I feel like a target in my Prius

My Prius seems to be a dent magnet, too. I've rear-ended, causing some chips in the bumper, and have been hit by shopping carts twice. Many scratches have appeared all over the car, mysteriously. I must be carefuly in parking lots, because people just can't hear the car, and choose not to see it. The horn gets a lot of use........

 

I was hit in a parking lot... guy drove right into the front of my parked car.

Good thing it wasn't the Prius

Sh*t happens. Sometimes, really bad sh*t happens. If no one got hurt, or got just a little bruised (like when my daughter rolled my VW Dasher... just scraped knuckles, and 3 dozen broken eggs...totalled the VW), it's all good, really.

Remember the important things: visibility. Put a flag on your antenna, paint the car neon pink, turn ON the headlights. Make eye contact with people at intersections, turn lanes, and when stopping for pedestrians.

Defensive driving.

 

Think about crowded public places like WalMart, a gym, etc.

There seems to be less of "excuse me" or "after you", but just plowing thru under the law of the jungle: the biggest a$$ gets right of way. It's seems more people in so big a hurry they forget to exercise a minimum of courtsey rather than intentional rudeness, but there seems to be more of it.

So people at WalMart tend to figure if I walk faster or am bigger, people get out of my way....this seems to have carried it's way to the roads. If you drive more aggressively or a bigger vehicle, you can "shove" better. {sigh} I think that's most of it. Don't discount some anger directed at hybrids and hypermilers, but most likely it would have happened if you were driving something else.

 

I've also noticed that people seem oblivious to my Prius. I've had people step off the curb in front of me after looking my direction, I've had cars pull out and nearly hit me, and many other things like those. I don't understand it at all. The car is silent, it's not invisible. Thankfully, I haven't been hit or dinged... Yet.
Now, it could just be my perception of things. I mean, the Prius is the first car I've driven that I actually care about. A nearly 20 year old hand-me-down pickup truck and a used Metro didn't exactly inspire owner pride. If something happened to one of those, it meant that my insurance would pay to get me a better car. But with the Prius, on the other hand, I really don't want anything to happen to it.
I've never felt like I've been targeted by another driver, though. The people who nearly back into me or pull out in front of me may be idiots, but they're not deliberately malicious idiots. Of course, I live near Seattle and have only driven it in Washington, Oregon, and Northern California, so that's probably a big part. No one has the energy to direct irrational anger at a Prius when every tenth car is a Prius...

 

its hard for me to dispute the OP here. here is the latest adventure that happened this morning. this is the 3rd accident, none our fault on 2 diff Pri's in less than 4 months.

SO was on way to work traveling WB on College street. two miles down the road is a major feeder to I-5 in both directions. she was in left lane with right lane in its typical 2 mile backup. she was traveling about 30 mph, and someone who decided not to wait his turn in line, moved into her lane hard enough to put her on two wheels and shove her into the oncoming lane of traffic which means getting pushed thru the center turn lane.

car appears to be driveable. i took it around the block, no rubs, etc. will be taking it later today to get gas. but anything i should be looking for? any components in that area?

 

You have my sympathy.