Prius Envy / Prius Rage

STOP LOOKING IN THE MIRROR !!!!

 

That's funny, that's the one of the things the racing instructor told us. "Don't drive with your mirror."

 

Quite true. Just last week I was on the highway in the center lane. A dump truck was in the right lane a bit behind me. Out of the blue the car shook and felt like someone had rear-ended me. Turns out that the dump truck had a blow out on front, passenger side tire. I figured that I had been hit by a bit of the tire, but there was not a mark (at least a new one) anywhere on the car - it was just the force of the tire blowing.

 

Silver Pri - just wondering, what did you drive before your Prius and did this happen with the old car? I know that I get the same sort of thing at times here but just blame it on all of the idiot Philadelphians on the roads. The same thing happens when I'm driving my wife's car, a mid-size crossover/SUV.

 

I'm guilty of getting upset with drivers when they mess with me on the road. About two weeks ago, I was on my way down state to see a friend and a man in a big work came flying up behind me, scaring me into thinking he was going to hit me, then very dangerously swerved into the passing lane & then he flipped me off as he passed me, so I punched me pedal all the way to the floor... as gross as this sounds, I had just pee'd in a bottle that I had finished tea out of about 10 minutes prior, so whenever got up to him, I flipped him off and laid on my horn, then got in front of him, put my window down, and threw my pee bottle out the window where it hit his truck and busted all over it. I seen black smoke come from his tailpipe showing he was trying to catch up to me, but I kept my foot to the floor until I reached 77 South toward Marietta, Ohio and got on the ramp.

On this same trip, except I was almost to my destination, a red older model Chevy S-10 came flying up behind me (I was driving at 68 in a 65) and even though there were no cars around us and he could have passed me in the passing lane, he started to move over and try to pass me in the shoulder where he would have pounded my car with rocks, then he swerved back and fourth and threw his hands up as if I was doing something wrong. So I slammed on my brakes enough to engage my ABS, at this point, I wish he would have rear ended me. I have great insurance. But he went on, and I got off the exit to cool down and get another sweet tea.

I don't know what went on with me that day. I guess I had been through a lot lately and didn't want to take any crap from anyone. I know two wrongs don't make a right, but now hopefully those guys learned their lessons.

 

You might want to cut back on the caffeine.

RAL

 

Was walking my dog last week and a Lincoln Towncar drove by and had a blow out 20 feet from me. Holy god was louder than a shot gun. People pulled over and thought someone had shot at them.

I stay way away from semi's. Don't stay next to them and don't stay behind them. One of my boss's 20 years ago on a roadtrip was driving next to a semi and it threw a lugnut through his windshield at 80 mph's. Hit him in the shoulder.
Nice black and blue spot for about 3 months. Really really lucky. He was a dick though.

 

Prius in California being physically abused by Mini Cooper!

Mini Cooper Humps a Toyota Prius in San Francisco (The Torque Report)

 

Don't stay in front of them either. When the truck driver is too distracted to see the traffic stopping ...

Out here, after shedding the lugnuts, they shed the whole wheel, which then bounces across the center line or median into oncoming traffic.

 

I swap vehicles between my Prius and my truck. I'm amazed at the different way I'm treated depending on the car I'm driving.

As the OP stated, the Prius more often than not brings automatic frustration to drivers who feel their world has ended because they are behind one going the speed limit.

I'm also amazed at how many would rather stay behind me and complain rather than simply signal and pass.

In my F250, none of the above has happened to me that I've noticed, ever.

 

I'm curious, ewxlt66, do you drive the same way in your truck as you do the Prius?

 

Locally alot of the frustration comes from new Prius owners driving around like snails trying to get the best mpg's they can. This is in very urban area's. And usually really old people.Very easy to identify as they are the ones crawling away from lights and have no clue how to drive the car for max mileage. I have been stuck behind at least 2 in the last 6 months. Its maddening. Now automatically if I'm coming up to a light and I have a choice being behind a Prius or another car I chose the other car.

The truth is you can drive a Prius without a care and still get 44 mpg's (my wife) or you can drive around like a snail, creep away from lights and piss everyone off and get 53 mpg's. I'm talking about rookies now. The difference is not alot in $$$ at the end of the year and definitely not worth it in terms of how much road rage they attract.
I'm referring to the Tampa area.


Locally everyone here drives like a maniac. Everyone here punches it right too the light. Lots of rednecks in pic ups flooring it every where they go. If I see a F150 behind me at a light I giddy up and get out of his way. If he's behind me at a light I know he's going to be on my nice person hard when the light changes so I usually carefully accelerate hard away from him. Which pisses him off as there always surprised the Prius can move right along. And usually better off the line than his truck.

You have to be aware when you drive a Prius in Tampa.

 

That's how we drive, that's why we only get 41 mpg. But to us that's like driving for free already.

 

Others tend to substitute oil for knowledge. You are at the advantage of being able to model what you teach.

 

You ever see the made for TV movie from the 70's "Duel" with Dennis Weaver? (Directed by Steven Spielberg)

If you were remaking it today....you'd use the same gas guzzling killer truck....and a Prius. I picture Dennis Weaver frantically pressing the "Power" mode button.

 

Assumptions, stereotypes, sociopathic behavior, ahh what a great thread!

 

You can always "wash your windshield". Tailgaters go away.

 

Scary road rage incident, driver's behavior; awesome!
Road rage incident involving marine caught on video by victims

 

Push? lol unless there's a reason not to most of the time i use cruise control. i usually drive an acceptable speed (usually around 6 actual mph over the speed limit) and never in the passing lane. If anyone wants to tailgate me they are welcome to. I always ignore them completely. plus I have drcc so if people drive slow in front of me my car auto slows down to match. I just sit back and enjoy the ride. People behind me can do whatever they want.

 

I used to get this same nonsense on rare occasion when I drove a Prius. I've even gotten this a few times driving my wife's Volt. But oddly enough, have never experienced this in my Leaf. I think the Prius and the Volt stand out more as a recognizable symbol of being a liberal, or a tree-hugger, or an Obama-lover, or something like that. None of which is true, but as we all know some people think that.

Of course, I'm usually the one in the left-hand land passing people up so if people want to pass me they need to be going really fast. The only times I go slow are on a longer trip where I need to maximize the EV range of my Leaf in which case I look for a slow moving vehicle and get behind it. (as others have suggested) so that anyone's anger about the slow traffic can be directed at that vehicle instead of me.