Do Pruis’s bug other drivers?

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Jon the Chief @ Oct 19 2007, 05:46 PM) [snapback]527909[/snapback]</div>

There are a surprisingly high number of Prii now in the small town I live in. I don't notice much rage anymore. Perhaps the rage is being spread out over an increasing number of Prii.

Any rage you see is the result of the person in question facing the uncomfortable truth that he is driving a gas hog, and wasting tons of money on gasoline, supporting our enemies, and hurting our planet. He probably isn't fully aware of most of that, and is stubbornly reaffirming his choice of vehicle, by expressing his anger at your choice, even though deep down he knows he's wrong. If he wasn't wrong, he wouldn't be angry, would he?

I had a high school girl yell at me, "Hey, you saving the planet?" I just smiled and waved. I don't know if I can save the planet, but in the meantime I'm getting 50+ miles per gallon, and denying terrorists and unfriendly oil-rich nations my petro-dollars.

take care,

Harry

 

"Hate the driver, not the car"

 

Heh. They probably hate me... just because im not "on the brakes" in stop n go traffic.

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Earthling @ Oct 19 2007, 02:56 PM) [snapback]527913[/snapback]</div>

You're giving the other driver waaaaay too much credit.

My dog barks at trees. He's dumb as dirt. There's no higher brain function at work responsible for him barking at the tree. The same is true of the other driver's rage.

 

Other drivers substitute oil for knowledge and earn low efficiency. Prii drivers apply the knowledge and earn higher efficiency.

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Earthling @ Oct 19 2007, 04:56 PM) [snapback]527913[/snapback]</div>

I couldn't agree more Harry! Very well said... I drive the Prius the same manner in which I drobe my '98 Pathfinder - I don't run red lights, I don't go more than 5mph over the speed limit... But I have noticed more people pulling out in front of me, cutting me off and tailgating me... I think it has more to do with the size of the vehicle than the type of vehicle, but I totally agree with Harry's post.

Brent

 

Is a Prius a red rag to a bull to other divers?

On the internet, occasionally. In meatspace, never.

If so why?

We be drivers, we be rollin'. They be haters, they be trollin'.

As one who is new to Prius is this normal,

No.

do all Prius drivers have days like this?

Not me.

 

I don’t have a people messing with me. when I am in the slow lane doing the speed limit or just going with the flow of traffic.

now there is one prius driver who makes everyone mad. he gets in whatever lane he wants to be in and will pulse and glides 35-45mph on a highway with a psl of 60. he is even worse in traffic and is always messing up the flow of traffic. this is an everyday thing. and everyone hates him lol.

 

I find Fridays to be a particularly inpatient day for driving anything around here - not just a Prius. Or are others jealous you don't have to pay the (very high I hear) congestion tax? Everyone has a choice in what they wish to drive, and how they choose to drive. I don't think all Prius owners drive like jerks, though some do, just as with any other type of vehicle.

 

Hi Jon,

I am not sure its the Prius, or the Jeremy wacko on the BBC, who is like the Osama-Bin-Laden of the automotive world - calling his minions to destroy the evil infidel cars! Have you seen some of that Crap he has done on the Prius ? They even shot up a Prius with a .50 Caliber (B17 style WWII vintage) machine gun!

 

I never noticed any change.
I notice I get cut off more often in my car than my work car, but that might be the stripes and lights working in my favor.

Something to note, I drive the Prius the same way I drove my Camry, I already drove the camry for economy while accelerating hard when getting away at traffic lights.

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Jon the Chief @ Oct 19 2007, 04:46 PM) [snapback]527909[/snapback]</div>

In a word, yes.

Why something as seemingly non-threatening as the Prius would evoke such reaction, is still a mystery to me.

But it is frustrating.

At first, I wondered if it was me, but I'm becoming more and more convinced that it *isn't.*

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Pinto Girl @ Oct 19 2007, 10:51 PM) [snapback]528060[/snapback]</div>

I don't think it's just you. I get more a-holes doing a-hole things in my Prius than I ever had with any other car.

And it's not the size either. My last car was an Impreza WRX STI (much smaller than the Prius) and I had nowhere NEAR the number of people cutting me off, overtaking, not yielding to me properly, etc as I have had in the month since I bought my Prius.

 

Had a weird one today: some kid in a fullsize Crown Vic turned in
behind me and started riding my butt. Gave him a shot of the yuppie
button to try and open up some space, and he started flicking his
high beams back and coming up much closer, i.e. getting an attitude
about it. I had to turn off soon after, so I just pretty much
ignored it and made my turn. In the rearview, I saw the kid hesitate
right at the intersection, and then turn and follow me. I knew he
was just looking to screw around at that point, so after another turn
I just pulled up to the curb and stopped to wait and let him go
past. He stopped next to me and put the pax side window down to
just sit there and stare at me. So I rolled mine down and said
something like "you were too close to me, I just wanted to try and
indicate that to you". Perfectly cordial. He looked back and said
"I'm polluting!" and floored his POS -- ooh, one-wheel patchouts on
a wet road, I must bow deeply to his manhood.
.
There are just too many numbnuts out there who bought their license
at Sears and really know nothing about driving.
.
_H*

 

I haven't noticed any specific rage against the Prius, but when in traffic I do try to keep with the flow, and I have always given the idots who think they must always go fast as wide a berth as possible. There have been a few other threads on this subject before, so i was interested in the attitude when I had my hire Prius in LA for a couple of days. Again, kept with the flow, and no noticeable problems, but then there are a lot of Prii around LA so maybe people are now used to them.

By the way, we have an anti-speed campaign on TV here in Sydney where people clench their fist and just wave their pinky at those who speed - a sexual reference to how little they really are. It has been classed as one of the best campaigns ever. Try it on the next nut who cuts you off.

 

Does someone not like it when I constantly obey the rules of the road? Screw 'em. They can go around.

 

Driving in rush hour traffic on I-66 near Fairfax, I changed lanes and apparently the driver behind me didn't like it. He tailgated and light flashed. When he could, he passed, pulled in front and ran slower and slower. He tried lane changes to keep me from passing so I continued. Eventually, near the beltway and I pulled over to the shoulder. The road rage warrior pulled over and I pulled out. Again, he jumped in front and slowed down. Just when I knew he couldn't make the turn off, I took the first exit beyond the beltway and had a happy. I was driving our mini-van.

About 10-15 years ago, there was a road rage incident in Birmingham that ended with one woman driver shooting and killing another on an off ramp. They stopped and one shot the other.

I now drive with a cell phone and have no problem with calling 911 about a 'a car weaving across different lanes and not holding their speed constant, they might be sick, I can't tell.' I'm happy to report their license number, street and direction. After all, we under pay our police to deal with problem children.

Bob Wilson

 

Hi All,

More on this. When a yahoo gets behind you, they tend to have a very distorted perception of speed. I had this happen with a guy at work. He claimed I was doing 20 mph in the 45 mph zone. But, I was doing a glide on a slight downhill right at 39 mph. He was so close to my bumper, he could not even take a second to check his speedometer. His perception developed, most likely, from having to slow down (we were in a turning lane). So it seems, like, if you accellerate away, you must be doing 10 mph over the limit, of if they have to slow down, you are doing 20 under, does not matter what the instruments tell say.

I think the Prius threatens the average car service professional in the US, or wanta-be professional. From their point of view, the world is turned upside down by the Prius. When cars like the Prius are common, the need for mechanics will be much less, but the need for technicians, which are a much smaller fraction of automotive service, will be the same. The issue is, how does somebody get to be a technician, without winning one of the few dealarship or auto company junior tech positions, where you get on-the-job training? One does not. Which leaves these guys on the street doing work on old clunkers. Not a glorious life for a auto-service professional.

EV's will require even fewer auto-service mechanics level professionals.

Screwing around with Hobbit might backfire on this bozo. As he is one of the few third-party people training the mechanics to be hybrid technicians. I can see some future class of his, where this guy walks in the door, and Hobbit askes "Are you still polluting?

Another driver prone to attack is the traffic hassled driver. Traffic flows. And driving faster than it gives little advantage. One just ends up in a line of stopped cars. The traffic hassled driver is beyond this common-sense, and has been driven into a ruthless driving style by his fear of traffic. The Prius represents the car that deals with traffic, where he/she are stuck in a car intended for crusing across Iowa on an interstate, or zipping around curves in hlly terrain. These cars are wasting gas going as slow as traffic is, and slow is all the traffic will bear. When they bought the car to save time. Doing this for 5 years, or so builds up tremendous frustration.

In Europe, I am sure things are different. F1 wanta-be's using the public roads for their private training track probably have a problem with the SUV-like (compared to the mini boy-racer cars) Prius could be one scenario.

Around here it tends to be Saab drivers. There is this one girl in a white Saab who just will not do slower than 90 mph. Even on a road 6 lanes full of 45 mph traffic, she goes off on the shoulder. I had some 20 something Saab driver pass me on a blind curve, 25 mph, no-passing zone, where I was doing 30 (which is like standard practice in that town). Allot of towns do this, to have a stop-at-will power for the police. Which is actually agains the constitution, but they do it legally, anyway. Then our 20 something rocket-scientist (probably a future MBA actually) is stuck behind 3 cars at the stop sign around the corner in front of me as I come coasting up.

I think we need more than vehicle operational and right-of-way eductation in drivers' training. There needs to be some traffic reality common-sense training too. There are too many red-light racing drivers. Drivers need to consider not only what is in front of them, but what is down the road, both within eyesight, and beyond.

 

its the size that makes the difference. been driving mc's for 30 years and similar idiots out there thinking is "small vehicle, no threat, like a mosquito" of course this doesnt happen when i'm with 30 or so of my bro's