Driving Psychology and Hypermiling

[Chuck]

I'm sure many of you have also reached this conclusion: Aggressive drivers HATE hypermilers. They vent on the road even when you were completely out of their way, they put trollish comments online to hypermiling articles.

If that was not enough, a recent Baltimore Sun article was decidedly negative about hypermiling, although moderated in an article the next day. In the midst of that negativity was a snippet of Dr. Leon James: "Hypermiling can be a selfish thing to do". Hindsight tells me the reporter just put this quote totally out of context. I was pointed to Dr. James site on the psychology of driving and put much thought on the problem of aggressive driving and road rage. After the Baltimore Sun article, he put a page on hypermiling (may need to scroll down).

What he says appears reasonable: hypermiling is OK - just don't annoy other drivers. My thoughts: don't let it annoy reasonable drivers...some will be upset by the mere fact you hypermile and as long as my driving does not actually interfere with them or present a safety issue, I will not be intimidated.

[kmactavi]

Yep, the other day I was doing about 70 on a 90 km/h deserted 4-lane highway, and a pickup flies by me honking, probably doing around 140 km/h... There is a superiority complex with some aggressive drivers.

Kirk

[PaleMelanesian]

Totally agree. Some drivers are annoyed by your very existence, regardless of how you're driving. Too bad for them that the world is such an inconvenient place.

I do make efforts to not bother reasonable drivers.

[kayasbluetaco]

Even in my speed demon days, if I was in the right lane, I never got upset with a slow driver, they were in the right lane and that's where they should be if they drive slow. The only time I got aggrevated with somoeone driving the speedlimit or slower was when they were in the left lane, passing noone, and just wanted to be in the left lane for god knows what reason.

The right lane is for slower traffic. Unless it is a two lane (one eachway highway) if I am doing the speedlimit, or even slower for that matter, tough noogies to those that don't like it. Of course, if it is a two lane road I am much more accomodating to the traffic behind me.

[GhettoMedic]

Originally Posted by Delta Flyer

What he says appears reasonable: hypermiling is OK - just don't annoy other drivers. My thoughts: don't let it annoy reasonable drivers...some will be upset by the mere fact you hypermile and as long as my driving does not actually interfere with them or present a safety issue, I will not be intimidated.

I guess it comes down to this: why do people feel they have a right NOT to be annyoed? When someone acting in a safe and legal fashion, ableit at 55mph instead of 75mph, why is the person driving slower the one causing problems?

As recently as last fall, I was one of those ******* drivers. I had a fast and nimble car. I drove fast. I sped, tailgated, swerved in and out of traffic. I had a train horn on my car. No joke. Huge air horn. Honked all the time at people.

And as a result of my stupidity, I piled my car into a concrete barrier at 80 mph. I was fine. Nobody really gets all that hurt in car accidents anymore considering how many thousands of car accidents happen every day, only a few people get hurt. But my car was destroyed.

I was a danger to myself and to other drivers. I see people like my old self every day. Tailgating. Honking. Flashing lights. Fingers. Fists. I watch one driver throw a shoe at someone tailgating him. A passenger in the lead vehicle threw a shoe out the window at a vehicle behind them. So now the chase is on, in an out of traffic.

Mind you, I live in a large, rude, disgusting city in the US. But still, even by this metro standards, throwing trash out of a window is a little excessive.

How do I know if I am annoying other drivers? I'm not here to make other people happy. I just go from work to home and want to do it cheaply. So I'm sick of the crap about how its an inconvenience for other drivers. Maybe leave earlier. That's what I do.

[MaxxMPG]

I have the advantage of driving in two completely different environments - the rural mountains of the Scranton, PA area, and the SUV-With-Driver-On-Cellphone capital of the world - Long Island, NY. The PA drivers are pretty easy going, even through the never-ending construction zones on I-81. The NY drivers are not as aggressive as people think. Yes, there are stories to be told, and the devil-horns and pointy tail of the fellow motorists don't really show themselves until you're driving in pre-rush-hour traffic, as this is the time when everyone drives at 90mph to get to where they're doing before rush hour starts. But I adjust my schedule to drive during off-hours. The speed limits on LI all top out at 55mph, so you can drive 50-55 without standing out too much. I find that most often, even at 45-50mph, there are about half a dozen cars following me at that speed. And this is in the right lane, nowhere near an exit ramp (so they're not just following me because their exit is 500 feet ahead), and with plenty of chances to pass. The FSP brigade just rolls along in the left lane at their 65-70mph and they leave us alone.

Around town, where I NICE-on coast to lights I know will turn red, I notice that people will initially get really close to my bumper, which I attribute them not knowing what my motive is for not speeding to the red light. But when I get to the light and it changes... Guess what happens? They don't pass me, but stick behind me, following a bit further back. They figure out what I'm doing and why, and they "follow the leader". And this is on a four lane road (two lanes each way), and I am not in any way holding up traffic. In fact, the right lane is barely used, as people don't want the nuisance of right turners, and soccer moms sticking their minvan noses out into traffic to jam their way into traffic.

And I swear I'm not making any of this up.

We need to use reverse psychology sometimes, and maintain our trademark meekness and resist any tendency to develop the smugness that the driveby media tries to pin on us. The "me first" drivers are the people who are too short-sighted to realize that their selfishness is delaying them, as well as delaying all the other selfish drivers. But they're just people who are perpetually late for everything and they're trying to gain some time back by getting to their destination as quickly as possible. These are our neighbors, our bosses, our friends's family members, and so on. They're frustrated and scared people, and they're just lashing out at whoever is in their way.

That doesn't justify what they do, but understanding the underlying causes can provide us with the perspective we need to reach out to them and "convert" them to our driving style.

If each of us could achieve one new convert per day, the number of hypermilers on the road would double every 24 hours. Think about that!

Sure, lots of people will write you off as a flaky stop-sign-snubbing, semi-drafting, selfish eco-pest liberal tree-hugging road menace. Well, that's just peachy. Smile as they drive off with their right foot pressed to the floormat and then talk with the next guy (or gal).

We want to be the people of good cheer - optimistic, and with a reserved enthusiasm of our little 'secret'. When I'm filling the tank, and an Escalade whooshes in, and the driver is pumping $90 worth of hi-test into the tank, if s/he makes a remark about gas prices, I tell them that I'm saving 35% off my gas cost, so I don't really feel the pain at the pump. If they proceed to ask how, then I know I have a 'nibble' and I can slowly reel them in. It really does work.

This is probably a thread that could go on for months, as driving reveals a whole separate facet of our personalities, and it's so much fun to study it.

[applemac*fit]

Originally Posted by MaxxMPG

Sure, lots of people will write you off as a flaky stop-sign-snubbing, semi-drafting, selfish eco-pest liberal tree-hugging road menace. Well, that's just peachy. Smile as they drive off with their right foot pressed to the floormat and then talk with the next guy (or gal).

We want to be the people of good cheer - optimistic, and with a reserved enthusiasm of our little 'secret'. When I'm filling the tank, and an Escalade whooshes in, and the driver is pumping $90 worth of hi-test into the tank, if s/he makes a remark about gas prices, I tell them that I'm saving 35% off my gas cost, so I don't really feel the pain at the pump. If they proceed to ask how, then I know I have a 'nibble' and I can slowly reel them in. It really does work.

Well-written post!!!

One guy at work calls me a tree-hugging Hippie because I talk about hypermiling. What!?! Now, there's nothing wrong with Hippies, I'm just not one.

I simply think saving money on driving is a fiscally wise thing to do. Additionally, I believe it's the patriotic thing to do as we, by using less fuel, are giving less support to countries which hate us yet are the ones from whom we purchase our fuel (Venezuela, Iran...). Finally, Hypermiling is a great challenge; I compete against my previous FE records.

I think it brings the challenge back to driving.

[desdemona]

I think "reasonable" is the operative word. You are bound to annoy someone. My nephew is just furious with me that I would even be considering a Prius. There are tons of young males in the 16-25 year range who just hate them. So by itself annoying someone is really someone else's problem.

Driving in the right lane where you could easily be passed and someone just won't pass you, might annoy the serial tailgater but it isn't selfish.

I suppose the aggressive, gas wasting, unnecessary use of resources is just fine and dandy.
Sheesh!

--des