man, they love to tailgate a prius

Fortunately I can say I've never seen behavior like this. Back in my Subaru and a longer commute I saw some irrational behavior (including one father with his young kid in the back), but they were in a hurry so they kept on going. I don't slow people down too much though (rarely slow them down at all), less than what I've seen other cars do on the same stretch of road. I stay in the right when it's a multi-lane road unless actively passing.

Okay, I do remember one impatient guy behind me, one lane each way, traffic in front of us, there were no intersections, the only thing we could do was follow the other cars. So I was going slower to absorb the stop-and-go nonsense and keep a steady speed. He didn't like that, so when it eventually widened to two lanes at a light he passed me in a hurry and got back into my lane and at the red light he stopped in front of me (behind a long row of cars, it's not like we could've made the light if we had hurried). So I gave him a thumbs-up and a "ooh, you're so good" expression, he flipped me off, and I laughed. All his frustration and he never would've gotten any better than one car ahead of me anyway. Some people aren't rational, you just have to accept that.

 

wasn't built in a day?

 

I've said it before, there is a large percentage of drivers who feel that the object of driving is to catch the car in front of them. Once they catch up then they feel the car in front of them is in their way and must get around it. Then on to the next car in front of them and so on.

Basically everybody on the road is in their way. These are the same folks who speed up when you signal to change into "their" lane.

 

exactly.

 

In some cases, tapping the emergency lights will get some to gently pass you.

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I wish some police departments would set up a Prius trap with a plain clothes officer driving at the speed limit with a buddy ready to issue tickets for speeding and road rage. Then let it get in the news they make plenty of money with this type of sting.

Then see how many drivers behave like an angry two-year old?

 

If I'm being tailgated and there is a lane to my right I'll always change lanes to the right, let them pass and change back into the left lane. It shows the tailgater and the drivers behind me:

1) I'm a courteous driver
2) I'm a cautious and attentive driver
3) The tailgater is a jerk

It's always a win.

Another thing I like to do is when a car passes me to cut me off, I wait patiently and continue to drive behind that car. Eventually our lane will slow and an adjacent lane will be flowing faster. I wait for an opening using my side mirror and I use that opening to pass the car. The jerk in front of me usually doesn't change lanes because they don't recognize how the traffic is flowing. They aren't paying attention to what's behind them. So I pass them and give them a nice smirk. By then it's too late for them to catch me, there is traffic in both lanes.

The point of this is that it's not about speeding up to the car behind you, it's about going with the flow of traffic by paying attention to what's in your mirrors. I use that to my full advantage.

 

This has happened to me on numerous occassions in various vehicles I've owned, even motorcycles in heavy traffic.

In the Prius it is VERY OBVIOUS given the lower, vertical part of the rear window. As my dad used to say: "there are more horses asses than horses in this world." How too TRUE!

As I no longer have my 240 hp V6 Accord which would allow me to rapidly pull away from a moron of this type, assuming open traffic; I have already-once- simply,when safe, pulled my Prius over to side of road to let Mr NUMNUTZ go scream up to tailgate the next vehicle...which the idiot did.

I do not drive slower than traffic, but at a minimum stay with it-the lil Prius still gets fine MPG, but is not in any way creating a traffic "hazard/obstruction". DFO

 

where are you going to point the cam?
out the back for tailgaters?
out the side window(s) so you can record them screaming and making obscenities?
out the front so you can get them when they cut you off?

 

Hi harry r,

Yea, its been getting worse around here. The frantic nature of people's driving is ramping up dramatically. Part of it is the Christmas season, only earlier this year.

Take heart. I had a very similar thing happen to me, only, the left turn lane was already full, and just as the SUV driving lunatic reached it, a cop came around the corner, and was supprized to see an SUV head on with him as the SUV had no place to duck in. You know the rest. Lights, Camera, Tickets!!

 

Hi Again,

I am thinking what might work might be as simple as a sonar range switch and a red LED. Like- smile your on TV.

Seriously, why the State Patrol just does not get themselves a Prius and drive around and collect tickets, I do not know. It seems it would be about the easiest pickins any traffic patrol could every have !!!!! Just roll the thing out at night during the last part of rush hour, and pull the idiots over.

 

I think the OP went about this wrong when calling the cops. If I was so inclined to make such a call, I would have said "I think the guy in the XXX car, license no. XXX is very intoxicated." Then I'd give the explanation the OP gave, with a description about weaving in and out of traffic and tailgating, which would all be true (you don't want to be telling lies to the cops).

If the cops won't do anything about that call, they won't do much about anything (but they are pretty busy these days).

But I also wouldn't make that call if the guy wasn't causing a very dangerous situation. You don't want to be the guy crying wolf.

If I have a tailgater, I'll pull over to the next lane to let him go by me, and I don't care what direction (left or right lane) that is. It ain't worth the aggravation. And sometimes in Los Angeles, they like to shoot at people. Definitely don't need that aggravation.

Mike

 

I hate being tailgated too. I will start driving fast now (80+ MPH and no more hypermilling) to change the Prius images.

 

what do you do on the highway when you're going the speed limit, even a few miles over in case your speedo is off, and someone starts tailgaiting you and you move to the right lane and someone else starts tailgaiting you? it seems you can't get away from them.

 

If people don't want to turn braking over to a computer, that's just a marketing issue. I'd be willing to bet there are millions of people that would prefer braking of the car they're riding in to be computer-controlled rather than handled by their spouse.

I look forward to the day when cars are fully automated - for example, the work of Sebastian Thrun at Stanford and Google. Automated cars have the potential to reduce fatalities, increase road throughput, increase fuel economy, and much more - simultaneously!

 

Yep. Can you imagine with winter coming on, they have bald all-season tires on the SUV, their only vehicle, and just enough money coming in to cover gas (and everything else)? A person that situation would just know he is trapped into a situation where sooner or later its going to be an accident. Its the American Dream turning into a nightmare. And it chews away at their personality till they go crazy on the road....

 

The American Dream is still well alive. The over-indulgence into it is turning into the nightmare. To me, the AD was having your own home and vehicle. This is great and very do-able if you don't over indulge into it. Buying an car to me is similar to that of buying the house. You might be able to afford the note on each, but you may not be able to afford the costs that go along with it (gas, maintenance, etc for cars and utilities, maintenance, etc for house). People maxed out on the notes for the AD and that's been unraveling for the last 3 years or so. When that wasn't enough, it turned into buying all the material items for a sense of immediate gratification. When there wasn't enough cash to keep up with that, it turned to the cheap credit purchases. See how this all begins to snowball? Unfortunately, essentially everyone turned a blind eye to it and dismissed those that spoke out about it.

But yes, as all this happened, more and more people's frustrations began to show and it starts to show on the road, as well as everywhere else they go. It's going to take a pretty big cultural shift to society before things begin to change in that regard. I'll leave it at that. I could go on, but then it becomes about my opinion and take on things which doesn't really flow into this thread.

 

when I was stationed at Edwards AFB, Cal a kid that worked for me (from rural Kentucky) got a ticket in LA for impeading traffic. He couldn't understand why because he was doing the speed limit. the CHiPie, tried to explain it to him that even though the speed limit was 55 (1989) all the traffic around him was doing in excess of that.

it doesn't make sense and is crazy, but that is the way it is.

to the OP, I just ignore the tailgater because they'll never believe they are in the wrong. I'll flow with traffic and move over to let them by when the opportunity presents itself

 

Hi wick1ert,

I am not saying the American Dream is not alive for allot of people.

Its just not for people with bald tires on their SUV facing a Chicagoland winter. And they want somebody to take it out on. Its kinda a perverse analog to the Cultural Revolution on Mainland China.

Hi priustexasbob,

I think nationwide the rule should be made that the right lane (or the lane next to on-ramps) should be strictly enforced at the speed limit. The other lanes, well, once your doing the speed limit, getting into them is more simple. But coming around a blind curve ramp, onto a blind curve on the interstate , really requires both cars to be doing the same speed, and the only way ensure that is for both cars to be doing the speed limit till they are within visual negotiation range. Its the lack of such a law and/or enforcement (the Police could enforce to this standard now without additional law) around here that was the precursor to the accident that totalled my 2006 Prius.