Prius Rage- Your stories

Why do you live there?
Are you people aware that due to exploding economies in the rest of the world there are skill shortages almost everywhere, so there is no need to live near these simple minded people.

 

+1

How ironic a veteran helping support foreign economies *and* helping fund terrorism by using 2-3x the fuel that a Prius will use to drive the same distance

Or, as a certain president would say: "how ironical"

 

Pat

Unfortunately, there are a lot of simple-minded people in the US and Canada. Not only do they have oodles of rights and freedoms, they also have unwarranted access to easy credit

The credit mess and the mortgage mess isn’t quite as bad in Canada as it is in the US, but it is bad enough. Simple folk who only 10 years ago would be destined to rent a cockroach infested sh***y apartment the rest of their life, are now in a fairly nice NEW home.

They also have the “right†to get a nice plasma widescreen telly on credit, a new vehicle, etc. I’ve noticed especially with the Dodge dealers, anybody with a pulse and a part time job can get whatever new pickup or high performance car they want.

Of course, they have no hope in hell of keeping all of that. They’ll be along for the ride maybe 2 years max, lose all of it, and go back to the cockroach infested apartment lifestyle. They don’t even have to pay for that, the rather generous Canadian taxpayer won’t let them freeze in winter or starve.

I can perhaps understand a simpleton getting into debt far over their head, and being angry about that. Nobody points a gun to your head and forces you to do that. A person in that situation can’t blame others for their mistakes. Be a Man and take responsibility for your actions!

It’s weird and kooky how a lot of simpletons blame hybrid cars for “causing†the high fuel prices and the economic mess. Repeat after me: complete lack of leadership, many failed policies, and corrupt, incompetent large corporations are to blame for the mess we are now in

jay

 

its really unfortunate that people have learned to believe "buying stuff" is what constitutes freedom. all the while freedom of the press, speech, religion, searches are seizures are constantly thrown away. civic freedom is no more but consumer freedom is the only thing people seem to care about..

 

Its home.

Although, back in 2004 when the GF and I visited New Zealand, we did discuss ditching our passports and seeing how long we might evade capture. But we wanted to see our pets and family again.

 

0% interest for 60 months on all Hemi powered pickups. Plus, subsidized fuel ($2.99 per gal, up to 12k miles per year) for 3 years on most Chrysler products. And a Lifetime powertrain warrenty.

They aren't getting desperate though.

Wonder if that still applies if Chrysler goes bankrupt before the 3 years are up?

 

A little advice for all you joggers (and bicyclists) out there that seem to be getting stuff thrown at you. I get up very early in the morning and leave before sunup. I don't know how many times I've passed joggers running in the road in the dark with no reflective gear on them. You don't even see them until you're right on top of them. I used to jog also. I found that the only time I got stuff thrown at me was when I didn't wear a reflective safety vest. Not sure why that is, but it helped, even in broad daylight. Try wearing one of those bright orange fishnet safety vests with the yellow reflective stripes (yeah yeah, I know... the fashion police will be aghast, but so be it...) It worked for me...

WRT road ragers, I've been raged about once a week since I got my Prius - always by some SUV or large Buick. Usually people who won't yield right of way, won't allow me to merge, won't allow me to pass, etc. I'm hoping this is just people thinking they can bully me because I still have the dealer tags on my car, and not the Prius thing. Seems like I remember the same thing happening last time I had dealer plates.

 

The other day I was driving to work on a long straight normal flat road, just coming off a roundabout (traffic circle in the US), then right up behind me appears a "boy racer" (you know the type!). Him and his mates in the car etc.. it was a Vauxhall Nova 1.2 with all show and no go and a body kit that doubled the weight of the car!
After tailgating me for a minute or so at 45mph he decided to over take. I could hear his engine screaming as he downshifted for pass.. so I thought what the hell.. can't give the old Prius a bad name.. so I floored it and he had to pull in behind me again.. I slowed to about 50mph and seeing his face contorted with rage had me laughing all the way to work!

Nothing like a bit of pay-back!

 

Now THAT is a sight that I would have loved to have seen firsthand.

 

I used to live in Northern VA, and up there people would tailgate me no matter how fast I was going or what lane I was in. That was when I had a Lexus back in the day. I designed my own bumper sticker that said, "WARNING: Tailgaters may be photographed" and that seemed to work most of the time.

In NC, I find that far fewer people tailgate. It does happen occasionally, but the drivers just seem more courteous than they did in NoVA (even though some fly down the road well over the posted speed limit). So -- no Prius rage yet. Although I've only had the car for a couple of weeks and I try not to drive it too slowly. Admittedly, I'll drive it a little slowly in the right lane on the 4-lane 65 mph highway, but if people can't turn their steering wheels a fraction of a turn to the left to go around (which I do very easily if I'm coming up on someone), then they have a problem. Most do and it works out well. Still, I'm not putt-putting at 55 in the 65 zone either, maybe 62-63. Since I already have a high-mileage vehicle, I don't see the need to squeeze out every mpg and make everyone angry. There are other times when I can "make up" the mpgs to some extent. (My average right now is 53.4 on the meter).

I agree w/what someone said earlier on this forum -- I wish every vehicle had a mpg meter. If they only knew how much $$ they could save with the high gas prices simply by slowing down. I realize some still wouldn't care, but a lot might. In my Altima (which does have a mpg meter), I can get up to 34 mpg highway. But watch that thing drop like a rock in city driving or when driving faster on the highway (over 65), and it tends to slow you down. It makes you want to beat your own records.

 

I think you may have given the road ragers a bit too much credit.

... Brad

 

Out of curiousity, what is the speed limit on those 65 mph highways for multiaxle trucks or autos towing trailers? Is it 65 mph or 55 mph?

I have no issue/hang-ups driving 55 mph in the right lane on a 65 mph freeway, since that is supposed to be the maximum speed limits for multiaxle trucks and autos towing trailers.

In other words, don't worry about "making" people get angry, you can't "make" people get angry....anger is something THEY CHOOSE to do.

 

True, but that's why my next sentence was, "I realize some still wouldn't care, but a lot might."

Certainly some people don't care how much $$ they're blowing, they'll speed anyway. And maybe they have a lot of money, they're just obstinant or whatever. But I do think it would have some impact. Just "telling" people they'll save gas and money by driving slower doesn't seem to have the same impact as seeing it first hand on the mpg meter. At least it didn't for me.

 

The speed limit is the same for everyone on this highway. Ultimately, I agree with what you're saying that people choose to get angry. Still, you can provoke people to anger. I get upset for the same reason -- this morning a car was coming off a ramp into the right lane that I was in going 45 in a 65 zone and I couldn't get into the next lane over because of the traffic. Once in the rightmost lane they moved over into the middle lane (where the highway was now a 3-lane road) going the same 45 in a 65 zone. Eventually they did speed up a little (and the speed limit dropped to 55 or 60), but not until they practically parked their car in the middle of the highway. There does come a point where people are so focused on themselves that they act dangerously or inconsiderately of the moving traffic, and that is pretty aggravating. Even if they had been having car trouble and couldn't go any faster, why would you jump to the middle lane at that speed?

 

You could plaster the back of your car with nice white bicycle reflectors or that reflective roadsign material... make the tailgater's bright lights shine back at him. Kinda adds a nice karmic touch to the whole matter.

BJJB