Tailgaters - Yay or Nay?

I've been driving for more years than I want to disclose and throughout all that time and many miles, I have grown to develop an intense dislike for those who feel compelled to hang two inches off my rear bumper. Some who feel inclined to slap their politics on their bumpers can also be seen with "Back Off!!!" messages for those who notice.

Try as I may, I cannot figure out the rationale for tailgating. In order to be fair, I've developed a list of pros and cons that may be educational for those who share my aversion or oppose it.

It will get you to your destination one or two seconds faster than if you maintained space between you and the car in front of you.

It allows you to see what sort of groceries I have in my back seat.
If you are a make-up artist or manicurist, the proximity enables you to see the work of another.

If it's snowing, tailgating minimizes the amount of accumulation on the road.

In the event that you are a seatbelt fanatic, you'll be able to verify that I have mine fastened.

My husband suggests that if you pull up very close to the car in front of you, it minimizes the possibility of cars behind you being stuck in an intersection. That reminds me of making sure that you get your hair cut before you go to the doctor so that you weigh less.

It will get you closer to the stop light so that you can more easily see the light change.

If you pull up to an SUV with a television monitor, you'll have something entertaining to watch until the light changes.

Reasons not to tailgate:

It annoys people like me.

It makes some of us feel claustrophobic - that in the event of the need to get away from that space, there is no way to put the car in reverse and go around.

In the event of a rear end crash, it guarantees that the car behind me will wind up in my back seat.

It won't get you there any faster.

It's unnecessary and it's aggressive.

It facilitates the person who is ahead of you cursing at you.
It increases the chances of your inhaling that car's fumes, especially in the winter when your windows are open.

Tailgating prohibits you from reading bumper stickers on the car ahead of you.

In the event of a collision, you will probably be at fault for running into the back end of the car ahead of you. Unless you're driving a car with the engine in the back, that means that your engine will be crunched while my hatchback/trunk will sustain the damages.

In the case of children traveling in the back seat, it increases the chances of their being bumped.

It seems that the evidence is pretty conclusive. Stay off my tail and I won't look in my rear view mirror and snarl at you. There is a good chance that you may not care but there's an even better one that you'll ruin my journey.