Lil Rachel & I getting no respect!

I drive the speed limit. I have people on my tail all the time.
Than when they can tey pass and I can feel the wind as they go.
I think it's the car, as It never happened before.

 

Get an NRA bumper sticker and put one that says "Impeach Bush" right next to it... they will be so confused they won't know what to do! Seriously, I try to drive just like everybody else when they are around; if I look in the rear-view mirror and empty pavement as far as I can see, I start P&G. There are techniques you can use to maximize your mpg without affecting others and without anybody knowing what you are doing. Read the lights far in advance, use a modified P&G (maybe between 40 and 35). That's what I do, I have 58.2 mpg with 420 miles on this tank and 2 pips left. Sure, there are people who are nuts who will tailgate and drive crazily around you, but they probably did that to your SUV too, you just didn't notice as much. And, if you don't look at others, you won't see them flipping you off!

 

I drive on the highway most of the time. I used to drive like I was going to put out a fire. I now drive for mileage (the game we call it) and for peace of mind. I used to be one of those tailgaters so I know it is nothing personnel just bad driving techniques and lack of patients. I haven't noticed to many people on my arse but there are those who can't help driving fast. Just smile, and know you are green and getting great mileage.

 

Wouldn't it be great if all vehicles had instantaneous and average MPG readouts? Then the tailgaters would realize how wasteful their driving technique is. "Go really really fast, hit the brakes, go really fast again". I think this would help the environment and highway safety too.

 

Don't take it personally, they are just trying to draft you.

 

"Prophets are without honor in their own country."

 

Do you drive differently in the Prius to the way you drive other cars? Could it be the way you drive rather than the car?

 

What I really like on a long trip is the drivers that constantly pass you, in Texas on two lane roads we pull over to the side to let them pass, is that you keep seeing the same people pass you over and over again. I think the faster you go, the more stops you make.

 

It is a form of envy. They know that you are where they want to be but are unwilling to really admit it to themselves. It is a form of the 'school yard bully'. You are smarter than they are and they resent it.

 

I told my wife I want to add an airhorn to our prius. A couple hours after I drove it off the lot, a bus ran me off the road by not seeing me when it changed lanes. I could have been killed easily if I hadn't driven off the road, the bastard changed lanes VERY quickly. So I got out of the way and hit the horn. SHIT! That was the first time I tried it, it sounds really quiet and pathetic... Like it was made for communicating with pedestrians. There was no way the driver heard it let alone even the passengers.

And... I have NRA stickers in my bedroom right now that I'm putting on the Prius. It's a well funded organization, so I don't actually belong to it and pay them money... But my wife is a lifetime member and a CCW permit holder so I have a few NRA window stickers. I'll let you know if people tailgate any less with the NRA stickers. An "Impeach Bush" sticker could belong next to our NRA stickers without causing us any confusion.

 

Going 65MPH, the speed limit, and getting tailgated? Just glide down to 55MPH and see if they like it any better. See if they are smart enough to go around.

If you drop more speed than that you might find a highway patrolman who loves trucks and wasting gas a little bit too much.

 

Prius Horn

Yes, that Prius horn sure seems quiet. You might be able to blow it in a library without the librarian saying "Shhhhhhhh".

I'm not certain, but I think the Prius horn may be even quieter than the little horns found on 1960's and 1970's small cars like Fiats and the original VW Beetle (their horns actually sounded like "Beep Beep").

BTW and FYI, some PriusChatters have installed louder aftermarket horns.

 

Re: Prius Horn

Yeah, I'm stopping by flying J and picking up a 12v air horn... Originally I planned to simply replace the existing 12v horn so the steering wheel horn button would work with it. My wife wants to keep the original horn and add an air horn on an extra switch, seems like a bit more trouble to run that wiring.

Most of our miles are open highway, I almost never touch the horn. When I do hit it, I'd like it heard. I think it's unlikely that I'll ever get used to a separate switch enough that I'll hit it instinctively when I'm trying to warn another driver who is falling asleep or in any other emergency.

 

When the tailgaters buy your gas, they can tell you how fast to drive. If you are driving at or near the limit in the far right lane, you have no reason to feel the need to speed up just to appease some idiot. Remember, "the first one to the red light loses."

 

The Prius is a hatchback, so when vehicles come up behind you, you SEE them. The window is at the very back, so they look closer.

I'm betting that you had nearly as many vehicles do the same thing when you drove your Exhibition, but you just didn't notice them.

I think I had worse freeway interactions with my Malibu. It was a dark, "invisible" color...

 

It's the Prius.

Every day on my commute I get drivers who are comming up on me quickly, but then get into the next lane behind a car that is moving slower than me!! Once they realize what they've done, they switch into another lane and speed up again.

Apparently they see the Prius and just assume I must be driving slow!

 

Join Starfleet. I can fix you up.

 

I had a bumpersticker on one of my previous cars that took care of this problem.

It said "Honor Student -- Concealed Carry School" and had a little picture of a .380 automatic on it to make the point.

NOBODY tailgated me.

I wish I could get another one.

(I don't actually carry a firearm.)