First Encounter with a "Hater"

NOT a "hater". Just another moron on the road. They are everywhere. One born every minute. Also not specific to Edmonton. See them everywhere. I also encountered a few yesterday.

The temp. was right at freezing with nice wet heavy and slippery snow. Those conditions are bad for anyone. On the coast that's what you get most of the time. That, the fact it's rare so most don't have proper tires, and the lack of experience makes most drivers there have problems in snow.

When you see a vehicle that lost control and went off the road it is usually a PU truck or an SUV.

PU trucks with no weight in the back are accidents looking for a place to happen in slippery conditions.

SUVs are traps for the unwary. They accelerate very well, inspiring overconfidence. When they have to change direction or slow, they are worse off than most other vehicles. They are heavy, with high centers of gravity. I've driven them for years, but I call them 4WD wagons. There is nothing "sporty" about a two metric ton vehicle!

 

I usually leave them alone and pay no attention to those kind of behaviors. So far (knocking on wood), nobody yet has said anything bad about my Prius. Just keep your distance and if you have to pass another one next time, make sure you have a good momentum to zip past the vehicle. Drive safe.

 

Sometimes those drivers are people with issues.

Earlier this year, I needed to move my car in a church parking lot....speed limits are 15mph in parking lots for a reason. From the highway I was concealed by a parked pickup as a woman entered at 25mph. Stopped in time, but could hear her ranting before I rolled the windows down and just would not stop. I finally blurted for her to get over it. Couple of minutes later in the building when we signed in, she caused a public scene. Couple of months later, she still avoids eye contact like an alley cat, even though I don't approach. Heck, thousands of near-misses happen in the Dallas area daily and she acts like she was personally attacked, vehicle totaled....all because her fire truck entrance almost failed.

There are simply a lot of people driving that don't have their head on right.

 

I don't think this has anything to do with you driving a Prius. I suspect the guy in the truck would have acted this way to any car.

From my expereinces, the prius "hate" comes when you (the Prius driver) is driving slower than the traffic flow, and especially if you're in the fast lane...then folks will ride your bumper, cut you off, flash their lights, etc.

 

I assume the hate in quotes is because the "hate" has nothing to do with the Prius, right or wrong it comes from driving slower than traffic no matter what kind of car you're driving. A**holes drive all kinds of cars (incl Prius), as do considerate drivers (incl pickup trucks & SUV's). This "they're just jealous of my Prius nonsense" is comical and egocentric.

A**holes will always be with us, you have to ignore it and move on.

Thanks...

 

Who knows what his motivation was? Maybe even he doesn't know.

Perhaps he was just too nervous to drive any faster and took it personally that a "Prius" was passing him?

I think anyone who is defensive or uptight about what someone else drives be it Prius, Monster Truck or whatever is beyond my worrying too much about.

As long as it's just a middle finger, and doesn't result in any escalation then it's just the gimpy dance of the universe.

 

Well, if you hadn't looked, you never would have known!

Sometimes ignorance is bliss. Maybe this was one of those times.

 

I flipped off a Prius driver the other day! And it wasn't myself.

She was a "hater". She was driving a pre-2010 Prius so she must have been hating the 2010. On the other hand I'm in L.A. and she really acted like a typical L.A. driver.

I had to change lanes and there was plenty of room in front of her for me. Normally I just move over because if you put on your blinker here people usually speed up to not let you in. Well since I'm driving my brand spanking new car I tend to signal first to be sure they know I'm coming and because I have a lot less visibility than I did in my truck and I don't want an accident. She floored it as soon as she saw the very first blink because she just zipped up into my way immediately, with a big surge, definitely on purpose just to keep me from getting in front of her.

So there were two left turn lanes and I ended up next to her slightly behind her. I honked at her and when she turned her head I started yelling at her and flipped her off. I cannot stand drivers like that, and no, I can't just ignore it. :evil:

 

Yeah, eh howa bout a Moosehead eh?

 

There are lots of folks out there who do target Prius drivers and not because they are going slow. I am thankful to live in an area where there are lots of Prii and therefore it is rare to have issues.

There are still plenty of folks who do feel the need to tell me my car is not good for the environment, that the battery is going to go bad and cost me so much. For those that want to be educated I give them the real truth, for the others I walk away and get into my car and smile.

 

There all just jealous of us!

 

Way to go the extra mile! :thumb:
(I can't understand why people out there shoot each other on the freeway...)

 

Is there a website called FUprius.com?

Couple of years ago, someone started a forum www.ihatetheprius.com and six or so month and less than 500 posts later, they made it a blog....click the link to see it now if you can.

 

I've occasionally encountered this behavior. Some people take it as a challenge to their manhood or something, being passed by a Prius, and just have to let you know that their car/PU/FUV is faster. Whaddaya gonna do--like they say, one born every second. I notice they never turn and look when I catch up at the light--must be embarrassed.

I just try to keep mind of the fact that it is human nature for us to notice the things that p*ss us off, and forget all about the thousands of positive encounters out there. If I can, I always wave thanks when someone lets me in while merging--makes them calmer, everyone has a better day.

 

Yesterday on Route 95, a Ford F-250 stayed on my bumper for about 2-3 miles in the far right lane (where I can usually be found). Traffic was light and a lane change was not a problem. He just stayed on my bumper. I was doing 55 mph. He finally changed lanes punching the gas pedal like he was throwing a tantrum.
I can't figure people out.

I have now taken a "Zen approach" to the whole thing, realizing I can only change myself. I can't change others. So I go on my merry way, less stressful...and certainly much less stressful than those who try to "push my buttons" and fail.

 

Now you're REALLY going to piss those people off - the thing a hater hates most is someone who happily ignores them.

 

Exactly!
It's a Win-Win situation.

 

My approach is to try and lag behind someone else who is (also) going the speed limit. Now there's a new concept - going the speed limit. People tend to assume it's not me that is slowing them down...but the guy in front of me....or in front of him. . Eventually they speed up and cut off the guy in the front of the line. It works like a champ.

I suspect that as gas prices rise and more people on the road drive smaller, fuel efficient cars (does NOT have to be a Prius)...the problem will abate. I noticed a marked DROP in speed and aggressive driving when gas prices spiked a year or two ago.

 

I've sometimes wondered about those folks too. Since they like to be so close to my car, I shift into "N" and stealthly shorten the distance . . . slowing down bit-by-bit. After all, if we're going to 'kiss bumpers,' it needs to be at a safe speed.

Bob Wilson