Prius victim mentality

well, after having driven the 89 camry (pre-smashing) and the 05 prius... and driving them the same way (10 over the speed limit) i can't say i get any more aggression from driving a prius than i do for having a northern license plate. in fact, i bet there is more of the latter. i believe there was one occasion where i was cut off 3 times on a 4 lane highway by the same suv that may be related to the car i drive.

now if i were to go 5 under the limit and hold up/"regulate" traffic behind me (like the people that absolutely infuriate me) then i would expect to be treated like an annoyance to traffic, because that's what i would be.

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(sub3marathonman @ Jun 2 2007, 09:58 PM) [snapback]454149[/snapback]</div>

I cannot believe the SUV driver actually got out of her vehicle to threaten you with the "back into you comment"! People never cease to amaze me.
Great story, although I would have just made the turn instead of sitting at the light for 30 seconds to infuriate the SUV driver. She was obviously already upset about your driving habits.

 

I'll agree with Marlin - the thread starter that many drivers are downright rude and it would not matter what you drive. Having said that, drivers do single out hybrids just like some join PriusChat to troll. I've got too many stories of things happening to me on the road to say they were all concidential.

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Charles Suitt @ May 29 2007, 12:41 PM) [snapback]451484[/snapback]</div>

You think? Naa, not even close to troll. I think Marlin's just having us on and being humorous.
(Love your avatar, btw - glad you don't read posts with irritating animal avatars! )

 

Marlin...my man...you can't fight the smug! Don't fight it...just give in.

You people are an endless source of amusement for me, thank you.

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Marlin @ May 29 2007, 07:53 AM) [snapback]451457[/snapback]</div>

True Dat...

However, coming out of a 92' F-150 at 9 mpg sometimes I forget how much all of my driving habits have changed. I am forced to remember when I see an Escalades grill filling my rearview, only to be passed by a soccer mom going 85+ in a Suburban.
I used to be that driver.

I am not a victim, but have had the misfortune of a few freeway nudges that were caused by overly agressive driving.

Vicitims or not...the best choice for driving a Prius incorporates a wary and defensive attitude especially considering the cars powerband performance and freeway passing speeds.

The little electric does zip to 20 which might frustrate a few would be pole position jostlers.

 

I'd say it's a mistake to think that all that many drivers are observant enough to notice what car they're tailgating, let alone that they understand what the 'hybrid' badge on the back of a Prius even means. Of the few that do, an even smaller proportion would be likely to both assume the driver is a tree hugger and take exception to that 'fact'.

By comparison, idiot drivers are everywhere, and it's best to assume whenever you see another vehicle that the person behind the wheel is one and drive accordingly.

One of the great things about the Prius is that it teaches those of us who drive one to be more anticipatory in our driving habits, including road conditions and traffic. It tends to show up the differences in driving habits between us and those who don't!

 

If you really want to see some BAD driving and RUDE behavior try driving a US Postal mail truck (LLV). People will tailgate you so you can't see them. They will honk and then drive by yelling 'get out of the road you stupid f*&ker'.(This happens alot) Cut you off, drive out in front of you, and step off a curb in front of you. All of this while delivering mail. I used to hate delivering to boxes curbside on a busy street. You could just see them coming up fast and brace for impact. At our station we would have a rear ending of a mail truck every month and we had strobe flashers on our trucks. I think people just don't see the trucks for what ever reason.

BTW, the post office is looking at hybrid mail trucks based on the Escape hybrid.

 

Wow. Quite a lively discussion!

I can only speak for myself on this one. Personally, I haven't noticed any real difference in other folks' behavior while driving the Prius vs. other cars. To be quite honest, I doubt most people even know or care what kind of car I have. Of course, this is Atlanta, and most people drive like maniacs no matter what the situation; it's just a way of life around here. I've gotten used to being tailgated all the time. (Heck, you'll get tailgated doing 20+ over in a non-hybrid, as certain more aggressive family members of mine have proven out.)

To be frank, the public image of the Prius is anything but neutral. Lots of nice folks own and drive Prii, but it's definitely perceived as the status symbol and statement for "my way or no way" environmentalism. Is it really any wonder some people would react harshly to what they see as threats against their freedom of choice? (Shoe on the other foot: If someone threatened to take away my Prius and force me to buy and drive a Yukon instead, I'd be pretty upset too. And the reasons for their position wouldn't matter to me, either; I want the opportunity to exercise my freedom to choose what I drive.)

Great points, ZA_Andy. So true...

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Essayons @ Jun 6 2007, 09:16 AM) [snapback]456461[/snapback]</div>

Wow, that's scary! We have a lot of delivery routes on 55 MPH roads around here, and shoulders are either minimal or non-existent. You just inspired in me a whole new respect for what they must go through!

That seems like a perfect application for hybrid technology. I've heard the trucks already get great mileage (can't confirm that, though), but they're definitely severely anemic in the power department. Hopefully the hybrid approach will improve that and make those highway jogs a little less...exciting. Also seems like they could really benefit from a beefed-up battery for all those extended periods of stop 'n' go action.

In the words of Eleanor Roosevelt, "No one can make you feel inferior without your permission." Here's hoping you decide to have a great day no matter what your circumstances!

- Justifyd

 

Well, after driving my Prius for two weeks I have to admit I've had two strange reactions:

1. A young kid looking at me like I was from outer space as I backed out of a parking space without the engine starting.

2. An enthusiastic wave and peace sign from a Mazda 3 driver, for some reason.

Not bad for the second most Republican state in the union...

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Justifyd @ Jun 6 2007, 09:06 PM) [snapback]457054[/snapback]</div>

The LLV in while delivering gets around 15mpg almost all stop n go. My guess the new hybrid version would get 22mpg. Did you know for each cent gas goes up it costs the Post Office $3 million a month?

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Marlin @ May 29 2007, 05:53 AM) [snapback]451457[/snapback]</div>

WOW! sounds like someone woke up on the wrong side of the bed.
I think your statement is 50/50 I do get "targeted" when driving, infact yesterday someone followed me and started shouting at me! they said if I wanted to help save the planet from global warming I should buy them a Hybrid. I told 'Him" that If i was sleeping with him I probably would but he wasn't my type. ha ha, funny thought since i think it was just cause he was driving a busted down explorer and was obviously in a financial 'bind'.


what ever

 

I think everyone is right. 1. Most people really don't care what car you are driving and some of your perceived 'Prius Angst' is actually just idiot drivers. 2. There are idiot drivers out there that actually pay attention to people driving hybrids and foreign cars and have a aggressively pro-US automaker stance - despite the fact that the vehicle they drive is probably mostly made of foreign parts in foreign factories.

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(quagmire0 @ Jun 7 2007, 08:26 AM) [snapback]457351[/snapback]</div>

That attitude is fostered and bolstered by commercials which, while not literally flag-waving, adopt that attitude. I saw once recently which used for music the song "This Is My Country".

 

I find that it is just jealousy on the part of most drivers because they know they are wasting gas and putting out a lot of money in gas and are pissed about it, so some of them ty to take it out on prius drivers. To them I say, HAHA Fools! I laugh every time one of those fools wastes gas to pass me only to get to the red light ahead of me. Happened yesterday, I was coasting to the light, and some fools in a, yep SUV, blows around me and cuts me off only to be behind someone else, so I get over into the right lane where others were turning right, but is also a straight through lane, and when the light turned green, guess who was ahead of the fool. The guy he got behind drove slower than me, but the fool was too focused on my coasting to notice what was up in front of me. So to all those fools who race to red lights, Bend over and take it fool! LOL

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Marlin @ May 29 2007, 11:58 AM) [snapback]451550[/snapback]</div>

The world isn't out to get Prius owners. We might, however, be a potential target for the abusive/jerk personality who expresses his supposed dominance by driving a truck or a hummer. After he spends $100 at the gas pump, he might just be in the mood to victimize some of us who don't.

 

I don't think a Prius is uniquely singled out for persecution. Anyone driving anything which rolls to a stop or is traveling the speed limit or less will get a chance to observe poor driving behavior.

When I drive my 94 F-350 diesel I use and have used the old tried and true to improve mpg. Coasting, smooth starts and moderate speed. Very similar to driving my Prius.

In my F-350 I've been flipped off, cut off etc. In my Prius much the same. Though those instances are relatively infrequent in either my truck or the hybrid.

I just keep going down the road and disregard impolite drivers like I've done for years. I guess I became immune to critiques of my driving years ago when I was a 16 year old student driving a school bus (yes, in high school in NC in the 70's) speed limited to 35 mph. If we didn't pull over occassionally to let the backup past we did get to see some examples of rude behavior.

I encourage everyone to remember that any vehicle on the road can become deadly if emotions take the wheel. Drive safe and remember that dead right/dead wrong is still dead.

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(ACD @ Jun 7 2007, 12:25 PM) [snapback]457480[/snapback]</div>

That happens with me all the time... A teenager or younger *punk* in an SUV blows past me on the interstate at 20-30 over the speedlimit, just to find me in his rearview mirror seconds later at a red light on the exit ramp. ha ha, i just think to myself, what a wonderful world...no just kidding. its funny thought If i were to keep pace with him I would still be getting WAY better gas mileage than him. Oh well hopefully people will realize 6000lb+ SUVs are pointless. ( if you need four doors and cargo room, get a crew cab truck! )

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Slair @ May 29 2007, 09:43 AM) [snapback]451486[/snapback]</div>

My wife was tailgated last month, did the brake-check thing, and the tailgaters went ballistic: cut her off bad, flipped her off, screamed at her, tried to make her pull over etc. Then 2 weeks later a letter shows up saying the city got a complaint from them for *her* aggressive driving.

Now our car is the one with an aggressive-driving entry in the cops' database, and she's the one who darn near got injured. Not worth it.