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CLEAR Temp: 78 °F Wind: NW at 5 mph Thursday, August 14, 2003 SECTIONS Home Page Local News Sports Business Obituaries Life Opinion - Politics AP News Weather Classified Archives Site Map EXTRA HomeLife Magazine W3 Magazine Jobs @ Mail Tribune Tempo A & E Oregon CarZone Wellness Connection Real Estate Newspaper in Education Prime Times Outdoor Journal Personals Movie Times TV Times E The People CLASSIFIEDS Find a Car Find a Home Find a Job Find Everything E SOUTHERN OREGON Automotive Communities Entertainment Publications Recreation Calendar ABOUT US FAQ What's New Advertise Home Delivery Classified Ad Contact Us Media Kit Email Story to a Friend July 29, 2003 Since You Asked Signal to tailgaters to back off Every day I travel Jacksonville Highway between Medford and Jacksonville, and pretty regularly, someone is frighteningly close to my rear bumper. I drive the speed limit, which is mostly 40 mph, so I know I’m not in the way, but with so many children, bicyclists and deer along that road, tailgaters make me nervous. What do the police advise drivers to do, and is it OK to keep a pile of tomatoes at hand to toss out my window at them? — Joe S., Jacksonville Well, Joe, Medford police Lt. Mike Moran said that while he could not endorse the tomato toss, he did have advice, because it just happened to him a couple days ago. Advertisement He said a driver on your bumper usually means that driver is not being real attentive, so rather than tapping your brake (a common practice that may result in a fender bender) he likes to put on his blinker. Sometimes that’s enough of an alert that the driver behind you backs off a bit. When that didn’t work the other day for him, he just pulled off the side of the road and let Zooming Man pass, which he also recommends. Another suggestion he made was to put on emergency flashers for a moment to get the driver’s attention, in case they’re spacing out a bit. Sometimes, though, you’ve just got a speed demon, and all you can do is get out of their way and be a safe driver yourself. And try to avoid the children, bicyclists and deer when you pull over. Good luck. Send questions to "Since You Asked," Mail Tribune Newsroom, P.O. Box 1108, Medford, OR 97501; by fax to 541-776-4376; or by e-mail to [email protected] . We’re sorry, but the volume of questions received prevents us from answering all of them. Printer Friendly Version Email Story to a Friend Subscribe Archive: Click to Search Mail Tribune Home Local News | Sports | Business | Obituaries | Life Opinion - Politics | AP News | Archives | Site Map E Southern Oregon | Classified Copyright © 1997-2003 Mail Tribune. All rights reserved. Privacy Policy | Terms & Conditions Website Feedback A D V E R T I S E R S SPECIAL SECTIONS Rogue Valley Auto Finder Rogue Valley Job Finder --> Rogue Valley Home Finder Joy Magazine Homelife Magazine Tempo Real Estate Showcase Food for Thought Hike of the Week Wellness Connection Outdoor Journal Moving to Southern Oregon? Volunteer Openings Prime Times