[ShadeTreeMech]

I don't see a problem with spraying a tailgaters windsheild with washer fluid. ("You were following so close I could see the bugs on your windshield....")

My worst reactions to tailgaters were when I rode a motorcycle, and both times the driver was a young woman., and both times it was on a semi straight stretch of windy curvy road heading to work.

First time I looked in my rear view to the left and saw a tailgater. They were close, but only annoyingly so. I looked again, this time to the right, and saw someone between us tailgating about 2 feet from my bumper....er, back tire, and I was going 60 in a 55! I proceeded to sit on the yellow line, slow down so I was next to her, and stared at her from my higher perch for a few seconds. Stupid and dangerous, sure, but she backed off.

The worst time, someone tailgated me hardcore for a while. I'd slow down to 45 in a 55, roar off to 65, and coast back down to 60, and she'd get right back on me. I got so pissed I slowed down, parked my bike in the lane, and walked up to the now stopped taligater and told her (rather yelled at her) to back off. Severe, sure, but a rear end collision with a motorcycle will likely kill the m/c rider. So I do severe on a bike.

But most generally, slowing down 5-10 under the speed limit, then blasting off at full throttle to open the distance gets most people to chill the heck out. Nearly all roads here are 2 lane country roads with little chance to pass and no hard shoulder to speak of unless you have 4wd, so what can you do?