Hi everybody! This question starts from action movies, when the main character is driving and suddenly "by instinct" looks to the mirror and discovers that is being followed by another car...and the rest is history.
Well, but what I want to know, in real world and with real people is; ¿Can a person really know if is being followed by another unknown car, while driving?

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Can a person really know if is being followed by another unknown car, while driving?

I'll say 'yes'. Most drivers are aware of their surroundings, including the vehicles behind them.

If the same vehicle is behind you for long enough, you'd (well... I would) notice.

I used to be a PI, and all I can say - some people are totally oblivious to who is following them. If you pay attention and see who is behind you when you perform random turns, you should have no problem with seeing a person that is following you. Also, go into a parking lot and go slowly down the lanes like you are looking for a spot. This gives you ample time to use your mirrors and look.

Question tho I have - why are you worried about someone following you? If you feel threatened, just stop at a police station. If you are worried about someone following you because of insurance fraud ----> they will get you sooner or later.

I´m interested about that topic, because here in Colombia happens a crime called "fleteo" (I don´t know the translation for it), that crime consists on when a person takes out a big amount money of a bank; and probably informed by a clerk, is followed by armed robbers on a motorcycle and when that person arrives to his/her destiny is mugged. Generally, the victim takes a cab and doesn´t say to the police that escorts him/her, fact that facilitates the mugging.
Well "fortunately" i´m not rich but i want to know how to identify if i´m being followed, probably by a crook.

ps: I don´t trust totally on police escort, because nothing guarantee that even with them as protection, you´re not being followed and when police go away, crooks go to your destiny (home, work place) and mug to you.

Also, going to a parking lot or slowing down, i think is not a good idea, because if there´s really someone following you to mug or kidnap you that´s the right moment to do it

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Camilo_Gil wrote:
Hi everybody! This question starts from action movies, when the main character is driving and suddenly "by instinct" looks to the mirror and discovers that is being followed by another car...and the rest is history.

Up here in driving school they tell you should should be checking your rear-view mirror every 8-10 seconds or so. So the real question is, as Kanaga says, whether the hero is paying close enough attention (or has the instinct) to notice the same car has been behind him for a long time.

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Originally posted by ratranger:
...So the real question is, as Kanaga says, whether the hero is paying close enough attention (or has the instinct) to notice the same car has been behind him for a long time.

The "hero" would certainly be checking his mirrors to ensure that he is being the safest driver possible (at least until the chase begins), while at the same time he still instinctively knows when he is being followed.

After all, something has to separate him from the average Joe.

but i suppose that the hero must be some paranoid or have reasons to believe that he´s being followed. A normal person without reasons to believe that is being followed, don´t get worried on look at the mirror constantly (well, i guess that)

When driving, as well as in life in general, it's a good idea to know what is going on around you. Many people only glance in their rear view mirror when they are going to change lanes or back up. When I'm driving, I'm constantly checking who's behind me and what type of vehicle is coming up in the next lane. I want to know where all the holes are just in case I have to make an emergency maneuver. I think I would catch on pretty quickly if someone was following me and being paranoid has nothing to do with it. It's just being aware of your surroundings.

I always notice. It's not hard.

Perhaps people in movies are a bit too good at it though. But then again, the followers are usually pretty poor at following without being obvious.

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Originally posted by Holiace:
Perhaps people in movies are a bit too good at it though.

Let's face it. If we were constantly encountering some diabolical enemy bent on our destruction, we'd probably be a little more aware of who's following us too.

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Originally posted by ratranger:
Up here in driving school they tell you should should be checking your rear-view mirror every 8-10 seconds or so.

It's about every three seconds around here.

Well i understand that is feasible, what a person who is driving a car can check the mirrors to see if is being followed, but, what would happen if for example, the followed person, goes as passenger of a cab?; he has no way to check the mirrors, or at least how to check if is being chased without to be evident to the pursuers (and if their intention is to kill him or mug him i think that that would be the trigger of those actions)

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Originally posted by Camilo_Gil:
what would happen if for example, the followed person, goes as passenger of a cab?

In this sudden change of events in order to keep your thread going, your passenger is now $crewed... because we all know that the cabby is "in on it".

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In this sudden change of events in order to keep your thread going, your passenger is now $crewed... because we all know that the cabby is "in on it"

hmm. well, the fact is that is really possible to know if someone is following you. I was interested because the problem is practical here in my country as i said earlier. I must to ask what are the procedures to know when someone is following me, to local police.

Thank for the replies