Somebody honk at me last weekend just because I was in a Prius... When the light turn green, I took off faster than the car next to me on my left and all the other cars behind me, but this guy following me kept honking at me... He has his chance to move to left (fast lane) and pass me but he didn't, just stay behind me and honk at me... WTH... He just no like Prius...
Prius Rage is real. I have had more tailgating during my one year Prius ownership then I did in my twelve years of owning two Avalons. For this reason I will not purchase a Prius again.
I joined this forum for this reason alone-- the road rage. It's unreal. I had an Avalon before and an Acura RL before that. I bought the Prius because I traveled far to work and the hatchback makes it incredibly versatile. I love my car but being in Florida, sometimes it's just downright unsafe to drive with the haters and road ragers.
We travel a lot all over the country and I have yet to see road rage directed at a Prius simply because it was a Prius. Now, if you're going the speed limit or close to it in Chicago or LA, then I guess you might see it, but it's still not because you're in a Prius. My brother drives me nuts in Chicago because he refuses to go with the flow of traffic in his Sonata Blue and he also refuses to move over. Granted, he's rarely in the far left lane, but he's still holding up traffic and his Wisconsin stubbornness is causing them to pass on both the left and right.
The problem isn't envy. The Prius is a car that does best when you DO NOT rush to get somewhere. I was going slower in my pickup long before getting the Prius (not that it accelerated quickly to start with), and people get ugly if you insist on doing the speed limit in the slow lane. If you aren't slamming the gas to the floor to get moving, they think you're being a jerk. As I get older, I'm in less of a rush to go places than I was to start with.
Yes, but we're talking about other drivers harassing us: 1) when we are driving a Prius, AND 2) driving exactly the same way, same speed, same acceleration as any other non-Prius car, AND 3) a complete lack of the same when driving any non-Prius. Getting really tired of people trying to tell me I'm "just imagining it".
If you drive a Prius like the others imagine a stereotypical Prius driver, P&G, speed up only to slow down again and repeat, take a quarter of a mile to stop (to regen) take 10 seconds to go from 0-35 at a light, I would get pissed off, too. I have taken to driving mine, well, like a car, and have had zero problems with Prius road rage. I'm happy with 50mpg. If you are one of those that push for 60 and 70mpg, you might as well have a sign taped to the back that says "kick me" because you are asking for it. I myself have found that I too do whatever I have to to get around other Prius drivers that are drawing pious attention to themselves. I work for a living. So do the other drivers. We have to be able to get there to do it. I enjoy my Prius but probably won't buy another. For all it's practicalities, it isn't all that practical living and working in a big city when dealing with rush hour traffic with others who already have hot tempers. No need to rub others noses in it and not expect a little attitude in return. If you have thin skin, this is not the car for you.
You say you drive the Prius like any other car and get 50 mpg, but then say it is not practical. Care to explain ?
People tend to choose and drive a vehicle based on income, status, personalty, function and habit...not necessarily in any order. The problem is EVERYONE thinks they are special...some more than others...whether they are driving a Prius, BMW, Truck, VW, Ford, Chevy, Taxi, "you fill in the blank" or just some old POS beater...it really doesn't matter. I've seen good people act bad and bad people act good. Some folks like their life, others do not. So let's just all get over ourselves, stop the pity party and quit whining because someone challenges your special-ness. Roads and highways are a means to get there, not a place to make statements...of any kind.
Although I haven't really experienced Prius road rage yet, if someone here regularly does and feels threatened, it certainly isn't worth a beer bottle through your windshield or the stress of wondering if the guy next to you, with American flags all over his truck and heckling, is about to run you and your family off the road for 50mpg. I'm a ghost when I drive. The last 4 vehicles I personally have owned have been silver or gray. I bought my (silver) Prius on impulse while test driving a Rav4. Now that the new car honeymoon is over, and reading of one Prius owner having a lit cigarette flipped at him in traffic from a guy yelling about his Faggy car, I'm beginning to wonder un intended attention is being brought on me. To me, that isn't practical. Amen to that!!!
Years ago a Republican owner in a right wing locale mentioned that he put a 'pissing on OPEC' sticker on his car (the little kid cartoon -- I cannot remember the name of the comic it was taken from.) The rednecks loved him and his car.
I've got a left over "W - The President" decal from 2007. Considering I reside in Georgia, and the stereotype associated with driving a Prius is that you're a raging lefty......I bet the decal applied on the rear glass would relieve some of the ding dongs. ........but I'd be more worried about an opposing person keying my car. I'll post with the results if I decide to test.
A fair percentage of Prius drivers bought the car 'cause they're concerned about mileage (apart from the typical Vancouver cabbie). And methods for improving mileage include: 1. Sticking to the limits. 2. Keeping a good buffer in front. 3. Accelerating gently. All of the above enrage the typical compulsive-obsessive driver, intent on turning the road into a giant Tetris game.
This is a rhetorical argument because the Prius still gets better mpg than everyone else...regardless how you drive it. To make the point: "Oh my God, I only got 43 mpg during rush hour with the A/C on. There must be something wrong with my car"