hybrid hater honk?

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(darelldd @ Apr 18 2006, 03:25 AM) [snapback]241390[/snapback]</div>

That is too funny!! Damn u and your smugness.

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(JackDodge @ Apr 19 2006, 07:51 AM) [snapback]242057[/snapback]</div>

It's not Georgie, is it?!

 

I'm considering doing what my friend has done to his car by installing a truck horn!

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Mirza @ Apr 19 2006, 12:13 PM) [snapback]242216[/snapback]</div>

I'd love to do that too! Someone here recently was looking into putting a Camry horn into their Prius, but they never reported back on how it worked out. The Prius definitely needs a more authoritative sounding horn, that's for sure. A sort of "get the heck out of my way, NOW" horn.

 

I've gotten a lot of attitude from other drivers. I live in the Bay Area in CA and drivers here are pretty bold (and rude to the point of being dangerous) to begin with. But since I've been driving the Prius (my last car was a 93 Honda Civic CX Hatchback, a not-so-peppy car) I've noticed some serious attitude. I have people behind me that decide to pass on the right in order to get in front of me, even though I am keeping up with the traffic in front of me, leaving a couple of cars lengths space for safety. I've had this happen also in the HOV lane, and when I'm in the second lane to the right. The other day I was driving on a secondary road and again, I was keeping up with traffic, and someone that was behind me decided to pass me in the center turn lane, just so they could go the same speed I was going, only now I'm behind them. Stupidity. I think most people think because its hybrid, its slow. I have to admit before I drove the car, I thought they were too. I was pleasantly surprised with how responsive the car was, which is what ultimately led me to purchase one. What irks me the most is that I am NOT a slow driver. I know, I know, mpg decreases with speed, but I have a lead foot, and I'm happy with the 43-44 mpgs I've been getting, and hoping that as the car breaks in, I might get a few more. I never had this sort of thing happen before I had the Prius. There is definately hybrid hatred out there. Be careful....

 

I haven't had anyone try that on me, but if it happened I'd speed up to keep them from getting the spot, and slow down just to keep them in the center turn lane. If they want to fvck around with me I'll fvck around with them. Then I'd flip them off. If they're going to pull that off then I'll happily teach them a lesson or two.

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(cattail722 @ Apr 19 2006, 04:40 PM) [snapback]242264[/snapback]</div>

 

I absolutely notice a difference between driving the Prius and driving the Lexus, people are must nastier when I'm in the Prius, less likely to let me in or merge, etc. I drive them both the same way too.

 

All,

I have noticed the same phenomenon as well. I drive my Prius EXACTLY like my previous vehicle, a '93 Nissan Sentra. All I do when on the highway is set the cruise control to about one mph less then the lane of traffic I'm in. Same thing I did with the Nissan. By the way that's still usually 73 MPH. People come right up to my bumper all the time, get agressive, etc. There seems to be this weird mindset like, "I ain't gonna go slower then one of them there new fangled hybrids, dag nabit!".

It's really not all that bad, but something I experience from time to time. As an asside, let me tell you, I've been subject to a similar phenomenon for years now. I'm a road runner. I jog around my neighborhood all the time, and there is one stretch, maybe only 1/3 of a mile along a busy higway. I jog on the sidewalk, and I can't tell you, I really can't tell you many hundreds of times some donkey (moderator, please leave the language, sometime foul languare is warrented) drives up right behind me and lays on his horn just to be a jackass, and for no other reason. Damned near gives he a heart attack. Like I said, I'm on the sidewalk, so it's not like I'm drifting into the road.

So the point is - yea, as many nice decent folks as there are out there, there are an equal amount of agressive, rude and downright selfish people who will make life miserable for the rest of us.

Peace,
Cosmo

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(TonyPSchaefer @ Apr 20 2006, 10:08 AM) [snapback]242662[/snapback]</div>

Yep, and when they make the mistake of following too close and hitting you when you slow down or stop due to traffic, they're at fault, not you. Although often you're punished too, in the form of a damaged vehicle due to their negligent driving.

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Rancid13 @ Apr 20 2006, 01:35 PM) [snapback]242680[/snapback]</div>

I think that they mainly react to slowness rather than which car it is. If you're not driving like a bat out of you-know-what, and driving, as a lot of drivers do, with your brain about two or three seconds behind your foot on the accelerator, then you're in the way and they have to get around an obstacle. I saw two separate cases of road rage today, I saw a great many pickup truck and full-sized SUVs speedling like crazy even with the price of gasoline here getting close to $3 per gallon so I have a strong feeling that they're really just spinning out of control regardless of which car is in their harried ways.

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(JackDodge @ Apr 20 2006, 11:25 AM) [snapback]242711[/snapback]</div>

Yeah. I try to be very careful and respectful of other drivers when I'm out on the road, regardless of the car that I'm driving. Obviously not everyone thinks that way, and that's really too bad.

 

I still think the majority of these incidents can be attributed to the WAY you are driving, not necessarily the type of CAR you drive, but I'm just speaking from my own experience.

Most of the people can't recognize what type of car I'm driving, besides that it is a Toyota. (I don't have any other decals on my vehicle besides the Toyota logo.) So, if I do encounter road rage, I'm skeptical it has anything to do with "hybrid- hating" versus just plain "road raging".

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(TonyPSchaefer @ Apr 20 2006, 12:08 PM) [snapback]242662[/snapback]</div>

Is it strange that I find pleasure in using my brake to 'scare' tailgaters into slowing down... and then speeding up so that they can't pass me? Speeders really bother me. I shouldn't care, I know... but I do. Even in my perfect little Prius, I still experience road rage. Anyone like Dane Cook? He has this SU-FI thing... anyway, I use it often because it makes me feel better.


What's a SU-FI?

:blink:

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(heliotropehead @ Apr 20 2006, 02:09 PM) [snapback]242796[/snapback]</div>

Sounds passive-aggressive to me. I'm guilty of it too, at times when I feel like it. I love Dane Cook, am checking out that link right now...

 

With all the angry, agressive drivers on the road, some armed... I refrain from "proving a point" at risk of getting shot or being involved in a collision.

Here's a quote from "Good Neighbor News" (State Farm):

"Does it seem to you that the highway is a much more hostile place than it used to be? Do you notice a lot of rude drivers tailgating you, cutting you off, blocking you when you want to pass, weaving from lane to lane to beat the flow of traffic, maybe even making unfirendly gestures?

If so, you're not alone. Agressive driving has become one of America's most talked-about safety issues. On occasion it may lead to 'road rage' - use of violence to settle a dispute related to driving.

According to the AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety, the best way to avoid problems with agressive drivers is to not engage them. Just let it go... blow it off. Keep your hands on the wheel. Avoid making any gestures, even harmless expressions of irritation like shaking your head. The important thing is to get to your final destination safely."

Good Advice...

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(JackDodge @ Apr 19 2006, 10:51 AM) [snapback]242057[/snapback]</div>

The field always leads. It's the same reason why a blue field of white stars is on the bow of a naval vessel while a field of red and white stripes is on the stern or the mast.

I'm in Public Safety and was in ROTC for a while... Nothing irrititates me more than folks with a left-sided flag on the right arm of their shirt...