Tailgater bait?

the hatch makes them look a little closer, people tend to drive too close these days, and yes, prius gives people behind them agita, no matter how fast they accelerate, drive, even in the right lane.
when they start bobbing and weaving, watch out for gun fire

 

Just keep it in the middle/left hand lane and flash the highs to let the coal rollers know you're intent on passing them before the next twisty bits.

 

My driving habits haven't really changed over the years. I stay with in the speed limit, maybe go 10-15 over the highway speed limit. I was rarely tailgated with my previous car; which was a 2008 Scion XB. But when I got the Prius, I've been tailgated like crazy over the last couple years. People tend to hate on the Prius simply because its a Prius. Eventually you'll get use to the tailgaters and you'll find moments where your thinking to yourself...welp...I'm getting 40-50 mpg doing my normal driving while everyone else is getting alot less as they slam on the gas to get past me.

 

This must be a regional thing. Haven't seen it occur out East, up and down I-95.

 

Every time I drive, someone tailgates me. And, as I look around, I see that everyone else is either tailgating, being tailgated, or both.

 

Brake checking is an art.

If that makes you too nervous, switching on the 4-way flashers often is about as good.

 

I learned to drive back in the UK, and when I first moved over to this side of ThePond back in 1983, I was shocked at just how close folk drove to each other. That and passing on either side . The first time I drove on the interstates over here, I really thought that other drivers were having some sort of medical emergency while driving (…remember this was way before the days of cell-phones! )

 

I mentioned in another thread that I feel like checking my mirrors to see if there's a Tyrannosaurus Rex coming up from behind.

 

You could be a late-braker and watch the tailgater go wide, then off in the weeds behind you... Just saying.

 

...by now I've gotten used to doing the "BothSidesNow" check, so I'm no longer surprised!

 

Everywhere I have been licensed, this is explicitly legal, wherever a separate marked lane is available. In these states, the 'no passing on the right' law means no passing on the shoulder, on the shoulder stripe, or by squeezing through in the same lane.

Keeping this legal, prevents rolling roadblocks by the slowpokes violating the 'slower traffic keep right' law. They block only their own lane, not all other lanes to the right too.

Not all of them go wide. Or wide enough. Or into otherwise unoccupied weedy areas.

 

I agree that the hatch back view can make it seem cars are following closer, if you are use to sedan with a conventional back window and trunk or of course a pick-up, with a entire truck bed separating you from the vehicle behind you.

But I'd also say....it's not your imagination, you probably are getting tail gated more often.
I know this from being an Ex-Prius driver.
With my Prius, I suffered all the barbs of persecution that it seems all Prius owners can suffer, including seemingly angrier people tailgating and then aggressively passing.
The reason I feel confident in making this blanket value judgement is I now drive a Honda Fit, in the same environment. Now trust me, The Honda Fit isn't faster than the Prius. It's a small 4 cylinder engine.
I'm NOT driving the Fit any faster than I drove the Prius.
But I rarely have anyone tail gate me, and I don't seem to get the same "Angry Pass". And all I can chalk it up to, is prejudice by some against the Prius nameplate.
I'm routinely ignored as just a non-descript subcompact hatchback in the Fit.
Unfortunately, with some, in a Prius I think I represented any number of unfair preconceived prejudices. One being that regardless of what speed I was actually driving, I MUST be passed, because I MUST be driving slow.- Not true.

Just adjust to the reality that driving a Prius is also going to reveal to you a percentages of on the road idiots. Not much you can do about it.

I would recommend NOT embracing taunting bumper stickers.
I'm not a big fan of most bumper stickers. I've never changed my opinion either socially or politically, or philosophically, because of any bumper sticker I have seen. I personally feel the back of your vehicle is NOT a good platform for any communication of any desired value.
However, ultimately? Why provoke these idiots? They already don't like you because you are driving a Prius, why point out that you are ahead of them, and then suggest you are going slow?

 

If they dive to the apex, you watch them go by, and off on the overrun.

To be clear, not 'recommending' this on public highways.

 

I agree with others, tailgating is just the "new normal" these days. However I would also agree there is something 'special' about the Prius. There are many videos on youtube of people destroying a Prius, sometimes with tanks, some with big cars, some shooting it, some even with hand tools, and a ton of comments about how happy people are to see it destroyed. This is not something that happens to any other make of car. nobody makes videos about destroying a Honda Accord, an AMC Pacer, a Chevy Astro, Volkswagen Beetle, etc. Every once in a while there's bound to be some of that portion of the population following behind.

 

How right you are. I've seen so many Youtube videos come up of people doing exactly what you described. I don't understand the hate that some people give the car. So you don't like it, then don't drive it. It's simple as that. Why waste so much time and energy on hating something you don't drive? why not use that energy into something that you do enjoy drive instead of caring about what other people drive? Its the norm now as you said. I'll continue driving mine and will enjoy it as much as possible until the time comes where I can afford an all EV that suits my needs. For a car that exceeds 40-50mpg, I can't see myself ever going back to a normal car that gets below those numbers. I have a neighbor across the street from me who drives a Chevy Silverado diesel truck. Has anti Toyota bumper stickers on his trailer hitch, and smokes out with his fumes whenever I'm parked at the bus stop, waiting for my step daughters bus to arrive. I never had an issue with the guy; spoke to him once during a cold winter morning when his truck wouldn't start and offered to help jump it and he kindly said he's all set. So I don't know what his deal is. If you go on ebay and type Prius t-shirts, you'll see t-shirts that say "**** your Prius" and other things along that line. Again, I don't get it.

I understand they are Prius drivers (just like any other driver) out there who slow down traffic or hold up traffic or whatever. But to plant that stigma that all Prius drivers are like that is ignorant. I've driven 80 mph down the highway in the right lane (slow lane) and still have had people tailgate me. When I had my Scion, this was never an issue.

 

...the bestest bumper-sticker I've seen to date, read:

"Nuke the Unborn Gay Whales for Jesus!"

...that was about 30 years ago, and I'm still looking for one which expresses my views better!

 

Whenever I'm being tailgated for a long period of time by one person, I find I have to clean my windshield and the windshield of the person behind me. It really doesn't help but I feel better having a really clean windshield.