Lil Rachel & I getting no respect!

A part of this is an attitude adjustment on your part. A lot of people have a Ego issue with other people passing them. I know that I do. But lately, I actually want them to pass me. Because I get the best mileage when I leave a buffer zone in front of me and have no one behind me. Then I can pulse and glide or coast or do anything I want without worrying about the traffic around me.

You are less likely to get tailgated when you leave a large buffer in front of your car. Most people with an IQ over 70 will go ahead and pass instead of riding your tail.

There are a certain percentage of drivers that will just tailgate no matter what. I have actually seen people that will drive from car to car, going as fast as possible to tailgate the next car in front of them. You can't do anything about these people; they are either incredibly stupid or mentally ill.

 

Precisely. It never ceases to amaze me how close someone will tailgate when I am only maybe three carlengths behind the car in front of me. I think to myself, "Where do you expect me to go?" It is as if they are trying to communicate "You are not tailgating the person in front of you to my satisfaction; therefore, I must tailgate you to make you tailgate them properly."

 

Doubtful. It has been my experience that tailgating is a habitual behavior. They
will always sit a car length or less from your bumper regardless of how fast you
are going.

 

I've also noticed these people drive very cheap "disposable" cars since they crash them so often!

 

Seriously true! Another situation where I find this particularly irksome is when I'm over the speed limit myself. "Oh, I see, I'm not breaking the law enough to suit you". OTOH, tailgaters are a good reason to go a little (+5mph) over the speed limit. It gives me somewhere to go when one of these jokers comes up behind me: a flash of brake and down to the speed limit - no more, no less.

 

You probably didn't notice in the SUV because they were under
your rearward sightline. Welcome to our little down-to-earth
world!
.
_H*

 

When I bought my Prelude in '97 it seemed to me that it engendered aggression in other drivers around me, almost like waving a red flag (even though the car is silver in color) in front of a bunch of bulls. I've not found that to be the case with the Prius, however. I drive my drive. Some folks tail-gate habitually, and I suspect they would do so regardless of what I was driving. My hunch is that there might be a psychological component to this sensation, that one may feel a little more vulnerable in the Prius than a big vehicle like an Expedition simply because of size.

My younger sister lives in S. California and when she was here visiting I was riding with her one day and noticed that she tail-gated everyone. I asked why she followed so close and she said "because if I don't some a--hole will jump in between me and that car!!" I think that's probably a fairly common mentality in urban areas and may explain at least some tailgating behavior.

 

It's not the car you drive, it's the way you drive.

 

They are probably all card carrying members of Left Lane Drivers Unite!
What a joke. If I am passing cars, I don't see why I have to duck in behind a slower car just because someone else wants to break the law more than I was.

Maybe ths sign should read "Move Over lesser law breaker!"

 

Comin from a 2005 Tundra with about 4 lights in front and a 2 inch lift, tires all pushed out....i notice people tailgating and i actually had a huge truck cut me off and slam on the brakes, so i floored it, got 17 mpg but took off away from him and his loose middle finger and yes.....horn is weak

 

Noticed you live in Sanford, FL. I use to live in Daytona and recall sooo many accidents on a daily basis on I-4 and I-95. If your not doing at least 80 and tailgating they want to run you over no matter what you are driving. My advice is stay in the right lane and let them all run in the pack and when one of them hits the brakes stay your distance as they will all go flying.

 

I hear you can go over a 100 mph with the Prius. But I advise against it.

 

I've seen 88 mph in warp stealth on a long downhill. We were discussing this briefly in PTS and at 92 mph the engine will run to protect MG1. Top speed spec is 104, but I have seen the video where someone is driving 108 mph.

 

I have gotten mine up to 88mph but that was to just see if I could. I usually drive 65 mph, And when the Tailgaters go to pass me I just smile. Plus usually I shock people anyway due to the MowHawk and Heavily covered tattooed arms. haha I love freaking truckers out. People always just think Prius drivers are green whimps but I know thats not true. SUV drivers are just trying to compensate for other things...
I will be putting this sticker on my baby....

http://http://images.google.com/img...um=1&hl=en&rls=GZHY,GZHY:2007-46,GZHY:en&sa=N

 

Actually, I think these are the same people that try the same stupid lines in the bar on every man/woman in sight, refusing to believe that the reason they "can't get laid" is themselves.

These drivers are trying to hump your car. If you were at a cocktail party with them, it would be your leg.

 

Highway Humpersâ„¢. LOL

 

I actually wasted several minutes of my life looking at that web site.

Obviously they have never driven the beltway around DC in traffic where the left lane is just another travel lane.

A passing lane??? Who are they kidding??

 

im in western Washington and i used to see a lot of what the OP describes... but i can actually say that those types of incidences (still happens no doubt) have dropped considerably.

when i got my 2004, i would be driving at a pace that matched maybe 5-10% of people on the road... sometimes less. there were probably 25-35% that drove much faster than me (more than 10 mph faster)

now 4 years later, i drive the same speed, but drive the same speed as 25-35% of the people on the road. another 25-50% (iow, all but a few) only drive about 5 mph faster than me.

the fact that gas is more than 100% higher now might be a factor... yepper....could be

 

Prius techno-guru Hobbit has a cool mod on his website: He calls it a Yuppie button, or Aft Photon Torpedoes depending on who he is with. He hits the button when he is being tailgated, and it lights up his brake lights, turn signals, and back-up lights all at once. Since the LEDs come on a fraction of a second later than the incandescents, it is quite an eye-catching display that has the tailgater slamming on his brakes before he can figure out what is happening.

I want this.