Prius hate, or am I just being paranoid?

I know the feeling, I don't drive slow, but I sense major aggression on the road when in my Prius. When I am in my truck, I drive the same speeds and no one bother's to mess with me.
Last night, MTV was on while I was making dinner, I don't know why, but it was- ANYWAYS, there was some new show with Jamie Kennedy (sp?) and he was driving his H2 somewhere around LA, and he backed into an itty bitty parking space, and slammed his door into the car next to him, setting the alarm off... I wasn't watching as I was making dinner, but I heard him say "DAMN HYBRIDS"! So then I ran over to the TV, and pushed rewind (DVR is great), and saw that yes, he hit a black Prius! I was mad! So, I turned the channel! grrrrr Why is it the car's fault? What if it was another H2? He would not have even been able to park! I don't get it... it is like saying "Damn you people for saving air quality and saving gas"

And you are right, I have been to Vegas a few times in the past couple years, and I rarely see a Prius! Don't know why!

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(remaxmanager @ May 17 2006, 11:59 AM) [snapback]256890[/snapback]</div>

I don't even know who Jamie Kennedy is, but he sounds like an nice person. If you still have it on your DVR, take a picture of his hummer (with the appropriate hand geesture) and email it to www.fuh2.com B)

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(imntacrook @ May 16 2006, 11:18 PM) [snapback]256731[/snapback]</div>

This is the first time I've agreed with Imntacrook, has hell frozen over?! :lol: I really don't believe there are lots of people out there on Prius-watch 2006 waiting to unload their unbridled road rage targeting our specific vehicle alone. If they are asses to Prius drivers, rest assured they're asses to everyone else, too.

I drive to Las Vegas about once a month from LA. People are in a hurry to get out of dodge and start partying and the traffic trying to get out of LA is horrendous going that way. So, add several thousand people hitting the 15 at about the same time with the same intention and the frustration level goes through the roof.

I think a lot of the Prius paranoia is BS and, dare I say, the media has taken a mole hill and built a mountain out of it. Oh gawd, there I go again, I'll bet Imntacrook would agree with that, too! :blink: The media blitzkrieg has made some of Prius drivers a bit hypersensitive (I'm choosing my words very carefully here so as not to offend!). Geez, even my parents in Indiana (who love my car) are worried about me now because of "Prius rage" that has been all over the news there.

There were rude drivers before the Prius was even a twinkle in Toyota's eye, so there's nothing particularly new other than perhaps there are more rude drivers than there were before.

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(electricity_guzzler @ May 17 2006, 07:04 AM) [snapback]256830[/snapback]</div>

Groovy. How does this help when you are already in the right-hand lane and keeping up with the flow of traffic? Or there are NO other lanes, and you are keeping up with the flow of traffic? Move to the margin?

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(hobbit @ May 17 2006, 11:54 AM) [snapback]256886[/snapback]</div>

That is a great find. I just started reading it. It's good to see a scientist prove what I have long theorized. Of course, it's a pipe dream to think the average aggressive driver is ever going to adapt the philosophy of keeping a safe distance and traveling at a consistent speed. Oh well. I'll continue to do my part.

Here's the link: http://www.amasci.com/amateur/traffic/traffic1.html

And here's an excerpt I that explains what I said in a previous post:

<blockquote>"Suppose we push constantly ahead, change lanes to grab a bit of headway, and always eliminate our forward space in order to prevent other drivers from "cutting us off". If tiny traffic waves appear, we will rush ahead and then brake hard, leaving larger waves behind us. Repeated action causes the waves to grow huge. Ironic that the angry people who push ahead as fast as possible might unwittingly participate in "amplifying" the very conditions that they hate so much. The solution seems obvious: drivers with a smooth "calm" style will tend to damp out the waves and produce a uniform flow... and the few drivers who intentionally drive at a single constant speed will wipe out the waves entirely."</blockquote>

 

You are being paranoid.

People who tailgate don't care about what type of car you drive. They just want you to get out of the way.

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(imntacrook @ May 17 2006, 12:18 AM) [snapback]256731[/snapback]</div>

Me? Paranoid?

Who wants to know?



Seriously, I've had something only remotely close to hate happen once. I was in the far right lane. Next to me was a turnoff for the next exit. This turnoff was a couple of miles long and had no cars nearby. To my left was a truck, its front bumper was about level with my rear bumper. All of a sudden the truck shot past me, crossed in front and then went into the turnoff lane. They could've just taken their foot off the gas for a second or so to accomplish the same thing, but noooooo. My father was with me and asked me if I knew why they did that. I replied, "What, deliberately get behind a Prius?"

 

i think you paranoid too. last year before Katrina, i noticed the same thing no matter what lane i was in if doing less than 5 mph over the limit. this year as gas zoomed past $3, i notice if far far less. still happens, but not nearly as much.

 

Interesting reactions. Lots of posts about blocking the left lane, yet no where in the original post does it say he was even IN the left lane. All we know is that he was driving 80-100mph. If one is getting tailgated when driving that fast, it is not the "blocker's" problem, it's the insane tailgating speeder who doesn't give a shit about safety.

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(JackDodge @ May 17 2006, 10:30 AM) [snapback]256849[/snapback]</div>

So THAT'S why they are all upset with the motorcycle too! Maybe I could put a message on the back, "My other car's an F250, and I FEEL YOUR PAIN."

But actually I drive the truck so gently that with a 460 I could still get 18 mpg on the highway, 15 pulling a trailer. I've been told there are diesels that don't get that milage.

Now with the Prius, it was well into February and I asked my wife, "Have we bought gas this year?"

 

QUOTED: "When somebody is tail-gating you that means you are driving too slow."

:huh: I can't believe you said that! What an innane comment... So, a tailgating vehicle (SUV, PICKUP, PRIUS, MOTOR HOME, 18-WHEELER, etc.) is entitled to demand that you drive at their rate of speed? I think not! This is a textbook illustration of the "finger-pointing" mentality which always attempts to place any blame on someone else. Try this: Point at some object... did you notice that THREE FINGERS are pointing BACK AT YOU? Did this send the message that you should examine your own actions thrice before blaming someone else?

 

leave a gap and people will cut in...tailgate and be aware of what can occur...drive as fast as you can, all the time...welcome to DRIVING in the real world.

 

Or just take a deep breath, smile and let people in. What to you really loose if a car cuts in front of you more then your ego? isn't loosing some ego a good thing? call it it Zen driving in the real world if you want.

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(larkinmj @ May 17 2006, 12:01 PM) [snapback]256891[/snapback]</div>

Or put an ad in the paper telling any driver of a black Prius who got their car scratched or dented in the area that you have proof who did it. Make the hummer son of a b*tch pay for his crime.



<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(SomervillePrius @ May 18 2006, 11:11 AM) [snapback]257489[/snapback]</div>

Another example of how the victim is told that he has to change his behavior and just take it while the person who behaves badly is allowed to go his merry way even though he's the one whose behavior needs modifying. Granted, for the most part, I let them go and feel fortunate that I'm not them but this country is violent and dangerous in no small part because it actually encourages bad behavior as long as you're bigger than the other guy.

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Dewg @ May 17 2006, 10:09 AM) [snapback]256858[/snapback]</div>

You and I share the same mindset.

 

Hobbit, as we all know there is more to it than leaving adequate gaps between cars. I try to remain behind a vehicle which I can either see over, under, around or through for my own safety. The one time I 'gave up' this practice and willingly followed a SUV the stupid bitch ran right into the car in front of her without braking at all. Naturally, since I couldn't see ahead of her and had no warning brake lights I smacked into her. It was a 3 car chain collision and CA state law states that everyone pays for the car in front of them. Since I was last in the smack up line no one paid for my totalled vehicle. I was told by the cop on the scene I was 'out of luck' even tho the idiot in front of me gave absolutely no warning. I babied that now totalled vehicle since I bought it new and it was in PERFECT shape.

So now I ALWAYS choose who I let merge in front of me, and they must meet my above criteria. Thing is, if I leave proper space between vehicles, large vehicles make it a habit to squeeze in front of me thereby endangering me. I am therefore forced to 'tighten up' the safe following distance for my own safety. This is a safety issue, not any other form of 'got ya' which now drives my on the road decisions. I've been bullied many times by drivers of large vehicles who try unsuccessfully to jam their vehicle into the small space in front of me, but I just ignore them. My safety is my most important intent while I am driving. Others can feel how they wish. MY on-the-road experiences have taught me to drive defensively.

 

A couple of personal observations on tailgating and traffic flow:

1) Whenever I get tailgated, it's always by a car least likely to be able to stop in case I need to stop suddenly. It's either some XL sized SUV like an Excursion, lifted and on off-road tires, or some rusted-out 70's GM POS with body panels of a half-dozen colors (including primer gray) and cords showing through the bald tires. I never get tailgated by cars like Porsche 911s, BMWs of any series, high-end sports cars, or anything else that has a chance of stopping before hitting me. It's always some vehicle that won't be able to stop before plowing into me, and most likely, driven by an uninsured driver.

2) Even worse than the left lane bandits IMHO are those that slow down to rubberneck and then take forever to get back to normal speeds. It amazes me that sometimes traffic will continue to come to a complete stop for twenty minutes after a wreck is removed. If these drivers would just accelerate a little harder when the road was clear it would clear up these spots much quicker. I make it a point to accelerate hard after I make it past the site of a former wreck where the traffic has slowed, and when I look in my mirror, sometimes I have left the next car a 1/2 mile or further behind. LE should be allowed to ticket a driver for failure to accelerate quickly in these conditions.

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(SomervillePrius @ May 18 2006, 11:11 AM) [snapback]257489[/snapback]</div>

Personally, I think this is a good attitude to take. What else are you to do? Tailgate the car in front of you so that noone can possibly cut in? My main goal is to get from point A to point B safely. If other people are driving aggressively, that's their problem. I believe it will come back to them somehow, somewhere.

However, I am not necessarily one to "take it" either. Yesterday, I was in a left turn-only lane waiting for a light (incidentally, I have not yet taken delivery of my '06 #5 seaside). When I got in the lane because I needed to turn left at that light, the car in front of me (the only other car in front of me) at the light turned off their left blinker and turned on their right blinker. Then, the left turn signal turned green and the person just SAT there. I got on the horn loudly because I was not going to sit there while this person blocked traffic because of _their_ mistake. The person promptly threw me the finger and went through the light as if everyone else should wait for them because they decided too late that they did not really want to turn left. It would have been super simple for this person to take the turn and turn around in the huge parking lot right next to the highway (I would have), but that person expected everyone else to wait while they blocked traffic because they decided too late that they really did not want to turn left, but wanted to go straight from a left-turn only lane at a light in a very busy intersection.

Another take on this whole topic is that at least some SUV drivers buy SUVs because it makes them feel safe . So, my take on this is that the perception of feeling safe makes up for their poor driving skills, and, thus, they continue to drive poorly. They don't look at the aspect that they could harm someone else by their driving skills, they are looking at the "fact" that they are safer in an SUV. What they don't realize is that in some cases SUVs are actually less safe than other vehicles particularly in rollover accidents.

Perhaps there is a common thread in my reply in that there are many people out there who do not consider others when they drive. Personally, I like to think that I am considerate of others, however, I look out for myself, too, and make my best attempt to follow the golden rule, and do things like get out of the right lane if I can, or adjust my speed as appropriate, when on the expressway and someone is trying to enter the expressway from the right. As I see that, it is just common courtesy. (And, YES, I'd expect someone behind me to get on the horn at a light if I was in the left-turn lane and then decided I really wanted to go straight but just sat there when the left-arrow turned green. )

As I stated above, I am not yet driving my Prius, however, in my current car, a '94 Integra, I note that there are plenty of people who have no clue as to what the "two second rule" is and will tailgate for whatever their reason is. So, I hope that I will not feel self-conscious because I am driving a Prius when I get it. I know, though, that I will be thinking about the fact that the person next to me in the SUV on the highway is spending far more for gas than I am.

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(darelldd @ May 17 2006, 12:28 PM) [snapback]256916[/snapback]</div>

if you are already at the rightmost lane, then people who want to go faster than you should just overtake on the left.

if there is only one lane and there is a slow car in front of you, then make some room so that the car behind you can overtake you then overtake the next car, instead of having to overtake 2 cars at once.

if there is only one lane and there is nobody in front of you and you are the slow car, then turn on your hazard lights, move to the shoulder and let the faster cars through. people have done this to me and i really appreciate it.


<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Charles Suitt @ May 17 2006, 01:22 PM) [snapback]256959[/snapback]</div>

no. they're not entitled to demand that you drive at their speed. they are just telling you to "kindly please move to the right so i can pass". since they can't talk to you directly, there are only two ways to do this: tail-gate or flash the headlights. neither should be considered rude. what is rude is if someone is giving you the signal requesting for passing space and you deliberately refuse to give way.

if somebody tailgates me, i move to the right lane. what's the big deal.

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(electricity_guzzler @ May 18 2006, 01:40 PM) [snapback]257559[/snapback]</div>

I also move out of the way as quickly as I can, but that is not always possible if the next lane is blocked by another car.

I move over for my own safety, not because I think the jerk deserves to push me out of his way.

It is a big deal. It is rude. It is selfish.