Borderline violent reaction to prius

He was jealous of your car and beating up on his to try and punish it and himself for making such a poor desicion

 

He would have acted that way if you were driving a Corvette at the speed limit, too. Don't put too much merit into Prius-hating.

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Chris Robson @ Aug 16 2007, 09:04 PM) [snapback]497553[/snapback]</div>

Haven't you heard, the Cadelac Escalade has a problem with the Accelerator pedal, cruze caontrol, or both sticking, and the floor matts bunch up on top of the gas pedal too. Quick, someone report it to ConsumerAffairs.com!

 

The problem was one which has been apparent since the car was purchased, the driver/owner is a dick head.

 

Hi Chris,

I had an Escalade tailgate 3 feet away from the bumper of my Saturn SL2 in the fastlane on a highway. We eventually reached 80 mph. That was still not fast enough for this guy. As we approached an area of the highway where there was a car ahead, a curve, and the slower lane to the right was lacking in traffic sufficient to safely pull into it, I did. The Escalade tried to follow, but nearly rolled. He counter steered and came within inches of the car in the fast lane that was only doing 70 while braking heavily.

Not sure what causes this mania, but it seems to be a special disease of people prone to buying Escalades, I have to agree.

 

It's as much a mistake to believe that other road users much care what you drive or even notice as it is to label drivers of any particular vehicle as suffering common characteristics. There are lousy drivers out there, and they drive all sorts of vehicles, even Prii.

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Chris Robson @ Aug 16 2007, 11:04 PM) [snapback]497553[/snapback]</div>

I have notice in genral that Caddillac drivers are the worst! When I see one, I look for them to do something stupid!

 

I had a similar experience last month. I was making a right turn at a stop sign, and was waiting for a break in the traffic. There was a guy behind me in a beat-up pickup truck with what I assume was his young son in the passenger seat. After about 20 seconds he started blasting his horn and lurching forward, threatening to rear-end me. I paid him no mind, and pulled out when it was safe. He stayed right on my tail, honked his horn a few more times, then passed me on the shoulder. A short distance later there was a red light, where he tore through a right turn without the required stop.

I have no idea if his rage had anything to do with my driving a Prius, though I realized there was a good chance it did. But I also wonder what his son thought of his dad. Was he taking it as a lesson on how he should behave when he starts driving in a few years, or would he realize that he has an @ss-hole for a father?

 

I think what it boils down to is machismo....

Why buy a huge Escalade in the first place? Do you really have 9 friends you need to tote around with you at all times? Probably not. Also, considering most drivers have 1-2 people in the car during 98% of their driving, it seems like a waste of space to me.

So, revert to machismo. Why buy a vehicle this big? The feeling of power and strength.

So you get in the car, you expect the seas to part infront of you. You also expect cars to get out of your way by riding their nice person.

This happens to me no matter what car I am driving. It might be more pronounced in the Prius because it's so much smaller.... but I gaurantee you that Escalade driver wouldn't be doing it to an Expedition or Suburban.

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Chris Robson @ Aug 16 2007, 09:04 PM) [snapback]497553[/snapback]</div>

Mental illness and a false sense of self-importance.

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(dogfriend @ Aug 17 2007, 10:33 AM) [snapback]497786[/snapback]</div>

I couldn't agree more!

Plus we live in this society of "NOW!"

Everyone has quick access to everything. Want to order a pizza? Do it online or from your cell phone. Want to get somewhere quickly? Drive really fast and put everyone else at danger.

More often than not, people don't care about anything but themselves, and whatever they want, they want it NOW.

 

Accelerating away from them so that they cannot keep up is a useful treatment.

 

It's basic Right of Weight - the bigger and more expensive your vehicle, the more peons have to get out of your way.

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(tekn0wledg @ Aug 17 2007, 05:23 AM) [snapback]497733[/snapback]</div>

One thing that I've noticed is pickup trucks or SUVs that are more likely to tailgate. My theory is that they can see farther down the road, so they feel safer. Oh, and they are compensating, so they need to prove their manhood.

I had similar issues with two jacked-up pickup trucks (one red, one silver, both Dodges). They felt that riding right up my nice person on the windy two lane mountain roads I drive in the morning would make me go faster. My response (not always the best one, I admit) is to slow to a speed where I feel safe with their following distance. We did this little exchange for a few weeks, and eventually they figured out that if they gave me room, I'd go much faster, and they'd get there faster as well.

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(richard schumacher @ Aug 17 2007, 09:53 AM) [snapback]497804[/snapback]</div>

Yikes! No, I happen to think this is NOT a good way to deal with the situation. Whenever I've succombed to road rage in this type of situation I realize that I'm doing the same "machismo" thing that the aggressive guy behind me is doing. I think, "oh yeah? Well screw you!" and then I floor it. It's a TERRIBLE reaction, because a)it's dangerous to accelerate that quickly, and b)the guy is still behind you!

Let the aggressive drivers go. If they're past you they'll no longer be bothering you. You might even feel a little wave of peacefulness seeing the person drive off ahead, and you'll realize how silly it is to be that impatient...

 

I had some asshat in a big SUV tailgating me in a construction zone, one-lane, 45 mph. I was already doing slightly above that speed limit, and had no intention of speeding up.

Instead of speeding up, I slowed down, exactly to 45 mph. I zoomed forward to regain a reasonable space between my car and his. He closed the distance, tailgating me again.

My response was to slow to 45 mph again, and stay at that speed for a longer period of time. I also indicated with my two hands moving in and out that he was following me too closely.

Finally he got the message: if you tailgate me, I will slow down. It's your choice.

He stopped tailgating me.

Harry

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Earthling @ Aug 17 2007, 10:40 AM) [snapback]497836[/snapback]</div>

The potential problem with this is that you run the risk of angering a lunatic. I've done that exact same trick, but I did it near my house (so I felt, somehow, safer). It's tempting to do that, and I'm sure it's satisfying, but I think it's best to just let the impatient people be impatient, and not try to make them even angrier. Some day you may do that to a nutjob with a crappy car who decides to ram you or worse...

 

I don't think any type of communication with these types of drivers is going to help the situation, instead it'll probably make it worse. At some point they realize that you know they are there, and thus it might entice them to become more enraged.

In one of the routes I drive there are a few places where I can pull off in a turning lane if a truck or SUV is looking to go over the speed limit. I usually move aside and glide until they pass, and then I resume my drive without the added pressure.

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(hyo silver @ Aug 17 2007, 11:15 AM) [snapback]497816[/snapback]</div>

I thought it was whoever has the biggest and crappiest car has the right of way. I know I'm going to get out of the way of an old boat if need be.