Yes, you can call the police if someone is tailgating you, and law enforcement would rather hear about aggressive following than read about the crash it caused. Every state treats following too closely as a traffic violation. The real questions are when the situation actually warrants a call, what number to dial, and what to do in the moments before you pick up the phone.
Create Distance Before You Do Anything Else
Your first move is not the phone. It’s the lane. On a multi-lane road, signal and move over to let the driver pass. On a two-lane road with no passing option, ease off the gas gradually so they can get by when it’s safe, or pull into a parking lot and let them go.
Resist the urge to speed up. Driving faster than you’re comfortable with to appease an aggressive driver puts you at greater risk. Don’t slam your brakes, don’t tap them, and don’t make eye contact or gestures. Any of those can turn ordinary tailgating into a road rage incident. The goal is separation, not confrontation.
When a Call Is Actually Warranted
A driver who sits too close for a few seconds probably isn’t worth a call. Tailgating that continues after you’ve moved over is a different situation, and tailgating paired with other behavior is a clear one. Flashing headlights, honking, swerving between lanes, or following you through turns as though targeting you specifically all move the encounter into aggressive driving territory, and police want to know about it.
NHTSA distinguishes aggressive driving from road rage this way: aggressive driving involves traffic violations that encroach on other drivers’ space, while road rage is an intentional assault using a vehicle or weapon that happens on or is triggered by an incident on the road.1NHTSA. Aggressive Driving and Other Laws Both are worth reporting. Road rage is the more urgent one.
The simplest threshold: if the driver’s behavior looks like it’s about to cause a crash, or if you believe they’re trying to run you off the road, force a confrontation, or are driving as though impaired, treat it as an emergency.
Which Number to Call
Call 911 for anything that feels imminent: a driver trying to run you off the road, an apparent impaired driver, or aggressive pursuit. For threatening tailgating that isn’t an imminent collision scenario, many states operate highway patrol shortcodes such as *HP or *CSP that connect you directly to state troopers. Your local police non-emergency line works too.
If you can safely pull into a well-lit parking lot or gas station before dialing, do that. You’ll think more clearly and give better information. If stopping isn’t an option because the driver is still on you, use a hands-free device. Don’t pick up your phone to text, take photos, or record video while driving. That makes you the distracted driver.
What to Tell the Dispatcher
The single most useful thing you can give a dispatcher is the license plate number and the state it’s from. A plate turns a general warning into something officers can act on. Beyond that, be ready to describe:
- The vehicle: make, model, color, and anything distinctive like visible damage or unusual markings.
- Your location: road name, direction of travel, and the nearest cross street or mile marker.
- The behavior: a brief, factual description of what the driver is doing, not your interpretation of why.
If you have a dashcam already running, mention it. Footage can corroborate your report and gives officers something concrete to review later. If you don’t have one running, don’t try to set one up mid-incident.
What Happens After You Report
An immediate traffic stop is unlikely unless a patrol car happens to be nearby. More often, the dispatcher issues a BOLO (Be On the Lookout) alert to officers in the area with the vehicle description and last known location. If an officer spots the car driving aggressively, they can initiate a stop based on their own observations.
Even if no one catches the driver that day, the report still creates an official record tied to the plate. When the same vehicle gets reported repeatedly, that pattern gives police stronger justification to act. It’s less “calling the cops on someone” and more flagging a hazard on the road.
Don’t Brake Check, No Matter How Tempting
Slamming your brakes to teach a tailgater a lesson can turn a tailgating situation into a rear-end collision where you share the blame. Following drivers are generally presumed at fault in rear-end crashes because they’re expected to keep a safe distance, but that presumption isn’t bulletproof. Courts recognize exceptions when the lead driver stopped suddenly without a legitimate reason, made an abrupt lane change, or had malfunctioning brake lights, and in those cases some or all of the liability can shift to the brake checker.
Beyond civil liability, brake checking can qualify as reckless driving in many jurisdictions, which is a criminal misdemeanor. If the tailgater has a dashcam, you’ve handed them the evidence. Create space, let the aggressive driver pass, and make the call. That’s the response that keeps you safe and keeps you in the right.