Freaking Out

oh-oh, cali road rage!

 

I would never actually do that, of course. First of all, I'm too old now. And secondly, I don't care to see the inside of a jail cell!

I don't think they serve cheeseburgers in there.

 

just tell me you're not carrying.

 

... only a slice of pizza!

 

could be considered a dangerous weapon in the right circumstances.

 

Only if Gloria Allred is the prosecuting attorney.

 

I've had people tail-gate me in the Prius, but with the HSD I can speed up and leave them in the rear mirror at any speed. If you just drive with the speed of traffic, all will be well. It is not the speed that is a problem, it is the delta-speed. Slow moving vehicles and fast moving vehicles relative to the normal flow of traffic are what cause accidents.

 

People are going to tailgate you no matter what you do. Some people legitimately don't have depth perception and can't tell your speed causing them ride up on your rear because they waited too long to change lanes and others just don't care.

 

Also if you've never driven a hatchback, it might seem like they are really really close, but they aren't any more close than usual. When you have glass then a huge chunk of trunk it feels different than when the glass *is* the end of the trunk.

 

there are some (many?) who seem to get a perverse pleasure from tailgating a prius in the right hand lane for some miles, with the next lane open, then whipping around them and slowing down before finally taking off. i don't think that's a mistake, or a hatchback problem. i think a message is clearly being sent.

 

Wire this up to a switch and make the tailgater regret it.....I'm kidding of course

 

In my area, even in the city, "going with the flow" means you can be driving 8 to 10 mph over the speed limit. (Especially during the morning commute hours.) And the idiots still tailgate.

And some Prii drivers are crazy too. I see Gen2 and Gen3 drivers blowing by me, even when I am 10 mph over the speed limit. And on the freeways, it's insane. People routinely drive 15 to 20 over the speed limit.

I hope I don't offend women, but the worst tailgaters I see always seem to be younger females. One of them tailgated me for about a half mile, then she zipped around me. Just for fun I paced her… and she was doing 62 mph in a 40 zone! No kidding.

Traffic enforcement seems to be a very low priority now days, or even nonexistent among the cops. At least in my area that is how it is.

 

Speeders....

 

saw a pick up truck up on top of two guardrails dividing the highway on monday. perpendicular to the road, completely in the air, and no visible damage. i doubt he was going the 60 mph speed limit.

 

Maybe keeping up with traffic.

 

You can also buy a refurbished electric mirror that auto dims off eBay and put it in. That's what I did.

 

Could have been doing a 'Rolling Coal' thing to a prius when he ran out room.
I had a diesel pick up do this to me on the interstate.

 

I wonder if it is a "smaller car" thing to be intimidated more. Then add in the "my new car" and you fee it more.

Not having the mirror dim (or the capability) adds to the problem in this day of HID lights. Yes they do create issues for the other guy.

 

Probably better chance of getting a hot dog than a cheeseburger.

Posted via the PriusChat mobile app.

 

to the OP, it is ultimately up to you and how you feel about driving a small car but I would not worry about it. those who tailgate will do so regardless of which vehicle you are in. There are some who are driven (no pun) by their emotions, their desire to show the world how "big" they are through their vehicle and try to intimidate those around them. . . in some circles this is called compensating for something they are lacking in other areas.