Deliberate Vandalism

Ouch!! Sorry to hear that!! Other than the couple of random (& small) parking lot scratches, my car remains untouched by the hands of vandalism. Oh, and SUVs and jacked up trucks will tailgate anyone, Priuses inlcluded. I see them tailgate big-rigs on the freeway in the right 2 lanes every day.

 

No, I haven't thank goodness, but I've only had her for less than two months.

I really don't understand why this car and its owners receive so much negative publicity...I at least am trying to do good (or at least trying to avoid doing bad) by making a responsible choice....and then we sometimes get hassled for it.

It's like being a good student and then being bullied. I find myself thinking, just as I type those words...it *IS* like bullying, isn't it?

 

I had my front bumper kicked in. In the parking lot of the mass transit station of all places. Go figure.

Sorry to hear about the vandalism. Just isn't fun.

 

That stinks. I haven't had any deliberate vandalism, but I did have some jerk in a giant pick-up truck park right up on my bumper while I was at Disneyland and left a little intentation there. I was really frustrated at that, but I can imagine how you feel about someone doing that to your car. When I was younger, I was driving my parents Cadillac, parked at a mall, and when I came back, someone had keyed the entire side of the car! Prius' are not the only cars that get abused.

I will say though that there was a guy on Jay Leno a couple months ago, I can't remember who, but he mentioned that he had a Prius, and that he spent the night at a friends house and when he returned to his car, someone had keyed the word, "GAY" into the hood of his car. The joke was that he didn't know what to do about it, so in little letters next to "Gay" he typed, "Not"...or Not Gay. It got a laugh.

 

That's really sad. The worst I've heard before this was that the owner was going to his Prius (to go to work) and found somebody letting the air out of the tires (the reason was that they were angry about how much it cost to fill the tank of their car). Very minor, in comparation.

 

Well... I got my passenger side mirror ripped off when I park across from my house. The landlord said this kind of things never happened to all 3 of their cars. I'm not sure if it's delibrate or just bad luck.


<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Pinto Girl @ Sep 20 2006, 07:08 PM) [snapback]322517[/snapback]</div>

My exact thoughts. When someone buys a race car/SUV/<insert whatever other car>, people never question their purchase. People often encourage that. But when it comes down to a hybrid, we got questioned all the time. People telling me my battery's gonna go in 5 years, my engine won't last from all the stop and start. I got tired of explaining how the car works to them sometimes. We are polluting less and consume less. Isn't that supposed to be good for everybody else? I really don't understand this mentality.

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(wolflady @ Sep 20 2006, 03:14 PM) [snapback]322501[/snapback]</div>

As somebody once said, "I feel your pain." We're never safe, are we? When we least expect it, some deviant will randomly cross our path and do us harm.

You have to wonder what sort of person would do a thing like this. I let my mind wander....

Almost certainly a young male. And not alone either. It's not nearly as much fun without somebody to share it with a gleeless giggle. Somebody without much of his own or he'd know how hard it is to get nice things.

A smoker. He's got no sense of the future, just tonight exists for him. If it were a murder, the police would take the time to find his last butt and DNA it. The world is his ashtray.

No discipline at home. His parents raised him as a free spirit and now fear him. He's home just for the bed and food. Bottom of his class if still in school....won't be there much longer if he is. Tatoos, haircut, piercings, etc. that make him unemployable beyond the car-wash level. Thinks everybody looks down on him.

Or too much discipline. (This is a commodity like medicine. You need the right dose.) Beat up all the time and likes to dish it out when he can, but not with a real live person who's likely to whip his butt. A conditioned coward. You don't have much to fear from him in person but your property, which can't fight back, is up for grabs. This is how he communicates.

Has firmly fixed opinions on everything. Probably heard his father say something about the pansies who think they're better than him because they drive do-gooder cars. His father has a ten year old piece of junk that runs rough. Won't let him borrow it much.

You could probably spot him a block away by his dress. Baggy, non-descript black things with wear marks worn like medals of honor. Maybe a key chain hanging from his belt loop with a pocket knife on the end for show time. His underwear will be visible from the rear and probably even more.

Has a 100 word active vocabulary heavy on the profane. Uses the f-word as noun, verb, adjective, interjection and adverb. The only books in his house are from the telephone company. Bail-bond companies have prominent ads on the cover or a tab inserted. They know.

Nobody talks at home. It's too easy to get the yelling going. You could fry an egg on the cover of the ever-on TV. His music is a mind-numbing drum beat accompanying bad third-grade poetry shouted by somebody even angrier than he is. If there is a pet around it catches hell regularly.

In the old days, we would never sass a policeman because we'd get a whack on the side of our head. Now, if he has so much as one witness, he'd mouth off to Dirty Harry. Afraid of nothing.....afraid of everything.

We used to call these kids "punks." Now it's a term of pride. These are the children too many of us are sending off to run the country because we are too busy to care. Remind you of anybody?

When he gets older he'll maybe manage how to fit into the crowd. He won't be so easy to recognize then but his mind-set is pretty well fixed for life. This is when he gets even more dangerous.

I let my mind wander. I'm sure this is just fiction and not too helpful.

I'm very sorry this happened to you and your lovely car. The body shop will make you whole soon; there is no body shop for him. But it's nothing personal. I'm sure I'll fall into his sights before long.

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(aaf709 @ Sep 20 2006, 05:26 PM) [snapback]322570[/snapback]</div>

Wasn't that the owner who also happened to be a police officer, and he made the fellow fill the tires back up??

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(wolflady @ Sep 20 2006, 06:14 PM) [snapback]322501[/snapback]</div>

Vandalisim by kids is normally, throwing eggs or rocks or spray painting obsenities on a car

This type of act screwdrivering, keying, ripping off a mirror or shattering a tail light are normally acts of agression. You must have gotten someone really P/O'd at you. Take a moment and think of who you may have gotten angry with you..... :mellow:

Tailgaters rarely follow someone home, the normally wave with one finger or worse point a gun at you. the best thing to do to a person thats behind you and thier suffering from road rage is to move over and do not make eye contact with them just let them drive away.... If they do decide to follow you just drive to the nearest police station or report the driver via 911 & your location

Sorry to hear of your mis-fortune....

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(priusguy04 @ Sep 21 2006, 10:08 AM) [snapback]322891[/snapback]</div>

Blame the victim.

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Alnilam @ Sep 21 2006, 01:35 PM) [snapback]322906[/snapback]</div>

As a matter of fact, Im not blaming the victim.... :angry:

Its just a fact that serious vandalisim is 95% of the time done in anger:
ie ripping off mirrors, DEEP Gouges in paint to bare metal, keying the side, busting out a car windows. or slashing tires, The things that are going to cost the victim $$ either out of pocket or thru car insurance that still costs the victim time and possible rate increases to get fixed. :blink:

Some one painting a gang sign on your car or throwing eggs that can be taken off with a little elbow grease or washing your car is normally kids.. <_<

I would say have a police report done, this way if needed the victim has a case number for the insurance company and the police have a record that the incident happend and they can keep an extra eye out and maybe catch the person(s) that may be responcible....

 

Very Sad.

We also had some vanalism on our Prius last month. We live across the street from a community college, and assume that it was probably a student. Our car was "keyed" on the driver's side front door. Haven't had time to get it fixed yet.

 

Very well said, Alnilam! I was a Corrections teacher for 30 years and you described the majority of prison students perfectly.

 

You know what I thought of.... My poor little Echo has had more than her share of vandalism in the six (now almost seven :blink: ) years that I've loved her... She's been egged, had the wipers pulled off, mirror broken, driver's window broken, scratched up and a perfect boot shaped dent in the side of her rear and the tyres flattened twice. I reported every time, and chalked it all up to having the best car in the neighbourhood. Now that I'm hunting Prius, I've already informed everybody the new baby is going securely in the garage from day one.

I figure is the old green eyed monster again.

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(priusguy04 @ Sep 21 2006, 12:08 PM) [snapback]322891[/snapback]</div>

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Alnilam @ Sep 21 2006, 12:35 PM) [snapback]322906[/snapback]</div>

A little bit of introspection is never a bad thing, I don't think. Sometimes we can have an effect upon people which we'd never intend or even be able to predict. I, for one, am still on the steep part of this learning curve!

That said, there's absolutely no excuse to act on one's emotions in such a violent, aggressive and harmful manner.

None whatsoever.

No matter what one's personal circumstances or spiritual outlook may be at that particular moment.

 

Well said .

[/quote]Alnilam: You have to wonder what sort of person would do a thing like this.

Almost certainly a teenaged to mid-twentys male. And not alone either. It's not nearly as much fun without somebody to share it with a gleeless giggle. Somebody without much of his own or he'd know how hard it is to get nice things.


No discipline at home. His parents raised him as a free spirit and now fear him. He's home just for the bed and food. Bottom of his class if still in school....won't be there much longer if he is. Tatoos, haircut, piercings, etc. that make him unemployable beyond the car-wash level. Thinks everybody looks down on him.

Or too much discipline. (This is a commodity like medicine. You need the right dose.) Beat up all the time(Abused) and likes to dish it out when he can, but not with a real live person who's likely to whip his butt. A conditioned coward. You don't have much to fear from him in person but your property, which can't fight back, is up for grabs. This is how he communicates.

Has firmly fixed opinions on everything. Probably heard his father say something about the pansies who think they're better than him because they drive do-gooder cars. His father has a ten year old piece of junk that runs rough. Won't let him borrow it much.

You could probably spot him a block away by his dress. Baggy, non-descript black things with wear marks worn like medals of honor. Maybe a key chain hanging from his belt loop with a pocket knife on the end for show time. His underwear will be visible from the rear and probably even more.

Has a 100 word active vocabulary heavy on the profane. Uses the f-word as noun, verb, adjective, interjection and adverb. The only books in his house are from the telephone company. Bail-bond companies have prominent ads on the cover or a tab inserted. They know.

Nobody talks at home. It's too easy to get the yelling going. You could fry an egg on the cover of the ever-on TV. His music is a mind-numbing drum beat accompanying bad third-grade poetry shouted by somebody even angrier than he is. If there is a pet around it catches hell regularly.

In the old days, we would never sass a policeman because we'd get a whack on the side of our head. Now, if he has so much as one witness, he'd mouth off to Dirty Harry. Afraid of nothing.....afraid of everything.

We used to call these kids "punks." Now it's a term of pride. These are the children too many of us are sending off to run the country because we are too busy to care. Remind you of anybody?

When he gets older he'll maybe manage how to fit into the crowd. He won't be so easy to recognize then but his mind-set is pretty well fixed for life. This is when he gets even more dangerous. [/quote]

There is a difference between disapline and abuse that being said, I agree with Alnilam's statement.


Working beat opens ones eyes to alot of stuff, one may not see as a civilian.. to walk a year in a policemans shoes would open your eyes too! It may even make you a little Jaded. :blink: :mellow:

I see & know good honest people in the areas Im assigned to patrol, then I see them on thier bad days when they've just chased thier neighbor with a machetti becase the neighbor weed eated a hibiscus by accident. And now Mr. John Doe has to take a ride, the whole time saying how sorry he is.

Or Ms. Doe who came home and found a neighborhood kid (suspect) peeling out accross her yard on his motorcycle and she hits him with her car to stop him until the police arrive only to find out the kid was 14 and has to be air lifted to the hospital because of a head injury(he wasn't wearing a helmet) (he now has more rights than she does as He is the Victim now). So to Ms. Doe has to take the ride, again saying how sorry she is and that she didnt mean to hurt him but to stop him..

Or the kid caught throwing a brick through a plate glass window and asked why he did it? he replies do not know I guess I was being cool. He too takes the ride but he will be viewed by his peers as being cool and the record will go away after he turns 18, after all it was only a petty crime.. The parents will say he's a good boy & has only recently been in trouble because of the other kids he hangs out with.. But he's his own person and he just has to follow a few simple rules at home..

Its very sad, but again I see it every day ..

Remember its not all gloom & doom, (seems like its 50/50) I see alot that keep thier noses clean do well in school and grow up to be model citizens..


Again sorry to hear of your misfortune

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(ScottY @ Sep 21 2006, 11:27 AM) [snapback]322824[/snapback]</div>

It's their guilty conscience. As long as no one else makes a decision to be responsible, they don't feel like they have to be responsible.

Or maybe the whole concept of "waste not, want not" eludes them. Party like it's 1999!

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Rancid13 @ Sep 21 2006, 09:51 AM) [snapback]322878[/snapback]</div>

Yep, that's the story I heard.

 

Acts of vandalism against cars (or lampposts, mailboxes, etc) is quite common. Generally, victins either ask me if they think someone is "out to get them" or just running around like punks.....rarely to foreign car owners "think" that it is because of the car.

Now, the city I work in is a big GM town....so I expect these "anti-foreign" car attacks to grow as people lose their jobs.