Prius Haters are at it again.

I for one don't mind being "thin skinned", going 80 kmh or more in a ton of steel: the stakes are too high. There are ego driven bullies on the road.

 

You mean like the latest GM Colorado pickup ad, where they quiz a couple of 10 year old's on if they think the guy is more macho looking , standing beside the pickup or the car. What a pathetic bit of ego crap.

 

Well said, and I am a little disappointed with those whose driving style, though legal, have given every Prius the reputation of being a rolling road block.

 

It's tongue in cheek considering the Colorado is the same size as a Tacoma.

 

You can fix ANYTHING with duct tape.

For a long time on this forum, people were always flopping and twitching about being tail-gated, and calling that activity "Prius Hate." I always advise them to use the duct tape on their rear-view mirrors.

Here's the thing...
Everybody gets tail-gated from time to time.
It happens to me in my Prius. It happens on my motorcycle, and in my truck.
Usually when I'm driving around in the Prius I'll pick a lumbering truck or somebody that 's slower than me and follow them at a safe distance.
They finally put a GPS in my car, so I don't have the option of driving PSL +10. I have to pretty much drive at PSL whether traffic around me is moving at 80 or not.
Mostly?
People don't notice me at all - which is sort of the whole point.

Priuses are shaped like a door stop.
That means that there's not four or five feet of car behind the rear window, which also means that the car that is butt-munching you is probably 4-5 feet further back that you think it is.

Life's too short to let other people control YOUR behavior!
When I see "Prius Hate" I usually have a good laugh and then get on with my day.
YMMV

 

So I'm seeing by some responses that more physical measures need to be taken the next time someone does anything to me on the road, otherwise talking about it online is crying or a pity party.
I've been avoiding that because I know some people are just immature but when it comes down to a weak person at the beach getting sand kicked into their eyes, we can play that game if needed.

 

In California if your not being tailgated you've probably driving on a closed highway, the shoulder or in the ditch.

 

The case that comes to mind for me is maybe a decade back, got on the TransCanada freeway eastbound in Burnaby, night time, coming down in buckets, going along in the far right lane, around the limit, wipers on high speed.

All of a sudden we've got this Jesus-great dump truck, RIGHT behind us, headlights warming up the back of your neck. You could hear him loud and plain. I just stayed the course, white knuckled, and he hung in there for maybe 5 minutes. Then abruptly over to the next lane, planted himself behind his next victim.

These guys are nuts, should not be on the road, have issues, whatever, I don't care.

Idiots like that aside, I try to stay in the head space suggested by ETC(SS): just keep cool, keep a good space in front, after a while it gets more natural.

(Oh BTW, this was not in a Prius.)

 

Road-rage is rare but real. So you learn how to drive defensive and git where your going. Stupidity knows no brand loyalty or angst. However, I sometimes wonder about those who come here to endlessly chat up their non-Prius rides. After a week or so, it is time to move them over to "Other Cars."

BTW, I am still interested in the Leaf but I also know where "Other Cars" is located.

Bob Wilson

 

I seldom drive the Prius, it is wife's car. And while it has grown on me -- well.

I will say that when I do drive it, I get a bit fascinated with the mpg meters and all that stuff and try to adjust my driving to maximize the numbers, sort of a game, but, I also end up driving slower than I usually would in my own vehicle, etc. and probably a little more "slow up and slow down," which is probably a good reason I do not really drive the car.

And, I also seem to notice lots of Prius drivers who seem to drive "too slow for conditions, etal." Are they doing the same thing I do???

I am at that age where I realize the 40 seconds I will lose by following these people is not worth getting upset about.

But when I was 25>
Anyway, others have stated it on here, but I do think a goodly percentage of Prius drivers are in their own little mpg world and that has caused some people to get a bit huffy with them.

Is it a big deal? Nope. Are there other cars that trigger that -- sure -- around here the big SUV's, crossovers and pickups trigger the hate reaction from the green crowd. I am sure the Mercedes and jags trigger envy.

Who was it on here that mentioned pity party -- Frodoz -- I tend to agree.

 

Am I the only one that sees an attempt at a self-hate party?

In the big picture of our roads, this focus on the Prius or their drivers is hiding from what's going on.

Since 1980, zero-to-sixty has gone from 15 to under 10, maybe 7-8 seconds. Vehicle weight has increased 800 pounds (more light trucks.) Quieter, more powerful, vehicles with more passive safety features. The unintended consequence is the enabling of reckless and distracted drivers.

I drive in an urban area that is probably typical for most city/suburban dwellers. What I see is way too many drivers not giving enough time for their commute, and if it's unfamiliar not planning it. Sometimes they take it out on others, with cut-offs, etc, etc. Racing to stop lights, pivoting several lanes on the freeway to exit, people stopped in dangerous places while on their phone. And the most obvious thing of all is at least 90% of the drivers are speeding 10+ mph over the PSL.

What is the greater threat to public safety to law-enforcement:

1. Prius drivers and their kind...
2. The racing, reckless, distracted driving mentioned in the prior paragraph?

It's not even close.

 

I may not really agree with Chuck, or I might....

But one part I do agree with -- back in the buggy days when I learned to drive, if you tailgated another car as I see commonly now, you WOULD get in an accident.

But, it amazes nowadays how close many people drive, yet are able to stop in time. Not quite on a dime, but much better stopping distances than days of yore. Is it better rubber compounds in the tires, better pavement, better braking systems, a combo, I don't know, but I do know that I guess I have wandered off topic a bit. sorry...

 

"Life's too short to let other people control YOUR behavior!"

I'm going with ETC(SS) on that. Also, to deflect this thread, bike (and other low-mass) drivers are bullied by drivers who paid more for high-mass equipment. In general. Prius specifically may be a red herring. This may not be more than tribalism, now a topic in Envtl. If you are different from me, I shall not respect you.

That approach makes me human, but not necessarily deserving respect.

 

Decided not to post.

 

A good example, well worth following.

Bob Wilson

 

When that happens to me and they have another lane to go around? I start slowing in incremental steps. You would not believe how long they will stay behind you or how slow you can go before they take advantage of the other lane and pass!

 

I'm not that smart....

Reckless drivers don't need a 4200# car with 707BHP, and capable of 0-60 blasts in under 5 seconds to be a menace.
They can do it with a moped.
People in forums like PC tend to treat this as an equipment problem, blaming 4x4's, muscle cars, and the lack of government intervention for these for essentially what is a problem with the squishy part between people's earlobes.

Granted.
I don't normally commute in the sloburbs, a fact for which I give daily thanks to a kind and benevolent Creator.
HOWEVER (comma!) I've got about 80,000 miles in type and I promise you it's not the car that's the problem.
There's no such thing at Prius hate.
People DO make fun of some Prius driver stereotypes, and let's face it.
Some of us deserve it. We're a thin-skinned bunch.

My car has had a tracking device for the last 20,000 miles or so.
If I drive outside established "safety" parameters, my supervisor's supervisor gets a nasty-gram via e-mail.
These data are stored for "future study."
If I say mean things about my beloved company in social media??? (Love you boss!!!)
They can go back and count how many times that I've put the vehicle into "D" without the seat belt latched......or done a WOT launch.....or driven in the rain with the cruise control on....or committed the crime of speeding.

Leaving the Orwellian future aside for a moment, consider this.
I ALWAYS have to drive (my G3) at PSL....and I almost NEVER come home all torqued off and ready to kick my wife's dog because some bully kicked sand in my face at the beach in my daily travels on the interstate.

Like I said earlier, it's not an equipment thing.

YMMV

 

The point is some vehicles are more enabling......Corvette vs moped.

 

Strongly agree with your entire post... and especially with this comment.

/Jim

 

Gosh, I posted that some Prius drivers brake for houseflies and not one flame -- even a couple of likes?

I feel like an outcast, an outcast I tell you. Ah, well, back to work, although I don't know why, I get off in 30 minutes -- and I'm walking today since it is a balmy 30F/-1C degrees (23F/-5Cwith windchill).