I am putting this topic in here at the request of my neighbor who drives a 24' box truck for Fed Ex part time. He tells me that he is constantly getting cut-off by Prii. He said that he has had to jam on his brakes many times because of being cut-off. I told him that was surprising because, if anything, I would think that they would be trying to draft you. Anyhow, he lent me his pickup truck to pick up some replacement fencing to repair damage from hurricane Sandy. So, I thought I at least owed him to put up his issue. Any comments are welcome, ... just don't shoot the messenger! I will report back to him any significant findings.
Well, I have been tailgated by a 18 wheeler, while I am drafting behind another 18-wheeler with my DRCC set to 100 ft. That is the only time a truck ends up on my tail. It is scary when an 18 wheels is 50 feet on my rear bumper but being sandwiched between two trucks produces some super duper MPGs.
Just knowing the area he drives in, I don't think he drives on the highway too much. I think this occurs mostly on secondary roads.
I have seen city trucks riding peoples nice person's which is a serious safety issue. Most over the road big truck drivers keep safe distances from other vehicles. Most; there are always a few idiots out there Mike Mobile on my SGH-i717
There are some Prii drivers, including a few on this forum, think they are entitled to go well blow the PSL, in presence of traffic. I suspect your friend met a few.
No, that's what I thought at first. He isn't complaining about slow drivers ahead of him, he is complaining about getting cut-off by Prii drivers, and forcing him to brake. That's why I had never heard of it and decided to post about it.
I'm one of those Prius jerks. So if anything, trucks are cutting me off. But I'm going so slow that I don't need to jam on the brakes at all.
Get clarification from your friend as to how he is getting cut off: - Prius passing him and then quickly moving back into his lane too close to his bumper? (Maybe a rear vision problem through the split window.) - Prius pulling out from a driveway / side street into his lane and accelerating slowly? (People not giving the Prius enough gas to get up to speed quickly.) Aside from folks tailgating me (or seeming to through the vertical rear window that's at the far back of the car), I notice that a lot of folks pull out in front of the Prius and force me to brake. My assumption is the people see an approaching Prius and assume it's moving slowly.
To confirm, the Posted Speed Limit (also know as Road Speed Limit) is almost always a maximum speed, not a minimum speed. So long as the person is in the right most lane on a non-one lane highway, or they pull out as soon as possible on a one lane highway, there shouldn't be any issue with a mature driver who wishes to go faster. The issue is when someone drives slower than everyone else in the left lane, or on a single lane highway but refuses to use the pull outs. If someone wants to tailgate me because I'm driving 55mph in a 65mph (or 55mph, depending on the part of the highway) zone, when there are three (four lanes when not during rush hour/carpool time) to the left, that is their problem. I almost never have the issue with larger vehicles (big rigs often merge well before reaching me) but smaller cars filled with people that don't understand the rules of the road. Back on topic, though, there are a lot of Prius drivers around here that drive as if they're being timed, and will often cut in front of me. I don't mind as I can apply a bit of brake, but a big rig is going to be a bit harder pressed and, in general, it's a moronic practice. Of course, people rarely leave enough stopping distance here. So it goes.
The most fuel efficient, and safest way for traffic to move, collectively, is for everyone to go at the same speed. For most cases, this uniform speed works out to be PSL - PSL+5 around here. Speeder and slower drivers disturb the traffic pattern and end up causing ripple effects in the traffic flow, consuming more fuel, and contribute to accidents. That said, does not matter how everyone tries, until bi-mode transportation is implemented, the traffic flow is not going to be ideal. I am not opposed to going slower, I am just opposed to disturbing the traffic pattern to save my own fuel, at the expense of burning others'. (Trucks slow down catching up to me, make lane change, speed up again, as opposed to keeping a constant speed). We have 85 MPH PSL on the toll road around here now. I don't like it. My solution? Stay off it.
i had a driver like that once. nicest guy in the world. my customers loved him, he used to carry treats for thier dogs. on the road, he was a menace. our phone number is on the back and sides of our delivery trucks. we used to get calls almost everyday complaining about his driving. i would tell him there was no rush and he could take his time making deliveries. i paid him by the hour so he wouldn't feel the need to rush. but, no matter what i did or said, we still get complaints about him riding peoples bumpers, cutting them off, blowing the horn and giving the finger. he would always claim it was them doing those things to him. finally, one day, he forced someone off the road and she threatened a lawsuit. i let him go, too late, but fortunately, before he killed someone. i would question your friends veracity.
I have lived across the street from him for 30 yrs. He is a safe driver. One of the things he talked about was that he is responsible for the truck and doesn't want to get into an accident with it.
just seems odd that he would find prii or any other particular model car to be a major offender. maybe he's yanking your chain, what does he drive?
Nah, I know when he's yanking my chain. He drives a Ford Pickup, but he says it doesn't happen to him when he is driving it.
Following is the scenario encountered by the delivery truck driver. The fuel effeciency of the Prius has made it one of the most popular cars on the road and the brand is easily recognized. Prius drivers are no more or less likely to cut-off delivery trucks than drivers of other cars. Together, this means that the same rate of unsafe driving antics (cut-offs per 1,000 drivers) by Prius drivers will net a higher event count by a brand that stands out. The bottom line is that Prius gets a bad rap because the brand is popular and distinct. A fair comparison of unsafe driving practices for various cars requires a rate, rather than an absolute number, and objective counts of both numerators and denominators.
good point. i notice a lot mor pri on the road than any other model. but i know there are a lot more camry's, civic's, accord's, etc.
