happens, but on highways I do follow this and most of the times have seen the response from the other driver..mostly truck drivers.

Cheers !!!

[DKW]

Originally Posted by recker_us

Hi,

During the night drives with my family, I normally try to tail a leading car of similar speed so that my night drive is more comfortable. It helps a lot when you have vehicles coming from opposite side at high beam on a undivided road. In a speedbreaker lover state like karnataka, it helps me avoid the unpleasant surprises which these speed breakers pose.

Sometimes I have found very good drivers who start helping you with right kind of signalling once they are realise they are being tailed.

In one such drive from pondicherry to bangalore, I was following a leading car. The gentleman on that driver seat was giving very correct signals about turns to make. He would flash the harzard light for a short duration to warn me of a speed breaker or on a sudden close of road due to construction. I followed him for almost 2 hours. That was such a great help, especially beacuse it a very long tiring day for me. Suddenly near Vellore the car vanished into the town.
I didnt even got an oppurtunity to thank him. These events have happened several times in my trips. I somehow end up feeling guilty of being thankless towards the end.

How do you handle such cases? Is there anyway you found to thank you Leading driver? I would love to read your experience.

Do the same as this gentleman did to you. If you are familiar with the road and are being tailed by another car just return the favor. We can have some disciplined , well mannered drivers on the roads by passing it on..

[adg_andy]

Excellent thread! Rated 5 stars. reminded me of our college days. We were once travelling from Bhubaneshwar to Puri at about 11 pm. The cuttack-puri road was filled with dense fog and were were a group of 4 bikes and we were taking turns in being the lead biker and signalling others about speed breakers, potholes and stuff and a white indica comes from nowhere as godsend. We started tailing that guy till sakhkhigopal/ pipli . Earlier we barely managed speeds upto 50kmph whereas we were comfortably doing 60 after tailing the indica. It was less scarier and more fun