Hypermiling - The new menace on the road?

That bugs me too. I drive the speed limit because that's what it is: a legal limit. I stay to the right because that is also what you do: stay right unless you are passing. I really don't understand how anyone can complain about a vehicle driving the speed limit. It's self-centered insanity.

I wonder how many other laws these people would be willing to break? Lets see: I shoplift, but only a little bit, and it's okay because everyone else does it; I drink and drive, but I'm always in control, and doesn't everyone do it sometimes; I steal from my neighbors, but I only do it to support my drug habit. It would be interesting to see where they draw the line. It reminds me of an old story. I can't remember to whom it's attributed, but it goes something like this: At a party, a man asks a rather well known woman if she would sleep with him for $50,000. She thinks for a moment and then says yes. Then he says: "How about for $50?", to which she replies: "What do you take me for?" He says: "We've already established that, now we are just trying to agree on a price." I love that story.

Tom

 

But a Prius is a lot easier to identify and recall than some nebulous 4 door sedan.

 

Tom,

I think I know what you're saying, and agree, but I also feel compelled to point out that driving IS a privilege. There's no "should be" about it, it's already that way, it just seems that the all-inclusive "we" tend to forget that.

It seems funny to have to say that, but then again, I'm still struck by how rude most people can become when get behind the wheel of a car, especially a big one.

FE and all the rest aside, what ever happened to the polite civility that's supposed to be extended to people in general? Why does that get turned off when we get behind the wheel? (OK, sadly, for some people it's not just off when they're behind the wheel, but that's a different story.)

That behavior seems to be universal, and isn't really dependent on the type of car you drive, what you think about the environment, or anything else. Some people just get really rude behind the wheel.

 

I agree with you Larry. It pisses me off that somehow I'm the jerk because I drive the speed limit. Wth? I cannot afford a speeding ticket nor can I afford to waste fuel. The idiots behind me can learn to deal with the law IMO. Or they can follow me to my destination and we can duke it out if they prefer but I'm not waste fuel because they have anger issues. LMAO!

 

It's funny how the writer says, "I’m following a Honda Insight hybrid driving rather quickly down a hill" . . . but then he gets all bent when the car is going slower up the next hill.

To him, following a car apparently going faster than the speed limit is OK, but not one going slower.

Yep, he has his type-a personality priorities.

 

Now this POS blog has been copied at AutoblogGreen so it gets to live numerous lives like Dust to Dust.

 

Only in theory. I know the law books tell us driving is a privilege, but I deliberately said "should be" because driving is treated as a right in this country, even by our legal system. It's amazing what it takes before a driver's license is suspended or revoked, and then the offender often continues to drive without a license. When they get caught, they get fined and turned loose, just to go out and do it again. I have watched this first hand on a number of occasions. All I can say is I find it puzzling and disgusting.

Tom

 

Obviously oblivious and enjoying the 65 mpg you get doing 40 mpg. But bad drivers are not worth raising your blood pressure over. Obviously this guy was not going to move, pass him and move on.

Eek! And I thought Southern California drivers were bad, but typically if you stay right people don't bother you. You get the occasional tail-gater, but what are you going to do? Now if you tried going below the speed of the flow of traffic in the fast lane...

Yep, on a multi-lane road, there are two basic laws which I wished more people would follow:

1. Slower traffic stay right.
2. Do not match the speed of traffic to those in adjacent lanes, clogging up traffic flow.
3. If you see someone approaching faster than you, move out of the way and let them pass!

Sometimes driving in the mountains on two-lane roads #3 is especially irritating when you are cruising along on a beautiful windy road and you get stuck behind someone doing 5-10 mph below the speed limit, yet refuses to pull over into turn-outs.

Even if I am doing 5-10 over the speed limit and someone comes up and wants to go faster, I pull over and let them!