Do Other Driver's Hate My Prius?

When our neighbor first saw my wife's brand new Series V while we were pulling out of our driveway and he was pulling in in his Infiniti G35 . . . he exclaimed the immortal words . . . "what do you think you are better than me?"

We think he was kidding.

 

I trust you replied: "I don't think, I *know*."

Tom

 

I am not sure it has much (or anything) to do with a Prius. I have only had mine 4 days, and the memory is still clear how others act when I was driving my old car. It is as if the police have given up trying to enforce speed limits. CA is the worst. Recently I was driving 10 MPH over the speed limit in the HOV lane, and others would rush up behind me and flash their lights, signaling to get out of the way.

Now, yesterday, I drove up a Utah mountain pass ..... I had many pass me (I was driving the speed limit), but I passed several going up the grade. Actually, that was my first experience going up a long grade, and I was delighted with the power and spunk of the Prius. Yes, I did take a hit on the fuel efficiency .... but I made it up coming back down.

One thing I have learned already is to watch for bicyclist. They do not hear you coming up behind them, and may turn in front of you. In 4 days that has already occurred twice. Neither was a near miss, but close enough to remind me that I must watch out for them.

 

Honestly I doubt many people even notice. I live in a very hilly area but so far Eco mode has worked fine and I don't think I've made any changes in how fast I drive. I'll admit I was no hot rodder before, but I don't think I stand out as slower or faster than average, either now or before. I haven't noticed anyone taking notice of my new car.

A lot of the people around me drive themselves and no passengers/cargo around in Hummers, monster pickups, and SUVS, and yes I do feel smug about getting the same transportation for 1/3 the cost. But I guess I must not be radiating that.

 

Here in the Northwest there are tons of Prius hybrids. King county, which covers Seattle and lots of other area, has been using white Prius for official cars for years. People tend to be very polite here anyway, but seem to not only accept us, but congratulate us on being green. My wife is driving a new Tacoma and I have noticed that people let me into lanes or other traffic flows far more quickly than her. At gas stations I have had several people filling up pick up's come over to say they wished they could sell their trucks for one of "them hybrids".

 

"Hater's gonna' hate". "Stupid is as stupid does". Choose your cliche' but I wouldn't worry too much about it. I never have to hit my brakes when I see a cop out with radar. While everyone else is slowing down to 5 or 10 mph under the speed limit, I just keep on cruising and end up passing them, again.

 

As a regular cyclist, I don't think this has anything to do with your car being a Prius or quiet. The wind noise around my ears and helmet straps masks all but the very loudest cars.

Above about 15 mph, tire noise is louder than engine noise on most finer cars, Prius or otherwise. Below that speed, you are not passing cyclists, they are passing you.

 

I don't think it is just a Prius thing. I have the same issues when I drive my Corolla espcially with BMW drivers. They love to get into left turn lanes at lights to try and pass everyone on the right. Little do they know is that my Corolla is manual and I school them every time. I like to look in my rear view mirror and see them shed a tear that their fancy car got beat by a Corolla.



That's the only thing I will miss about my stick shift.

 

I didn't know other local governments used Prii. That's so good to hear! Arlington County (Virginia) has a fleet of white Prii, and you see them all over. When we relocated to Arlington, my first introduction to our county government was when a county inspector pulled up in a white Prius to do the final pre-occupancy inspection on our new house.

 

I am hoping that if I keep building up my strength on my bike, someday I'll get to the point where the wind noise drowns out the sound of cars!

 

You don't need strong legs for this, merely ears big enough to create air turbulence.

 

To OP: Very interesting thread here. I expected to notice such behavior when I got my Prius, but in the 22 months I've had it (wow, already???) I don't get any more or less jerks than I used to.

Possibly related fact: all the Priuses I see on the road are driven by, how do I put this nicely... "retired" folks. That's not unusual in Florida, of course, "God's waiting room" as they say.

And back to the original topic, Tampa is such a transient town, we have every driving style in the country all mixed together right here, so my daily 20 minute, 4 mile commute, always has about 2 or 3 total jerks trying to run me and everyone else off the road. On rare occasions and some bank holidays, I'm embarassed to admit I'm one of them!!! *ducks and runs* But, boy do people crap themsleves when a hybrid passes their POS Beemer or Bends.

 

Do Other Driver's Hate My Prius??? - No I don't think so. To them, your Prius is just another moving object.

However, I do believe that Prius drivers have a greater self awareness and greater awareness other drivers around them. - Actually that results in safer driving habits. Meanwhile other drivers are just too busy to take notice of you (your Prius) because they are pre-occupied by talking on the phone, texting, day dreaming, etc.

Keith

 

I think the this might be a two way street. I am a new gen III prius owner and have noticed myself accelerating slower, and driving overall at a slower rate.

In my opinion though if you are on the highway and in the fast lane, and there is someone behind you that wants to go faster, no matter how much over the speed limit you are already going, it is YOUR job to either keep pace with traffic or let them pass. This is just the etiquette of the road. Left lane is fast lane, right lanes are slower.

I have not yet noticed anyone passing me just because I am in a prius, but I have only had it for a few weeks, so time will tell.

 

Seriously, I agree with you 100% on this statement. If more people would drive on the right and pass on the left, then traffic would flow more efficiently (and far less road rage). On our highways here in California "Slower Traffic Keep Right" is probably the most commonly posted sign. I just wish it was the one sign posted in multiple languages.

Keith

 

Since getting the prius, two things have changed in the way I drive. First I don't drive with any sense of urgency anymore. I keep up with the flow of traffic, but I tend to leave alot of space between the guy in front and myself. I speed up and slow down moderately, but I don't hypermile.

Second, I just enjoy the commute now. Like being in the prius, the quiet cabin, the smooth ride. Driving the prius just makes me feel good, like I'm doing my part to save the environment. I know cyclists will get all up in arms about that. ;-)

These days, many people seem to be so wound up that they seem to always need to be somewhere FAST, even if they're not late to work/school/home. Others, they drive in a loud heavy SUVs or just no frills sedans that are so bland and uncomfortable that they seem to want to get out of the vehicle as soon as possible. I imagine those are some contributors to the behaviours we see on the roads. So whenever I see one of these folks on my rear view mirror, I politely cut to the right or let off on the gas pedal and let them cut in. Like Tony said, I dont want them behind me as much as they want to be behind me.

Edit: Ops, forgot one point I was trying to make. Its not that Prius drivers drive slower, just that that we drive without haste, without that sense of urgency.

 

I agree, too. It's called the fast lane for a reason.

FYI, while I'm not a super speedy driver and I use ECO mode exclusively. I've been pleasantly surprised with the performance of my Prius.

 

Yup, its actually a law. I was pulled over one time (pre-Prius) for going the speed limit on the fast lane when there were no cars in the middle lane. That one still stings even today.

 

Or possibly just a little paranoid

 

Exactly what I was going to respond!

The lesson here, is that no matter what vehicle you drive or ride - assume that nobody can hear you, and you'll be a much safer driver/rider. This is a lesson you learn in a hurry when you ride, drive an EV... and yes, even a Prius.