The truck driver caused the dangerous situation by tailgating. There's no right to drive at the speed limit, and certainly no justification for causing danger when another driver is annoying you.
While true, unless there are extenuating circumstances (weather, limping car, etc), it's better to drive near the speed limit.
Much of the danger in driving occurs when there's a substantial difference in speed between cars. (I imagine the second most common time there's an accident is when cars are going almost exactly the same speed[1]). Driving 10 under can be very dangerous.
[1] my thinking here is that if you have 2 cars going almost exactly the same speed, but one is sitting in the other's blindspot, then one of them can attempt to change lanes and the other might miss it and suddenly accident.
That's a bit of a tricky one though. A large truck can't stop very fast. They may end up tailgating if the car in front reduces speed.
If you are in a car it's definitely your responsibility to make sure you're doing the right thing. You're a lot more nimble and more able to make manoeuvres.
It is everyone's responsibility to do the right thing, but when someone does something wrong, it's completely unacceptable to make a more hazardous situation in response.
Much of the danger in driving occurs when there's a substantial difference in speed between cars. (I imagine the second most common time there's an accident is when cars are going almost exactly the same speed[1]). Driving 10 under can be very dangerous.
[1] my thinking here is that if you have 2 cars going almost exactly the same speed, but one is sitting in the other's blindspot, then one of them can attempt to change lanes and the other might miss it and suddenly accident.