wow what a can of worms!
Well I didnt read the WHOLE thread, just like the first 8 pages or so.
My personal contribution, maybe you will get a kick out of this picture, this is my car a few months ago:
The outcome, as you probably could guess, I decided that this sign was overall not effective. In some cases I am suspicious that it actually encouraged more tailgating. I am thinking about making one that says "hazardous materials" or "highly explosive" or something... ya.. I'm a punk. Its ok. You can say it.
I drive slow. And I like to hypermile. But I also like to drive fast. Really fast. Dangerously fast!! Truth is, speeding doesnt really buy you any time on your way to work. Maybe two minutes. Unless you REALLY speed! Okay okay Im kind of joking. My point is that the people who speed, if they end up stuck on your bumper, its their fault. I know because I have done my share of speeding and I have experience with race driving. They didnt make the right timing decisions and everything, if you were a semi going that speed they would not care. And the other people that tailgate, they are totally checked out. I have very little respect or courtesy for people who drive on auto pilot. Im not going to speed up for them. They won't even notice. They are mindless reactors.
Think of it this way, some times I am cruising in the right lane, and its just me and hardly anyone else in sight.. and someone is tailgating me. So... I move over to the left, and they speed up and pass. They didnt even notice I was there. There brain says hey dont hit that car, but they will never remember what kind of car it was, what color, nothing. They don't even know how fast they are going or what cruising speed they want to maintain. They dont really care either. They are just going from A to B and they would rather not pay attention to the trip.
Im not going to accommodate their inability to pay attention.
But on the other end of the argument, at some point you are becoming a hazard. There is a line to be drawn.
Valid points from everyone.