Can Prius Drivers get Road Rage?

Happen to me all the time )
I usually on right lane driving 45 and people just keep passing and cut me off
On highways, i driving 75 in middle lane and still get cut off.
But when I'm in hurry, nobody can follow me, even Ferrari

 

Somebody will have to explain to me, why those tailgating freaks can't simply just go around a slower vehicle??!

At 0630 this morning, I was on a very quiet stretch of road with hardly any traffic. I'm doing 49 mph in a 40 zone. There's open lanes on each side of me... No cars anywhere .. But this younger woman in an old Toyota van gets so close to my tail, she could probably see the size of my boxer briefs!!! And she rode my rear for about 3/4 mile before finally passing. I just cannot figure out WHY some people are so STUPID?!

And the same thing yesterday. Early in the morning, very few cars on this stretch of coast road, I'm in the far right lane with 2 open lanes on the left of me... But a guy in an old Toyota CJ? is right on my butt, and stayed there for over a mile. It just doesn't make any sense! How hard is it to simply PASS somebody. I do it all the time without giving it a second thought. Why waste your time behind a slower car?

And the freeways? I'm at the point now, where I do everything I can to avoid driving on the freeways of LA County, in Southern California. It's just not worth the stress! I'm retired, so fortunately I can pick & choose my times to drive; trying my best to avoid the rush hours and overly congested city areas. But the freeways are just nuts at ANY time! I'm not sure why it bothers me so much... must be a sign of aging... I just hope to have a nice, relaxing, peaceful retirement and avoid as much stress (and idiots!) as possible.

 

Prius Drivers = Humans
Therefore I suspect they can get road rage just like any other demographic.

Might be a slightly higher percentage of Prius Drivers that become disgruntled because people are driving "too fast" around them as opposed to "not fast enough". But all the human liabilities apply.

I bought my Prius at an odd age, and stage in life, so I can't tell if my Prius is slowing me down....or I'm just slowing down period.
I do find The Prius promotes harmonious and restful driving IF one embraces it.

 

yep, something psychologically wrong with tailgaters who have open lanes next to them. i'm sure they're trying to send a message, but what is it?

 

Oh, and I forgot to mention, I've seen many Prius drivers that I would include in my "crazy" category. They zoom by me like I'm going backward... and I was actually doing 75... in the far right (slow) lane! Drive slower than that, and you get run over!

Who drives 90 in a Prius??! (I didn't think the Hamsters in the engine bay could run that fast.) I guess they figure they're getting 40 or 50 mpg, so why not? But this isn't the autobahn! There's just way too much traffic on our freeways for that kind of speed, yet people keep pushing it.

 

oh ya, they're right here, in all the other 'slow poke' threads. and they'll even try to tell you that speeding is legal, and you're 'obstructing traffic'.

 

I'm going to take it nice and easy on my trip to Cali in a couple weeks.

I propose that most people who don't pass, instead tailgating, are just distracted.

I hypothesize that if I put a sign on the back of my prius, "Caution: Mirror blocked," it will be just enough to get most tailgaters' attention as they approach. I believe little time will be wasted passing me.

 

when i was in northern cali a few years ago, i was amazed at the rate of speed and zig zagging that went on. i really did feel threatened. and that's from a massachusetts driver.

 

Exactly. They're typically too busy playing with a cell 'phone to pay attention to their speed, or be aware of open lanes, so they just follow whatever's ahead of them, whether it's fast or slow.

 

You need NRA sticker, I personally avoid right lanes, on freeways drive with a flow. No speeding in residential areas. If someone doesn't like it I can only suggest them f themselves, I just don't do speeding there for a sake their kids.

Happy retirement, take it easier.

 

Just set the cruise on the speed of your choice, turn up the radio, and maybe that person behind you will have blood pressure that will explode.

 

"Distracted driving continues to be the number one leading cause of car accidents in America. Talking on the phone, texting, eating, reading, grooming, and talking are just some of the ways drivers get distracted behind the wheel." Feb 19, 2013
Drivers.com: Top 3 Causes of Car Accidents in America

Look how many lives could be saved, and the thousands of accidents that could be prevented, and the millions of dollars in property damage avoided... if people would simply STAY OFF their cell phone, and quick messing with the touch screen while driving! It is so damn simple, it makes you wonder what the heck has happened to people's common sense?!?!

Even when I was younger, and working and driving every day, if I happen to receive a call I just let it go to voice mail. NOTHING is THAT important that I would have to jump on the phone while driving! And texting while driving?! Facebook? Surfing the internet??! RACING?! SPEEDING?! There is no other way to put it... excuse me... but those people are just stupid ignorant a-holes! Those dummies will rear-end somebody, or end up wrapped around a tree someday, or God forbid kill someone.

And here in lovely Southern California, 50% of the people driving don't have insurance; or their license has been suspended; or they are illegal and don't even HAVE a friggin' license! (Or insurance.) SHEESH!
I'm moving to Fiji... where there's NO cars, and nothing but big-breasted Island women!!

 

Well, in Ireland the beginning drivers put a big red capital "L" in the rear window of the car they are driving. So I printed a big, red "L" and put it in the rear window of our rental car while driving there.
Similarly, IIRC , Australia has a sign put in the rear window for learners (2 categories depending on how advanced you were, I think) , and when we were there I think I just purchased one in a sundries store to use in our rental car. In both countries, the learner signs defuse the driving tension that I can en punter because I drive extremely cautiously on the left side of the road (and driving from the right front seat, and shifting gears with my left hand, etc.).
Unfortunately , the USA does not have a culturally-defined visible signal for "Learner", but it would be nice if people DID post warning signs such as "No Insurance", or "Texter!", or "Pokey Prius" in the rear window. I have actually seen a Prius with an NRA sticker plus a bumper sticker that read something like, "Keep honking , I'm reloading!"

 

The story I heard while living in England was that new Learning drivers started out is an L plate and eventually got a GB for Getting Better.

 

and when you're 60 or 70, do you get a gw?

 

Yes.

Source: Prius driver here living in the Boston area.

 

Well, since phone use is a clear and present danger to public safety at the national level, our Congress could just pass a law outlawing it.
(Brahahahah !)

Hate to precipitate on your parade, but was in Bora Bora, which I think is part of Fiji, and went swimming with the locals, so I can attest the women there seemed built about the same as women here. But it was truly hotter than Hades, so nice place to visit but might think twice about moving there. They do, however, brew a good German beer , courtesy of a pre WWI German colonial occupation . If, like mad dogs and Englishmen, you are walking about in the midday sun, you are going to need that beer, so I give you the tip of buying the larger sized bottle as curiously the alcohol content was higher and it tasted better than the small size bottle!
(Travel is very enriching!)

 

Around here, that will cause road rage from some of the locals of the opposing political persuasion.

 

I never get road rage (as a Prius driver). Yes, there are people who are on the road who should not be there - IMO. For the most part though, I just take everything in stride. I'm rarely on the freeway. Most of the time I'm on country roads for a half hour drive to and from work.

It's a different story when I'm in the Corvette, since I enjoy going fast on some of the twisty backroads.

 

I'm definitely guilty of getting a bit impatient.. needless to say I could really benefit from taking a deep breath and not engaging the other driver..

That being said, I've noticed the road rage of others more often than my own. You could be going 75 in a 60 and people will tailgate you. Not my proudest moment, but one time there was a Mazda6 tailgating me go 60 in a 35. It wasn't until I pulled out my slr and machine gunned the flash that he backed off. Definitely not my finest moment, but I do not regret taking that measure.