If I Drive a Prius, Will I need to be a more patient person?

Rest assured, you can still be and drive like an a-hole in a Prius.

 

First, I normally drive above the speed limit.

There is nothing wrong with driving slower than the maximum speed limit as long as it is faster than the minimum speed limit. Most people are not aware of the two speed limits.

If you are going to disobey the law, at least respect others that do obey it.

OP, you'll do just fine with the Prius. Make sure you test drive it and you'll probably be in for a pleasant surprise, considering your current ride.

 

If you're in your Prius and are going to drive slower than the freeway speed limit, or even slower than the fastest flow of traffic on the freeway, GET OUT OF THE FAR LEFT LANE!

It's just the cool thing to do.

As folks pass by you can think to yourself how much fuel they're wasting, but no one appointed you to be a peace officer and if you move over you can keep already inflamed tempers from turning into anger.

That, for me, is my biggest pet peeve with some Prius drivers. You don't have to go fast if you don't want to, but it's not your responsibility to slow down the flow of traffic, either.

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The Prius accelerates well from a stop to about 20 mph because of all the electric motor torque. Tip-in is excellent. As speeds increase though, it's all about horsepower, and the car just doesn't have a lot of that. I'm not saying this as a condemnation, just a reality. 134hp, even in the light and slick for its size Prius, only goes so far.

 

Did you know that limit is the upper limit, in ideal driving conditions? Oh heck: don't know why I'm chatting.

 

What are you asking?

Will you NEED to be a more patient person?
Of course not. If someone is going 5-10 mph below a posted speed limit, chatting or texting...then The Prius (or almost any automobile) is going to have enough power to pass them.

Should you be a more patient person? Could HSD and Prius encourage you to embrace this approach? That's all up to you. But if you want to pass people going too slow...you can.

Your join date is listed as May 2007, you only have 17 posts listed, and you have no profile as to what vehicle you drive.

My question to you, is if your lifestyle is hectic, and your personality is such that as you say in your first sentence, Driving on the road for you is all about getting from A to B quickly....then the question isn't will you need to be a more patient person, the question is why are you choosing a Prius?

It's a generalization, but for most people owning a Hybrid, means driving is about being more efficient in getting from A to B...not being the quickest.

If it's all about passing, agression and speed? Then I would suggest you don't buy a Prius. But only you can determine your driving priorities and/or make life style changes.

 

He knows, and so do I.

I feel that it's best to let law enforcement officers perform the job of slowing traffic, since they're trained for the task and it's their job.

I just move to the right and watch the show.

 

My general policy is, I only go slow if someone else ahead of me is keeping the pace, and only in the right lanes. Otherwise I will close the gap and catch up to whoever is ahead of me. I will speed up about 10 mph to close a gap. But if someone is still on my tail while I am closing my gap, then that's their problem.

Generally in a Prius, I will drive with the flow of traffic but keep a larger than normal gap. This drives some people insane. They can't stand it if you are few car lengths behind the car in front of you.

Usually here the freeways have at least 4 lanes in each direction.

Rule of thumb:

#1 lane = 80 mph
#2 lane = 75 mph
#3 lane = 70 mph
#4 lane = 65 mph

Speed limit is 65 mph, but you will draw the ire and wrath of many people if you drive 65 mph in the left lane.

Adjust as necessary if there are more lanes and less traffic.

Now on surface streets, generally on a 4-lane road (2 each direction), the speed limit is 45 mph. But people like to go 50+ mph. I think sticking to the speed limit is fine but people will be on your tail quite a bit.

 

I'm with you.

 

For some reason, I always laugh when I see that happen, and think to myself "I wonder how they feel right now", esp if I see someone go flying by me first.

 

Oh yeah, I'm over to the right, all the time. But that's not always good enough for some folks.

 

I havent read everyone else's response but I just wanted to add my thought (which actually isnt anything new bc I've said it over and over before...)

I used to be a fast lane maniac with all the hackles on the back of my neck standing up all the way to work and back again in the mad commute. expletives spewing out of my mouth frothing and foaming... and this was in an odyssey. lol.

The first day in my Prius, I drove like I typically did and found that the "power" that I was used to in my minivan did not really work in the prius and I was *that* annoying driver in the fast lane that did not belong there. So the next day I stayed in the slow (aka: merging) lane and drove all the way to work at 60ish mph instead of the 85 I typically did.

got to work at exactly the same time as I usually do. AND, I was not stressed out at all. I let other drivers pass me, I let gave them space to merge ahead of me if they needed to, I waved them a peace sign if they let me through... and I was getting great mileage. Looking back I laugh at myself (or maybe I am rolling my eye at myself) for being so stupid at the way I was driving. I was a dangerous driver, and a stressed out one. And Im sure there are a whole bunch still out there, but I sure am glad I smartened up and got a pripri.

SO. to answer your original question in your post: Will I need to be a more patient person"... the answer to me is no.. You will BECOME a more patient person.

peace.

 

All sounds very good in my opinion.

Especially the part about leaving a larger than normal (i.e., a safe amount) of gap between cars. That really seems to bug some folks.

I was taught that, best case scenario, there will be approximately a 0.5 second time lag between when you first see brake lights, then can move your foot from wherever it's resting to the brake pedal.

So, depending on how quickly the car in front has begun to decelerate, it might actually require a decent amount of space to avoid hitting them.

I think insufficient following distance is actually more dangerous than a few extra miles per hour.

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In my opinion the Prius is excellent in stop and go freeway traffic. Not only the mileage and the way the ICE shuts down, but all that readily available low speed torque, too.

 

I seem to remember that a major class of vehicles is limited to 55 mph everywhere in your state. Does any lane travel that slow?

Which limit, where multiple limits are posted? My state has numerous areas where some vehicles (i.e. cars) are allowed to go 5 or 10 mph faster than other vehicles (trucks and combinations).

Does your intolerance extend to vehicles permitted to go faster, but electing to observe the slower limit?

I have a name for people who accept big rigs traveling at certain speeds, but don't tolerate little ones at the very same speeds in the right-most lane: bullies.

 

Sometimes it really is a problem when trying to get on the highway and those who are driving very slow in the right lane not only block you from getting in at times, but also create a line of people behind them... which also blocks people from getting in.

why is there a line behind them? because people want to merge to the middle lane but they cannot as others driving the speed limit make it difficult for them to get there.

I noticed however, that we're mostly talking about freeway traffic. how about a 2-lane road with a speed limit of 40. One car is in the right hand lane driving 30 and everyone else is driving 45. See how this slow car can be a nuisance?

 

I think the perception from other drivers on all Prius drivers is that we are all grandpa/grandma or some tree hugging hippies. So upon seeing a Prius, they automatically assumes we love to drive slower than the speed limit to save gas thus love to block the traffic. And for some unknown reason, they also get more irated on a Prius rather than regular car even though we are obeying the law and safety precaution.

Will driving a Prius make you more patient? That depends on the individual. Will it make you more conscious on your pedal? Definitely.

 

Most of the time I do drive slower than average but I do not hold people up unless they are the type that like to pass traffic by doing 80+mph in the slow lanes. Screw em'.......

However, I am always the one going the fastest through the curves. I love it when some Porsche jockey or BMW egomaniac gets behind me at the beginning of a canyon road. I know they are thinking "god damn it. I'm stuck behind a slow #$$ Prius!". Then I proceed to leave them in the dust.

 

Prius will teach you a lesson by providing consequences to your action in real-time. Either you become more patient or not is up to you. However, the driving experience of the Prius will calm you down and it will reward you in real-time.

Yes, it is an experiential learning so you need to experience it to learn.

 

yeah you'd have to lay off caffeine and learn patience grasshopper.

I usually get from A to B faster then airhead pushing pedal to the metal next to me. It is all about timing, route selection and not getting stuck.

 

The problem is that safe following distance increases with speed, so at higher speeds safe traffic volume is decreased. However, roads do not have volume limits.
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Stop and go can provide an opportunity for sneaky pulse and glide. Or, alternatively, you can maintain the average speed of traffic. Another thing that's good for mileage. Congestion is opportunity.

 

I would think you could accelerate around most people when giving enough gas pedal.