Prius drivers in danger?

My son forwarded me this the other day:

 

I debaged the rear of our Prius v (wagon) and it seems to help somewhat. Apparently not everyone knows the v (wagon) is a Prius without the rear badges announcing it as such. Note that on the v (wagon) the rear badges are just stuck on with foam tape. The side badges do have 'alignment pins' in the body though so I didn't remove those.

 

Totally agree... I routinely get cut off when driving the Prius, which never happens when I'm driving my Porsche or even my Sienna for that matter!

I drive the same speed in all vehicles... up to 20-30mph over the speed limit.

 

Maybe he was admiring your rear.

All that's missing is something dangling down the back.

 

Oh, man, the local variant of that drives me insane. I commute up I-91 from Massachusetts to Vermont, and depending on day/time of year, there is often a large contingent from other states (not gonna cast aspersions, but usually it's one particular state!) heading northward who either lane-sit in the passing lane, or get behind me and sit too close. They're not really tailgating, but they're close enough I'd have to be concerned if something happened. Many days, I speed up to get farther away but nearly always, they speed up with me, no matter how fast I go. I slow down, they slow down with me. And all I want is to be away from other cars so I can drive in peace. Maybe I need just the right kind of bumper sticker or something.

 

Maybe something like this:
bumper sticker off you can read this - Google Search:

Friendlier version:
https://www.google.com/shopping/product/1?q=bumper+sticker+if+you+can+read+this&client=ms-android-att-us&sa=X&biw=360&bih=574&tbs=vw:l,ss:44&prds=num:1,epd:11999852075602435049,paur:ClkAsKraX2M9FO6qYdavEZF0ZUg-st9bx97VADxWX2fKgm7k17MYYhAMKrQfUO1uevvF0AB50yaoStyuEM4a0IQ2rqxKQcgH_F94HXFgw4lK1fyLn_KKzBAbIRIZAFPVH70f40OMcKCfqWVmcVeLGiWluJJjGg,pid:11999852075602435049,cs:1&ved=0ahUKEwjqv9nojMjbAhWM3YMKHUSmCdkQgjYIwQQ

 

Tesla owners are getting the hate too.

IMO the saving grace is when gas hits $5/gal. Then logic will eventually override hatred. It will become "painful" at every fill up. Even today I'm hearing more truck drivers "hypermiling".

 

OMG - that is a death sentence around here. 4 or 5 lanes, it doesn't matter. IF you can get into the lane on your left - traffic whizzing by at least 30 over the limit - as soon as you do, they're in the right lane flying by and you can't get back. It doesn't matter though, they pass me on the right shoulder or use an entrance/exit ramp to pass on the right. Seriously.

I rarely have an issue when I drive my pickup.

 

I've done something similar before (honking and flashing lights behind someone) because they were driving on a flat tire. Every time they've slowed, I've got up beside them, and kindly let them know by shouting out the passenger window. And every time, they've thanked me.

I didn't see this interaction so I can't confirm or deny the reported anger.

 

DRIVING SUCKS!

I always wonder... Are all these tailgating and speeding jerks the same kind of jerk when they are NOT driving their cars? What causes some (or most) people to go NUTS when they get behind the wheel? And I don't want to hear that sorry-a** excuse for speeding, that they will be late for work!! They need to get their stupid butts out of bed a little earlier!

Now days, I am seeing more and more young girls who are the speeders and tailgaters. No patience whatsoever, swirveing in & out of lanes, speeding, on their cell phone, blowing red lights, etc. crazy! I sure am thankful to be retired. No way in hell could I do a long daily commute on the insane freeways of California! (And Prius drivers are just as bad!! SLOW DOWN, people! And put down the damn cell phone!)

 

I once had someone pass my on the shoulder of a highway. I was in an HHR. They, a Prius.

 

Some Prius owners are so arrogant because they drive a Prius like this guy.

I'm sure it has been around before but some haven't seen it.

 

I don't think the demise of courtesy is unique to Prius. I encounter people gliding through 4-way stops, blocking cars trying to merge and driving aggressively, regardless of the car I’m driving. I believe that the best way to ensure common courtesy among drivers is to pay-it-forward. Wouldn't it be nice if this became the reputation of Prius drivers?

 

I'd assume that no one here is dumb enough to try this maneuver in dense traffic.

I use it in rural areas, just 2 or 3 lanes each way, where the next-left lane is completely empty but the tailgater refuses to use it. I spend vastly more time in such conditions than in the scenario you describe. And I don't drive anywhere that has typical traffic going 30 mph over PSL.

 

The hate is real, even in San Francisco Bay Area - one of the most dense Prius population regions. Friends like to give me a hard time and I like rubbing it in that I only use a gallon for my 110mi commute. Most haven't seen my new Prime and that might change a few minds, but for those on the open road - a Prius badge makes me a target.

I get cut off all the time and I don't even drive slow - I just brake earlier/smoothly when I can see that red light or traffic buildup downrange. When they cut into my lane, I'll usually move over to another lane beside them and show up maybe 10-20 seconds after they've made a complete stop. That's the best part I'm trying to passively impress on these guys, that their speeding is useless - cutting me off was useless, because now I'm either next to you or a few cars ahead. Sometimes they don't notice and sometimes they're visibly restraining themselves from looking my way in admission of their useless aggression.

I used to have a hot head on the road (defensively, not being the instigator), but age and a Plug-In Prius has simmered things down significantly. Can't really have a road rage fight with an underpowered Prius, so why have them. As for the OP's encounter, he showed great restraint. I had a truck do that to me once and I thought I felt the lightest tap on my bumper, so I hit Reverse to check for contact using the camera. He did make contact and just when my temper immediately peaked as I was getting ready to exit my car, he backed up, drove partially on a sidewalk to reach the turnoff to speed away. Quite glad he did that in retrospect, because that situation was not going to be good for any of us had I stepped out.

 

Just my opinion here...

While I read all of these posts about bad driving and the belief that it's all because of driving a Prius. Honestly, I've had this stuff happen to me since I began driving and I'm positive it's been that way for most of you too. I was just cut off and tailgated for miles just last weekend while driving a Nissan Titan & pulling a bass boat. So was that because I was driving a gas guzzler? Maybe people are just pissed that I'm driving something that gets less than 20 mpg? Must be...

Sorry, but I'm not buying the "it's all because I'm in a Prius" thing. I drive a Prius too, and it happens to me while driving it as well, but I don't blame it on Prius hatred. Just idiot drivers.

Oh, and I've done this in my Prius! But when your doing 35 in a 55 with multiple cars behind you then either pull over or stop driving. Admittingly, my frustration got the best of me, but holy cow.

 

It's a bit of both, in my opinion. I've encountered plenty of idiot drivers when I was driving gas cars and I drove plenty fast in the left lanes. I didn't like Prius drivers much, because they drove too slow or drove that way on the fast lanes. As a Prius driver for the last 5ish years, I'm acutely aware of that hate, so I regularly drive in the right lanes while maintaining near (above the limit) speed limit - like 70-75mph in a 65mph zone. If I'm around the middle or left lanes and I'm not going quite fast enough for a car speeding towards me, I'll yield. Now, you and I may do that, but there are plenty of idiot Prius drivers too. Those are the ones that drives super slow on the wrong lanes or surface streets and they are simply known as a Prius. That stereotype then ripples to the rest of us fine drivers here in PriusChat and then this thread is born.

So, as a Prius driver - yes, there's more hate. We get that extra little helping of hate for driving a Prius on top of the regular hate from idiot drivers.

 

I was going over the speed limit(60 in a 55), but didn't get over from the left lane fast enough for some. I saw the Prius switch to the right lane to pass on the right in my mirror, and I assumed he'd just switch back when seeing I had changed lanes.

Well that didn't happen, and it ended up being costly for the Prius. The HHR had already attained beater status, and this black Prius clipped its rear fender against my front. Saw large, white scrapes on it as it sped off.

 

I can confirm this. They don't discriminate on vehicle type either. Around here, it used to only be the guys that were the A-holes, but the ladies have caught right up to them. Even when I'm in the 4Runner, if I see a Range Rover, Audi, VW, or BMW coming up behind me, I get ready to be pushed or crowded, no matter my speed. Yeah, I drive the speed limit and I don't play MPG games getting in the way of people trying to get to work.

 

In my neck of woods, if I am going 35mph in a 35mph zone, I get multiple cars behind me honking at me and pass me over the other lane in NO PASSING zone. I found if I drive my car at speed limit all the time, I can get best MPG without using any of hypermiling techniques. Bot it is almost impossible to drive at speed limit without causing major traffic jam.