To the truck driver that was tailgating aggressively in NJ

I, for one, am really glad law enforcement said they're going to step up enforcement on U.S. Route 1 in New Jersey. At least, in parts of it, they announced they would.

Police are going to be watching for speeding, which is a good thing on such a busy highway like this. I couldn't tell you how many times I've seen people fly past me while trying to travel with the flow.

It's one of the reasons I really despise driving on that highway. Although Route 1 is technically the best route for me to travel distance-wise to and from work, I seriously do not like dealing with the horrendous drivers on that particular highway.

Not all are local

Now, to be fair, not all of those terrible drivers are from New Jersey. Being Route 1 is a major highway that passes through multiple states, you're bound to come across a certain type of driver who clearly doesn't know how to handle Jersey roads.

Or, it's the opposite. They drive like maniacs, thinking the rest of the flow will just move out of their way. Unfortunately, that's one of the contributing factors to serious accidents.

So yes, I'm really glad to hear that more people will be pulled over for speeding on what is already a very heavily traveled road. Hopefully, that will also include tailgating, which is what I recently witnessed traveling on Route 1 south in the South Brunswick area.

I saw this truck coming up behind me in the right lane, moving fairly quickly. As he approached me, he got right on my bumper while traveling around 55 mph.

A heavy-duty, tailgating driver

And no, this wasn't your everyday pickup truck. It was a heavy-duty, full-sized dump truck, capable of causing a lot of damage should it be involved in an accident.

With so many traffic lights that are known to change fast, I wasn't very comfortable with him on my tail. And for the record, I was doing the flow in the right lane with adequate space between me and the car in front.

Fortunately for me, this truck decided to go into the left lane and get off my bumper. However, he did the exact same thing with the cars in the left lane.

Watching from behind

I was able to watch this dump truck get right onto the bumper of another car. Then he went back into the other lane and did it again. He absolutely was weaving, tailgating, and trying to speed, and changing lanes multiple times.

Eventually, this truck turned off, but not until going through some very close calls. What exactly was this guy thinking?

Whoever you were, I'm sorry I had to drive near you. You are the exact definition of what's wrong with drivers who travel Route 1, and I'm sorry that you're an absolutely terrible driver.

A personal note to whoever you are

I personally hope that our great New Jersey police stop and summons you before you cause a serious accident with your tailgating. It's bad enough you drive like that, but with a full-size dump truck? What's wrong with you?

I don't care if you are running late for a drop off, or whatever it was you were doing. If you have the urge to drive like an absolute idiot, do us all a favor and get off the road.

On behalf of all New Jersey drivers, please either calm down behind the wheel or remove yourself from the highway before you crash and cause a serious accident.

Not once, but twice

In addition to the truck driver above, perhaps this message should also go out to those driving trucks on Route 9.

To sum it up, pretty much the exact same thing that happened on Route 1, except that this was in the Howell section of Route 9. And, it was a moving truck, so probably someone who doesn't typically handle a large vehicle that often.

So to that driver, the same message applies. Oh, and let's keep it broad to all the stupid drivers who feel the need to tailgate. Just don't do it.

The above post reflects the thoughts and observations of New Jersey 101.5 Sunday morning host & content contributor Mike Brant. Any opinions expressed are his own.