The Prius problem
 

I am starting this thread for two reasons. The first, my disclaimer, is that I am a bit of an anti Prius troll, and the second is out of genuine curiosity. It seems that on my commute to and from work every day, I encounter a Prius who is interrupting the flow of traffic. There are certainly other makes and models with drivers who are out of touch with reality, but there seems to be a remarkable concentration of the Prius problem. There seems to be little regard for what is an appropriate speed to be traveling, and little regard for the slower traffic keep right concept. The next largest group of left lane owners that I have observed are various makes of mini vans, but they don't even come close to the Prius problem. I often try to get a look at the driver when I finally get a chance to get around it, and the drivers often have the seat way far forward, and the seat back straight up, hands at 10:00 and 2:00 the dmv driving manual. The windows are usually up, and although I can't hear what is going on inside the car, it is obvious that the there is no music playing. So, what's up with the Prius?

Statement unclear, response hazardous.

Is this Prius driving slowly in the fast lane? My experience has always been Prius drivers passing everyone like Audis did back in Germany.

Probably my wife in her 05 silver prius...do they drive slow or fast? my wife is usually a right line cruiser.

Lol, I have in fact seen an occasional Prius that is hard to keep up with. Those things scoot when they need to. As for the Prius driving too slowly in the fast lane, that is a big part of what I am talking about. I want to understand what is going on with these people. I have travelled and lived all over the world, and have witnessed a universal concept of slower traffic keeping to the right, but these Prius drivers here in America seem to be in their own isolated environment where they are the only drivers on the road. They will drive in the left lane next to a slow truck for miles, or an indefinite time, without noticing or having any regard for the traffic jam behind them. When you finally get a chance to peek at these drivers, they seem to be in really blah looking people, and their driving posture tends to be an uptight driving position.

I see that here, but no necessarily prius drivers. Maybe its the idea that they dont care/know how to drive and they bought a prius because its cheap to operate and, because they dont care about driving, dont care about how enjoyable it is to drive?

Not so much a prius problem as an idiot problem. Keep them out there in cali, would you?

I see plenty of other idiots who behave the same way, but a very high concentration of the Prius variety. I think you captured a little bit of what I was wanting to say about the blah people... They are clearly not auto enthusiasts. No passion whatsoever.

It is certainly an all-to-common behavior around here (northern Nevada), but it's hardly limited to Prius drivers. In fact, I can't instantly recall having seen a Prius do it. Though I admit to not particularly keeping track of vehicle make, it doesn't seem correlated at all.

OK, I'll 'bite' and ask the hard question: You driving the POSTED speed limit around those Prii, and that's why you're harping about their perceived "driver slowness"? (and "yes" I've driven in Caliprunia)

• Windows down at 50+ mph = increased aerodrag.
• Hands at 10 & 2 means they're not texting or dialing cell phones!
• Cars are transportation devices, NOT self-propelled music chambers.

I would think that a driver like this might also like the Prius for soft suspension, and reduced noise (like any hybrid)

While I feel like it's true, I also wonder if the distinctiveness of the prius' body makes it easier to label these drivers. I encounter others who seem similar, but just think of them as driving some random vehicle

This! This is exactly what the problem is! I have a lot of respect for other drivers, and for people who fit the description above, but not when they are in the hammer lane or next to another Prius who is doing the same thing. There is a respectable way to Eco drive. When I spot an Eco driver who is clearly driving that way for economy, I make sure to do what I can to accommodate him, but rarely do they let me go 80 when that's how I want to drive. It's like they want to force me to drive like them.

There is the mutual respect between those of us who Eco drive and those of us who go 80 in the hammer lane, and then there is the problem of the Prius driver who is completely out of touch with what the rest of the drivers are doing, is driving too slow in whatever lane they are in, and are focused on exclusively on the 100 feet in front of their vehicle.