Foo - Near-Collision with Prius

So I'm riding through Berkeley after talking bike fitting with
the good people at VeloSport. I stop at an intersection
and wait for the car directly opposite me that was there first me to go through the
4-way stop. Then I signal and make a left turn.

This driver in a Prius follows the car that I was waiting for as if there
was no stop. I think she will see me but no. She proceeds on at
a slow but constant rate of speed. So I stop in the middle of this intersection
trackstanding to wait for her--she's on a cell phone blathering away.
As she drives by so close I could spit into the open window I yell
choice phrases at her--she looks very surprised and hurt. I am not really
one to get road rage but I wanted to break off her side view mirror or
chuck a u-lock at her or something. I once almost got ran over by an Escalade
on a busy street--I didn't respond the same way I was somehow more like
that's the sort of thing that can happen and I'm lucky.

This Prius encounter was on a slow-ish intersection in broad
daylight. I hate this woman. I hope she chokes on her tofu.

Getting taken out by a Prius is like bruising after getting hit by your little sister with a feather duster...just sayin'.

I believe HTFU points are subtracted when mentioning a near miss with a Prius.

I know pathetic right.

There wasn't that much chance of getting hurt seriously.
I was just kind of amazed at the picture perfect idiocy
and hypocrisy of it all.

I am glad you're OK Kaiju. :)

Keep your eyes open out there.

If a car passes me close enough for me to take their mirror off (or really just swivel it against the cars - are there any fixed mirrors anymore?) I take it that they're really just offering me the opportunity.

I think you are just mad because of the size of her Prius. I believe this is called Prius Envy.



Sorry for that, I suck. Glad you are okay.

If a car passes me close enough for me to take their mirror off (or really just swivel it against the cars - are there any fixed mirrors anymore?) I take it that they're really just offering me the opportunity.

+1
Especially if you can do it with your elbow and then claim they hit you. The look of fear is priceless.

Glad you're ok. I hate that randomly stupid stuff that happens.

+1
Especially if you can do it with your elbow and then claim they hit you. The look of fear is priceless.

Yeah, it would be like getting hit with a feather-duster. Just roll on the ground like you're in pain and take them for everything - except the Prius thingie. ;)

But I am glad you're OK. I commute and have run-ins a lot with idiots who are either ignorant of obviously trying to kill me.

Here, we call it piggybacking and it happens to me every day while in my car even...

So I'm riding through Berkeley after talking bike fitting with
the good people at VeloSport. I stop at an intersection
and wait for the car directly opposite me that was there first me to go through the
4-way stop. Then I signal and make a left turn.

This driver in a Prius follows the car that I was waiting for as if there
was no stop. I think she will see me but no. She proceeds on at
a slow but constant rate of speed. So I stop in the middle of this intersection
trackstanding to wait for her--she's on a cell phone blathering away.
As she drives by so close I could spit into the open window I yell
choice phrases at her--she looks very surprised and hurt. I am not really
one to get road rage but I wanted to break off her side view mirror or
chuck a u-lock at her or something. I once almost got ran over by an Escalade
on a busy street--I didn't respond the same way I was somehow more like
that's the sort of thing that can happen and I'm lucky.

This Prius encounter was on a slow-ish intersection in broad
daylight. I hate this woman. I hope she chokes on her tofu.

Defensive driving 101

if you live to tell it, it was a good ride. Glad you're okay.

I had one pass me in electric mode, scared the crap outta me ... it was so quiet. We're going to need noise makers on electric cars if they become the standard.

Here's a hug.

http://www.realclearsports.com/blog/virtual%20hug.jpg

What does the car being a Prius have to do with it? And do you guys actually think that getting hit by a Prius wont hurt? :wtf:

I got hit by a car a few weeks back and I don't even know what kind of car it was?

Actually, one of my most recent riding scares was an older lady in a Prius at night. And I'm fairly fred-tastic with my lights, too.

I'd already figured she wasn't going to see me because she had not made eye contact once, so I was already slowing down when she saw me.

Thankfully, seemed like a well-adjusted person because she rolled down the window and apologized.

Still, I'm kinda bumming that I keep my u-lock on my rack because I'd have to loose a water bottle holder to use the clamp thingie. Deprives me of a weapon. Guess I'll have to key cars instead. :P

Oh, and I think some people think that Prius drivers are part of the same large cluster of environemtnally-friendly, right-thinking people as we are. When really they are just part of the problem like all other cars. :P

I've noticed that the whole hands-free cell phone thing is widely ignored. What's really stupid are the people you see holding their handsets away from their ear and using the speakerphone (like they're about to eat a slice of pizza). Hello!?!?, the point is that it's supposed to be HANDS FREE.

What does the car being a Prius have to do with it? And do you guys actually think that getting hit by a Prius wont hurt? :wtf:

No.

The joke (here I go 'splaining jokes again) is about the car's image as cat-huggy and environmentally-friendly when it's just as good a deadly weapon as any other car. It's called sardonic humor.

Getting taken out by a Prius is like bruising after getting hit by your little sister with a feather duster...just sayin'.

I believe HTFU points are subtracted when mentioning a near miss with a Prius.

Prius= 3000lbs+ of steel an batteries. They will transform a cyclist into a bug spot just as easily as a Suburban Assault Vehicle.


edit: Just realized the sarcasm. Sarcasm over the interwebs doesn't work so wellz.

Ironically, this kind of attitude prevents smaller cars from becoming more prevalent in the US.

If she was a minority, would you have said "Near collision with minority driver"? That's carist.

I had one pass me in electric mode, scared the crap outta me ... it was so quiet. We're going to need noise makers on electric cars if they become the standard.

Playing cards in the spokes?? :rolleyes: