When I drove into London yesterday in the Prius, I noticed something odd, that never happened to me in any other make/model I've driven here. I've been a passenger in a Prius many times, but this is my first time owning and driving one. 1. Cars behind me would beep their horn just as I'm starting to give gas from a stop in traffic (as if to say, hurry up and move) 2. Black cab drivers (the official licenced taxis of London that are losing business to Uber) drove quite aggressively near me/behind me 3. More drivers tailgating me in 30mph zones than normal (as if to say hurry up and go faster, despite me driving at the limit) 4. Lots of on road courtesy in terms of letting me into traffic/out of a side road etc. from other Prius drivers (Gen3) who I suspect are all Uber drivers I'm curious, does this happen to others?
Yes. It doesn't matter how aggressively or how fast I drive in my Prius. People feel compelled to honk, tailgate, cut me off, and generally behave terribly. One guy, in a black Chevy Suburban (with Texas license plates, naturally), deliberately cut me off. When I honked at him, he stopped in his lane, hung his head out his window and said "you drive a Prius...you don't matter." The fuel economy is great...it makes my ridiculously long commute affordable. But truthfully....when it comes time to replace the Prius, I'll choose a different vehicle, simply because I despise getting treated like trash when I'm on the road. The way some other drivers behave when they see a Prius is downright unsafe, and I want no part of that.
Maybe today - though I haven't had any problems - most of our TAXIs are Prius. But I wouldn't be surprised if, when I come to replace my Prius the market will have changed dramatically. With Germany, Scandanavia and others heading to TOTAL Electric cars within 2 model generations, the likelihood that other countries will follow suit (Paris, parts of India and China have made noises), and the distinct possibility that Fuel prices will skyrocket sooner rather than later, the Prius you're driving will the NORM (along with EV, PHEVs) - and the chap in the Suburban or F150 will be in the minority and be driving so gingerly because they're not able to afford fuel.
I use to discount the psychology of persecution many Prius owners embrace. That being said, in 3 years of ownership, I've probably experienced nearly all those similar reactions on the road. So? Yeah it happens.
I know when people are about to try to pass me. I don't even know why they do, because I drive at or above the speed limit. They tail me, swerve left and right (because they can't stand to be behind a Prius), and then pass me going 90. I try to stop the from getting in front of me by accelerating. Usually BMWs and Mercedes'.
It's AUDI drivers here. AUDI has been generally regarded as an expensive VW here - and I suspect the owners who paid $$$BIG$$$ for one are feeling they need to make an impression.
too many of them here as well. in an era of too many high priced cars, audi and land rover seem to have captured the market for snobs who need to impress. i'm sure it will change when they finally realize everyone else is driving one.
People forget that HYBRID has been around a lot longer than PRIUS. Hybrid will be 100 old years next year. [EDIT] - it seems I'm behind the times - it was (WIKI) "in 1915 they produced the Dual Power (U.S. Patent # 1244045) with both electric and internal combustion engines and this continued until 1918 ... Twin electric motors, situated at the rear of the car, produced 2.5 hp (1.9 kW) each. The car weighed 2650 lb (1202 kg) with a 40 cell battery".
WOW! What part of the state are you in? I wonder, does the same happen to Chevy Volt drivers? Nissan Leaf owners?
I had it off-and-on when I drove a Gen3, but it hasn't really happened with the Gen4. It's actually worst when I'm doing my commute by bike, so there's clearly some pent up aggression around here for people who don't conform to the norm of large trucks and SUVs. I mostly chalk it up to ignorance. The aggressive drivers in my area probably don't yet realize I'm driving a Prius.
I was yelled at...honked at and given the finger.....but it was kinda my fault....I tried to make a left turn with traffic coming from a green light and didn't notice a new cement divider wall about two feet tall had been installed right up the middle of the traffic lane....I would have safely made the left turn going over the two lanes but I had to come to a complete stop in the highway as the cement strip brought me to a stop...no I didn't hit it but had to stop and wait for a nice driver to let me back into the lane which didn't happen until I was screamed at, honked at and given the finger.....but finally I was able to safely back up and get going until I found a left turn lane....very scary
It happened with the Gen 2 but less so now (probably because there are a decent number of hybrids and electrics here and most taxis here are Prius or Prius v with a few Corollas and Camrys. The minivans are still mostly Caravans with the odd Sienna or Montana thrown in. Now people just go around if they don't want to be behind.
Is it just the "Prius" name that gets other drivers so angry? Or is it all smaller cars in general? What about the Yaris? Mini? Smart for 2? I guess it depends on how the car is being driven. But that is still no excuse for getting angry. If I come upon a slower vehicle, I simply pass them. How hard is that?! It doesn't upset me at all. I can't understand all the rudeness and anger out there. But, I guess it's just a sign of the times... I hope it's not the case, but it seems that people are getting weirder and angrier. (When I had my Camry, Prius drivers were zooming by ME! There's a million Prii in California. I rarely see a slow one.)
I don't really have an issue with other drivers when in the Prius. Maybe they don't recognize the Gen 4 right away as a Prius? But at worst people go around me but that's because I drive it at the speed limit and no faster. I do this for fuel economy and because I feel that Prius is unsafe at speeds above the limit. Terrible brakes terrible handling, I'll just go the limit as I have better options to speed with if that's what I want to do. But around here most people go 10 - 15 over the limit, I'm clearly the slow one. Doesn't bother me. I always joke about how I "get no respect" in the Prius but it's truly not any worse than my other cars. People crowd me on my bike, they cut me off in my sporty cars, they pull out in front of my truck. Truly the truck seems to be the idiot magnet. Something about a silver ram, people just don't seem to see it coming or maybe it's so big they think it's going slower than it is. The vehicle that has the least "issues" in traffic is my Jeep. But it's one of those tall ones with the tires sticking out well past the fenders and heavy steel all around it.... "Come on over! I'll merge with you!!" Not sure if people are afraid of it or if I'm just driving it with the no-fucks-given attitude so they stay well away. Funny thing though, I get all kinds of crap from my friends and family for driving a Prius (do you have to push off with your foot from a stop light?) but my Jeep is way slower. My wife and I were going our separate ways the other day but the first part of our drive I was following her until we split. Every stop light, every on ramp, she was in the Prius and would just walk away from me. Meanwhile I'm reving out the Jeep and rowing gears as best I could. The Jeep is more involved and feels faster because of it, but it is SLOW, and nobody ever says a word to me about it.
