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Prius Rage- Your stories

Discussion in 'Gen 2 Prius Main Forum' started by zaxinc, Jun 28, 2008.

  1. abq sfr

    abq sfr New Member

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    In the past few years, my other 2 vehicles have been attacked twice, Prius I've owned for 15 months none. Last time it happened my boys were driving the Nissan truck, some guy road raged them, they were both stuck in traffic, the other guy got out and flung a big rock at the truck and put a big dent in it, and was shouting obscenities. They said he looked like the stereotypical State Pen type of guy, small, shaved head, tatoos all over. Next day on the TV news there was a picture of him... he did the same thing to two other cars but those times he pulled an Uzi out of his car and pointed it at the occupants, didn't fire though. The cops caught and arrested him. Twelve hours later he was out on bail.... this is New Mexico! I'm purchasing a Beretta PX4 Subcompact handgun and keeping it in the hidden storage bin :rip:
     
  2. bac

    bac Active Member

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    You couldn't be more wrong both on a legal and moral level. Please research the law regarding cycling. It's shocking to still hear that type of ignorance. :confused:

    ... Brad
     
  3. Scummer

    Scummer Eh?

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    Yep.. It's a sad state of a "civilized?" world, when you are trying to ride your bike on the road, saving gas on your commute or just for exercise, just to get buzzed less than a foot distance, obscenities yelled at you and stuff thrown at you. I ride about 3000-4000 miles on my bicycle a year and it doesn't even bother me anymore.
    I'm just dreading the big one when I'm actually going to be run over by some dumbass driver. Happened almost yesterday on my ride home from work. Said dumbass on the side street pulls out and nearly mows me down. I got lucky.

    Thomas
     
  4. PaulHS

    PaulHS Member

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    It would appear that the moral burden is primarily on the cyclist. For some reason, the cyclist thinks he gets a "bye" for many of the rules of the road. They are just as liable for hand signals, heeding traffic signals, not impeding traffic flow, obeying speed limits and riding with traffic, all of which I have seen violated many times. This behavior makes them a hazard.

    There's plenty of blame to go around, of course. I have seen car drivers risk a head-on collision by swinging into the oncoming lane to avoid a cyclist.

    But by the same token, I've seen cyclists riding on roads that are so heavily travelled and so narrow that they are risking their lives by their poor choice of route. Do they leave their brains at home?

    Paul
     
  5. Scummer

    Scummer Eh?

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    Show me one driver out of the millions in the US respecting the law. Rolling stops, blowing red lights, illegal cell phone usage, lane change without signalling, tailgating, intoxicated while driving, swerving in and out of traffic, not looking over shoulder while lane changing, violating right away on a left turn, violating right away of crossing pedestrians, violating right away on stop signs, going straight from a turn only lane, riding on shoulder, riding on exit ramp to rejoin traffic 5 cars ahead, sleeping behind the wheel.
    Do I need to mention more?
    Glass house, stone, kettle, pot?

    As a driver of a 3000lb weapon you have the greater responsibility of noticing your surroundings and be more prepared to face the unexpected and act on it in a responsible manner.

    But since driver education is non-present here in the US it's not surprising that drivers, motorcyclists and cyclists in general have not the slightest clue on how to behave properly in traffic.

    Thomas
     
  6. PaulHS

    PaulHS Member

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    Thomas,

    Your argument appears to be simply that if drivers of cars chronically violate the law, then it's alright for cyclists to do so. That's hardly an overwhelming argument if you are trying to take the moral high ground. You are right that the driver of a car should be aware of his surroundings, however, that does not relieve the cyclist from his responsibility to do the same, especially when the cyclist is at a distinct disadvantage if he has a close encounter with a car.

    BTW, a "weapon" is designed specifically to kill or maim, either aggressively or in self defense. I know of no cars designed for that purpose.

    Paul
     
  7. penbed

    penbed New Member

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    Not sure if this qualifies as rage.
    Today as I was about to get in my Pri two guys were walking by,
    one of them looks at my car and said;
    "Who do you think you are,George Jettson?"
     
  8. Scummer

    Scummer Eh?

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    Paul,

    you mentioned that the moral burden is primarily on the cyclist and I just can't agree on that. The car is the heavier, more dangerous vehicle and therefore the driver of car should be held to higher standards, higher focus and attention on the road and a higher set of morals. And with my tirade of all the traffic violations that drivers make everyday they are certainly way below those standards.

    I'm not saying that bicyclists should get away with any of those violations just because drivers do it, but a missed stop by a cyclists has by far less implications on someone else's life than a driver of a car.

    So if a cyclist swerves in front of your car, especially if it's a kid or a teenager, you have to be prepared and foresee such kind of actions. It's part of defensive driving which gets taught in german driving classes until smoke rises from your brain. Heck, I was taught the traffic rules when I was 8 years old in 3rd grade at school and I had no choice to opt out, as attendance was required.

    But in this ego centric society all hope is lost until as I mentioned in my previous posting, some kind of education program for drivers and cyclists alike on correct behavior in traffic is started. Hopefully that happens once gas hit's 10$ a gallon and more and more people start to cycle.

    Thomas
     
  9. Spectra

    Spectra Amphi-Prius

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    An appropriate response might be --

    Yes, pleased to meet you -- Fred Flintstone & Barney Rubble, I presume ?:D
     
  10. carz89

    carz89 I study nuclear science...

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    Classic! That is just too funny! I hope to get to use that someday.
     
  11. carz89

    carz89 I study nuclear science...

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    You're right -- vehicles aren't designed to be weapons, but that doesn't mean they can't be weapons. A baseball bat wasn't designed to be a weapon, but it can be a pretty darn good one in the wrong hands. Motor vehicles can be used, and unfortunately, are used as weapons. Per Merriam-Webster, a weapon is "something used to injure, defeat, or destroy".

    In a court of law, someone who accidentally kills a person with their vehicle through negligent driving I believe is penalized the same as someone who accidentally kills a person with negligent handling of a gun. Any lawyers out there please correct me if I'm wrong about this analogy.
     
  12. davebernier

    davebernier Junior Member

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    As a cyclist and a Prius driver, I would say that taking a bike on a road, cycle lane or not is very similar to piloting a sailboat on a waterway with barge traffic. Yes the sailboat has the right of way, but you'd be very foolish (and very wet) if you were to force the issue. The bottom line is cyclists need to be MORE careful, both about the rules of the road and the cars (and trucks) around them because we don't have 3,000 pounds of vehicle and several air bags surrounding us.
     
  13. PaulHS

    PaulHS Member

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    /snip

    Well, Thomas, Yes and No. The moral burden of the cyclist to which I have been referring is to himself. If he blows through a stop sign (literally a missed stop) he risks his own life.

    Paul
     
  14. PaulHS

    PaulHS Member

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    Here is the original context:

    "As a driver of a 3000lb weapon you have the greater responsibility of noticing your surroundings and be more prepared to face the unexpected and act on it in a responsible manner."

    Is this hypothetical driver intentionally using his car as a weapon here?
     
  15. PaulHS

    PaulHS Member

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    Well put, Dave. IOW, the cyclist may be right: but dead right.

    Paul
     
  16. Scummer

    Scummer Eh?

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    And you know why cyclists have to be so darn careful? Because drivers are the exact opposite. They are completely oblivious to their surroundings and don't give a damn about anyone else on the road.

    Anyway, even if you are doing everything right as a cyclist, you still get stuff thrown at you, cursed at you, yelled obscenities and buzzed so close that it's a wonder you're still alive.
     
  17. xsmatt81

    xsmatt81 non-AARP Member

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    i think alot of it is placebo effect. But i do notice people cutting me off alot more then when i had my other car.

    i dont drive slow normally, gotten lazy with P&G and just drive it anymore..could be the reason for MPG loss
     
  18. footprintx

    footprintx New Member

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    So I got a couple stories here. Although I get that red-light thing ALL the time.

    1. So I'm in the carpool lane, doing about 75 mph (was in a hurry) and this Ford F-250 comes up behind me FAST. He was probably doing at least 90. He crosses over the double-yellow lines, swings out to my right and starts waving at me. I'm thinking maybe something's wrong with my car, I look over, and his buddy in the passenger seat is holding onto the wheel and he (the driver) is counting on his fingers, 1, 2, then pointing at the HOV 2+ to drive signs as we pass them, pointing at me, counting to 1, then pointing at the sign again.

    Of course, I have HOV stickers. Had them for years at this point. I sort of point to where the stickers are, though admittedly it's kind of hard with me being inside the car and trying to drive and all, and shrug, and he takes off at 90+ again, drives over the double-yellow lines to get back into the HOV lane and disappears over the horizon.

    This was about 8 months ago. I've been driving in an HOV lane for years now.

    ---------------

    2. At a stop light, right lane, two lane road. Light turns green and the lead car is a little slow off the line. Not that he has anywhere to go, there's a popular gas station across the street on the right, and a couple cars are trying to turn in, but stopped in the road due to the back-up. I'm four cars back from the intersection. The Chevy Blazer behind me honks, and leans into it. Of course, I take no offense, he's obviously honking at the lead car, right?

    In the middle of the intersection, he changes lanes, cutting off a car to do it. The left lane stops as a car in that lane is trying to make a left turn and there's traffic in the opposite direction so he's waiting for an opening.

    The Blazer is next to me now, rolls down his window and yells "F*** YOU HYBRID, LEARN HOW TO DRIVE"

    I mean, if I hadn't been driving a Prius, would he have failed to notice that nobody else on the road was moving either? That the reason I wasn't moving is because four other cars in front of me weren't moving and I'm not a fan of unnecessary body work?

    As it turned out, my lane cleared first, and I pulled into the gas station, as I watched him cut off ANOTHER car to get into the spot he would have been in anyway had he never tried to switch lanes in the first place.

    ---------------

    3. I'm going 65 mph in the slow-lane and this truck comes barreling up behind me, lights flashing and horn-honking. There is another car doing about the same speed in the other lane of the two-lane bypass. I give the truck behind me a brake check, as he's only a foot off my nice person (Yeah, i know, no reason to escalate a situation, but I did). This infuriates him, and he leans on his horn continuously. The bypass merges with the regular freeway, and he drives OFF the road to my right (as there are cars on my left) and passes me up on the dirt shoulder, cuts in front of me. I give him plenty of room, partly out of habit as I make sure to have enough space to stop in case the car in front of me suddenly stops. He "slows" to 65 mph, which is the speed I have my cruise control set on anyway and then proceeds to drive 65 mph in front of me.

    Now, I'm thinking "Wait, is he seriously trying to 'punish' me by driving the same speed I was already traveling?" We're in the number 5 lane, the slow lane. So I flip on the left-blinker and start moving into the next lane over. He moves with me. We do this again. And again. And again. Now we're in the fast lane, and I've still got cruise control on 65 mph. Cars are piling up behind up us now, and as they pass him by, everyone flips him off, cut him off, honks their horn, and even do that aggressive fake-side-swipe maneuver.

    Of course, nobody does anything to me. I'm just the guy stuck behind the moron going 65 in the number one lane.

    FORTY FIVE minutes later, he guns it, and takes off at 85 mph. I return to my usual spot, going 65 in the slow lane.

    ---------------
     
  19. orracle

    orracle Whaddaya mean "senior" member?

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    Wow! Some really aggressive drivers there in the Golden State!

    I try to tell myself that sometime, somewhere, idiots like that will get what's coming to them. I just won't be there to see it.:cool:
     
  20. bac

    bac Active Member

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    Paul, I've got to say it. You are full of it.

    Your argument that some cyclists break the law; therefore, all cyclists are at fault all the time is just plain sad. If you don't want cyclists on the road, where they have the exact same rights as auto drivers, just say it. :rolleyes:

    ... Brad