Attitudes Towards Prius Cars

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I don't think you should have avoided making that comment. Police forces need to be reminded every now and then that when they aren't taking care of the scumbags we need them to take care of, they have to be polite, upstanding and respectful of the people who do follow the laws and try to live inside the boundaries of the law. It is a tough job to have the metal to take on volent criminals every day and still have a pleasant and diplomatic demeanor with the general public, but that is the standard that must be set and maintained at all times. If individual officers can't handle that kind of working environment and those demands of employment they should find a different line of work.

This is a classic case of "who's watching the watchers"

 

I hesitated to even tell my family what I was buying. Look at my screen name for my two previous cars. I truly have gone in another direction. my brother gave me quite a bit of flak about it, but he was kinda geeked out while playing with the MFD and asking how regenerative braking works.

People all over tailgate me when I don't rev to the sky while drag racing away from the stoplight. Why does everyone have to get up to the speed limit so damn fast? Relax, take time and save some gas. After watching my fuel economy go up from EV-accelerating only, I try to keep the gas engine asleep up as high as I can. I wish the electric motor was a little more independant at low speeds.

Part of the problem people have with hybrids is the perception they're slow. Slow, maybe, because of their great gas mileage. Got news for them: the Prius is plenty fast enough. If you are holding up traffic in any car, people are going to give you looks.

Side note: I thought today the Prius was a little bigger than I needed....then I realized how good my gas mileage was. Who cares how big it is when it gets over 50 MPG?

 

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I know LAPD officers (men & women) who drive Toyota Prii & Honda Civic hybrids who love their hybrid cars. They're very secure of who they are. The men are masculine and women are strong & good-looking.

The other officers who called the Prius a "pussy car" probably meant that it was a car that didn't have much power (unlike cars such as Mustangs, WRX, Corvettes, etc...as I know some of them have). This, of course, is true. I don't think we bought our Prii for it's fast and powerful torque/speed. I do agree, however, that when you are in uniform, it's important to be at your best because of public perception. Then again..."guys will be guys" no matter who or what you are.

As for getting looks from the general public...Uhm...yeah...sometimes I find people staring at the car and/or at me. I think they're more curious than anything else. I was, however, cut off by a driver in a Ford F-150 truck. I'd like to think the guy was just a bad, careless driver, and not targeting me because I drove a Prius hybrid. I myself also own a F-150 an wouldn't dream of doing that to a hybrid driver.

 

Idiots will be idiots. I get tail-gaters in my F150 and did in my Explorer, as I do in my Prius. I usually drive at the speed limit or maybe 10% above. Many also pass on curves, hills and when there is a double line in the road center. Idiots. I just let them go by so I won't be hit by the shrapnes when they head on some poor guy coming the other way.

In the Prius, I found here that, at speed, the top two jets of windshield washer fluid flys over the top of the car. When I get a tailgater, I hit the washer. A few moments later, I see the wipers come on the tailgater behind. A couple of squirts and they either drop back or pass. I told my wife I ought to put some red food coloring in the reservoir but she said it might hurt the paint job, so I didn't do it.

 

I go 10 over on the interstate, in the right or center lane. They come up on me like I'm going backwards, and don't slow down until they're on my bumper. Then they tailgate for a mile or 2, then they pass and look at me like I'm driving a bicycle out there. I guess I need to go 30 over. Actually, I tried that and guess what, some jerk doing 40 over tailgated me. I've even had people pass me on the right shoulder.

I don't think it's the Prius, it's anybody who is IN THEIR F'NG WAY. The whole world is there for them, nobody else is allowed in it. But I do think there is a general attitude that the Prius is slow.

WARNING: anger venting follows.

When I get off the interstate, I do 5 over on country roads (I've had too many speeding tickets, I don't like to do that any more). Now here is where I get upset. People doing 15 over or more tailgate, but WILL NOT PASS me. I ride to the right of the lane, I've tried to slow down to 45 to force them, and THEY SLOW DOWN and STILL WON'T PASS. Are you jerks reading this? When you do that, it's all over. I won't go over 55 after that, and I'll do a nice long coast up to the stop signs. YOU HAD YOUR CHANCE, now deal with it. You've been warned. Either pass or get off my *ss.

 

Prius Maximus, your description of Illinois driving brought back memories. I lived in the Northwest suburbs of Chicago for about 3 years and got to see all kinds of crazy things. As I was getting off the Northwest tollway one night the guy in front of me drifted to the right side of the road and proceeded to just about tear the side off his car when he ran into a concrete barrier. He must have fallen asleep or something because he just kept on going till the car couldn't go any further. I have to say the Chicago area has lots of lead foot drivers that are very aggressive no matter the road conditions. The Seattle area seems to have gotten worse as far as crazy drivers now compared to when I used to live here before moving to Chicago. Guess you just can't escape them anymore.

 

Don't think the idiot tailgaters are unique to doing it to the Prius - I have the same problem at the few time I obey the limit in my big BMW. My usual solution is to just slow down, and then slow down some more, and if that does not work slow down some more. They usually get the hint.

In a Volvo I once had I made use of the rear bright red fog lights. I would flip them on, which looked like it was my brake lights and you would see the idiot slam on their brakes.

 

There have been times when I've been tailgated at night; especially, on the highway. Someone earlier mentioned the use of their windshield washer. Nice. :lol: I've used my driver-side and passenger-side mirrors to deflect their headlights at night. When they get their headlights reflected right back at them, they normally get the hint. Doing all this, of course, could potentially aggravate the idiot behind you and some have been known to do evil things.... :guns:

Be safe everyone....

 

Perhaps the solution is to rig a spray device under the rear bumper to spray a mist of motor oil behind you Just kidding, but it would solve the problem once and for all!

 

I have noticed it too! I traded in my toyota landcruiser and while it certainly isn't a "fast" car - Its a huge one. I notice people pulling out in front of me (not dangerously) but much more so than they ever did in the landcruiser.

I also find myself throwing gas mileage to the wind as I accelerate to "prove" its not a golfcart and realy does go just as fast as the next car.

I've become much less aggressive in this car - maybe because I'm aware of how much gas its takes to accelerate or maybe cause I'm slowin down in general.

I felt like the "Ruled" in my landcruiser tho. HEy wait a minute - I DID rule in my landcruiser.

still loving my prius