Y Do Prius drivers drive like their 80 years old?

Want to see how extreme I can go on MPG

 

Mostly around me. When on a highway, I tend to look much farther ahead to gauge the flow as far as I can see. But usually my view is blocked by the multitude of monster SUVs.

 

so, whatever 'pack' you're stuck in, you try to keep the same pace no matter what? if everone doe that, it's just self perpetuating to the fastest driver isn't it?

 

Huh. I didn't realize the University of Phoenix had a doctorate program.

 

I tend to drive at the posted speed limit.

If a significant portion of the cars are significantly faster, I will bump it up, though I stay to the right, and there are always more people passing me than I am passing (a good rule of thumb, always).

 

Good question! My strategy is much more complicated than that, of course, since real world situations have a lot of variables. In general, I have a list of priorities while I drive. The list changes depending on the situation I'm in. Sometimes time is top, other times efficiency, other times peace of mind or safety, and so on. But in general I try to neither slow down traffic nor go faster than the general flow.

On highways around here, the pace of cars in my immediate vicinity tend to match the entire flow, except when impeded by slow drivers (a lot of times they're in the left lane) In these instances I try to break out of the logjam by passing the slow driver whenever possible to resume the overall pace.

 

You got the money, you get the degree.

A PhD used to imply a pretty high accomplishment threshold, but not anymore. Now from where and in what field are required questions to really draw any conclusions about the student. In the US, nurses and teachers have built their own diploma mills and are the most conspicuous consumers.

Anecdote--
I recently looked up minimal achievement in my state of New Mexico to teach physics or chemistry in high school. Our state flagship has a college of education that offers a bachelors degree in education with focus in science. The required physics and chemistry can also be covered by the high school advanced placement (AP) courses. Translated, this means one semester of 'college' level study to a C- grade with the help of a generous curve thrown in.

My teacher wife remarked that after a generation of these teachers, science will be dead in America.

 

A real doctor or the "I wrote a really long paper" doctor?

BTW...If you don't like my hypermiling, get off my a$$ and go around.

 

I'm not sure why drivers tend to travel in packs, but I've found it much safer to travel between them. If there's a group wanting to race each other, let them go ahead. If you come upon a pack driving more slowly than the conditions warrant, pass them. With a clear road, your vision is much better, and there's less chance of colliding with another car.

 

It's the "little duck syndrome." I was a bank teller for one of my early post high school jobs. On the weekends I'd work a drive through window. It was the mid 70's when drive throughs were still sort of primitive in design/layout. This particular bank had two separate stand alone drive up windows out in the parking lot and three windows in series against a long wall. It was inevitable that the first car would pull up to the first window and all the subsequent cars would pull up behind the first car instead of going to an open window. If you worked that first window you'd do 20 times the business as the other four tellers.

We had an old retired FBI guy for a security guard and he'd try his best to get people to spread out to other open windows. By the end of the day he'd be exasperated.

He called it the little duck syndrome. I see this repeated in different ways all the time. If you follow in line like a little duck, you don't have to think as much.

 

I will soon be Dr. a_gray_prius too. Everyone around me at work is a PhD, MD, or MD/PhD and none of them insist on being called DOCTOR anything. I've had 2 professors who have received actual (non-peace) nobel prizes, who are like "yeah, whatever." Half of them roll their eyes at the use of titles in social situations.
:focus:

 

I've read various etiquette sources that agree - unless you are a Medical Doctor (I'd include dentists, chiropractors, and ODs, as well as other medical - type doctors), please do not use the Honorific. You'll just look pathetic. Really, only your resume should be listing them.

 

On the other side of the coin, I've done a few gigs at a University, and if you didn't refer to a PhD as "Doctor" (or better yet, "Your Majesty"), they would freak out.

 

Oh, well, "at University" isn't the real world, anyway

 

The correct title is "Your Piled Highness".

Tom

 

Well Sonny, with age comes wisdom. With wisdom comes responsibility. With responsibility comes the realization that fast, reckless driving cost money, waste energy and sometimes ...takes lives and creates heartache.

But don't worry .... all us old "toot"s that are resourceful, and drive sanely, will stop and assist when you are out of gas along the road, or spun out in a ditch.

 

Besides, us old farts don't look in rear view mirrors, and we can't hear you honking.



Tom

 

My friend Jen thinks Prius drivers are the worst, whereas I think BMW drivers are the worst.
Her argument is that Prius drivers are not just slow but seemingly distracted to the point of recklessness.
I on the other hand stopped driving about five years ago primarily over the frustrations of traffic, but especially because of BMW drivers (and to a lesser extent Hummer drivers and drivers of other SUVs and for some reason white pick-up trucks). My experience was that BMW drivers invariably seek to gain the lead in any traffic situation (regardless of the level of impaction or freedom) by cutting off anyone and everyone. I generally didn't have a problem with slow drivers or Priuses, but I hear that in the last five years their population has increased.
Another friend of mine, Alia, who has a 1st generation Prius and drives like a bat out of normally rapid yet generally respectful hell, complains that the subsequent generations of Priuses have miserably weaker acceleration.

Some people posit that Prius drivers often lack an awareness of the road from their obsessive staring at the console monitor seeking to maximize their fuel economy.

I propose a weekly arena event in which a looped section of connected highways is sequestered for a road rage battle between Priuses and BMWs (we can involve other cars as well, namely Hummers and white trucks, possibly Jaguars) in order to raise awareness and kill off jackass drivers. There should also be a stadium event where people can watch the battle on a monitor in addition to live hand-to-hand combat between drivers. (The drivers can use car-related weapons like The Club and swinging brass bull testicles.)

 

I know I will. Assuming by "stop and assist" you mean "point at you and laugh".

 

because we can!