If you are being followed too closely on a two-lane road:
- Reduce your speed slowly to encourage the tailgater to drive around you. ✓
- Speed up to increase the distance between you and the other car.
- Apply your brakes to slow down, then resume your original speed.
Answer: A. Reduce your speed slowly to encourage the tailgater to drive around you.
Reduce your speed slowly so the tailgater is encouraged to drive around you and go by.
Why this is the answer
The manual's defensive driving chapter says that when someone tailgates you, you should move to another lane if you can, or slow down and pull off the road to let that driver get past. Braking hard is the wrong move here, because the manual warns that sudden or unnecessary braking can startle the motorist behind you and could turn into road rage. Easing off your speed gradually, rather than jabbing the brakes, fits the manual's approach to a tailgater: give the person a safe way around you without surprising anyone.
Why the other answers are wrong
- B. Speed up to increase the distance between you and the other car. — Speeding up is not what the manual suggests for a tailgater, and it leaves you with less room and less time to react to hazards ahead.
- C. Apply your brakes to slow down, then resume your original speed. — The manual specifically warns against pressing your brakes suddenly or unnecessarily, since it can startle the driver behind you and could escalate into road rage.
Remember it
Think of a tailgater as someone you want out of your rearview mirror: make room and let them pass, but never with a surprise brake tap.