Gas Prices are down, and people are SPEEDING again. Let them!!!

Hey, I hear ya man. I had someone ask me when i was filling up my car how I felt now that gas was back to around $2.20 out here.

I just finished filling up for $10. Still comin out on top

 

But if gas gets too expensive, even us Prius owners won't be able to afford it. That will be a major lifestyle change for most of us.

It's true that these people will never get it until they are forced to do so, but I'd like to think we can persuade them before it's too late.

Pipe dream.

 

I've gotten the same thing here. It never occurs to people that we bought the car for reasons other than gas prices. Since we work from home and don't drive a ton, any gas savings are just a bonus.

I've noticed the lead foots have seemed to come out more now that gas is down to 1.77 here. I can't save the world, I can only drive my Prius so it sips as little gas as possible. I think the price of gas will go back up soon enough.

 

The only way you'd convince some people is to give them 20 HP engines
and say "that's all you get, use it wisely". That'll never happen
until there's no infrastructure left to support the overprivileged,
lazy, me-me-me lifestyle this country has adopted.
.
_H*

 

I haven't noticed much difference in speeding around here, but people did driver fewer miles when gas was twice what it is now. Cheaper prices in winter work well for me, since I can't ride my bike as much in the winter, so I do put more miles on the car.

My next car is going to be a velomobile.

 

Sad to see that most of the vehicles speeding are big trucks, SUVs and Hummers.
They passed by me at 85+.
They are thinking gas is costing half the price before and they can afford to drive twice as fast now.

 

Unfortunately, everyone is speeding. Even now that gas is cheaper, when i drive the G35 Coupe, I usually drive 65-68mph on the freeway and with the help of the 5 speed auto I can get 27mpg out of a 275hp 3.5V6 running Premium.

I tried teaching my friend about cruise control and now on his lifted 2004 Jeep Liberty running 265/75/16, roof rack, lights, etc... can get 22mpg highway up from 17. Best thing is he's actually following through cause cheaper gas+efficient driving=more money in your pocket than before. It's a simple concept.

In my economics class we've been talking a lot about the Big 3 and the price of oil on the market. My teacher probably said it the best, "Not many people NEED and Escalade, its the ones with the small peepees that WANT it to satisfy their ego."

And yes, its usually the big SUVs and trucks and especially those lifted to high heaven with 4 chrome shocks up front and tires the height of my car.

 

I've noticed this too. We're down to $1.69 at my local station here in St. Louis (though some are in the $1.5X now) and the increase in idiotic driving is stunning. People zipping around to get ahead of me to wait at the red light, racing from light to light, etc.

I've also noticed a corresponding decrease in civility. I walk 2.5 miles to and from work twice a week, and people's patience with pedestrians (and I cross with the lights!) is greatly diminished. I've had more close calls in the past month than in the previous 2+ years I've been walking.

 

I still like the approach of limiting HP rather than raising fuel taxes

http://priuschat.com/forums/environmental-discussion/53939-easterbrook-horsepower-weight-ratios.html

 

I've seen a lot of all the lower fuel economy vehicles on the roads lately, but over the past week I have been seeing a TON of minivans! Whats going on?? Most of them are Toyota Siennas, and damn near every driver in them drives them like they are corvettes. Was there a big promotion on Siennas lately?

 

I don't mind others speeding. In fact, I don't think there should be any speed limits on most parts of our freeways.

What I think should be done though is to quadruple (or more) gasoline taxes. Those who use more carbon should have to pay more. Any car with a combined average fuel economy below 20mpg should have its vehicle license fees quadrupled (or more).

 

Ya I agree with you.

 

LIVERBOMB88 - hmmmmm interesting comment. maybe we should make a proposition out of it??!!! i'd vote for it because these people driving these vehicles WOT must have the extra money..........charge them for it!

for the rest of us right now that are filling up for pennies..................we're almost driving for free right now. someone before me had made that comment and i couldn't agree MORE! at one/two pips under half, i can now fill up for UNDER $15. how cool is that?

however, i do have a question.............how come i'm not getting the FE that i once had? are they putting additives in the present fuel to burn FASTER???

 

We bought a new Sienna a couple weeks ago...some of us really DO need a minivan (12 dogs!). Though, our mini-van is only driven to chauffer dogs places they need to go (the Prius is a dog-free zone) and our our bi-weekly Costco Trip, which includes our groceries plus about 250 lbs of dog food and kitty supplies.

I do tend to drive it harder than the Prius, but a corvette it is not!

 

yeah alot of drag races from dead stops around these parts, mostly teens in their trucks or ricer burners.

it's not a huge change though, I saw the same stuff when gas was much higher. I think people where just pissed at that time, and hauling it to let of some steam

 

yeah but what if somebody wants to own a vechicle with 300+hp? as a weekend driver.

nothing wrong with having a corvette to cruise on the weekends, and a prius to go to work in.

 

People drive like idiots no matter what the gas price is here nowdays.

Too bad I have to drive 120 miles a day with them all around me.

 

I'm with ya.....I have a classic Corvette (pretty much goes to car shows only) and a newer Mustang GT Convertible (weekend car). I use the Prius during the week for work. Love my Prius.