The only real problem I had was when I put a mildly confrontational 65MPG sticker on my back bumper for two days.

I took it off for concern, and all is calm again.

 

Here in CA, particularly my city, *everyone* speeds. Speed limit of 65, and the average speed most people do is 75 (I used to be one as well). Since I got the HCH, I've started driving slower and slower, to where I now cruise at about 63. I often have huge SUVs and Hummers (mileage so bad it doesn't even get printed on the sticker!) filling my rear-view with grill, but they just go around me on the highway. On city streets, it's another story as they can't easilly get around me and will gladly ride within three feet of my rear bumper (had a tow truck doing that just two days ago, in fact). Creeping up behind me in stop-go heavy traffic when I let the car in front of me creep up another 5 feet while I just sit is also quite common. I often have to sacrifice FE (now that I'm finally starting to learn what FE can be like -- my first few tanks weren't that great) during commute times to avoid causing too much ire in my fellow drivers. We have had some pretty bad road-rage issues locally for the past few years (one particular story is of a guy who got cut off, then followed the offending driver to the off-ramp and got out and shot him dead while they were stopped at the red light) and though things aren't as violent as they were, people are still quite rude and I'd rather not be involved in another event personally.
So, perhaps the west is a little different in driving attitudes from the south? or perhaps it's just my city.

 

I lived on the West Coast for 3 years and I have to say they were actually the most polite and most adept drivers I've ever been a part of. And that was in a city where it rained 320 days a year and traffic was always overpacked.

 

Well, y'all have not driven in Miami, where red lights and stops signs are a suggestions, going slow in the left lane is a normal mode of operation, and speeding the right hand lane is the only way to make time to get around the slow pokes that are in all the other lanes. We have absolutely the worst drivers down here. What gets my goat more than anything else are the idiots that insist on going slow in the left hand lane, and those people that cannot seem to keep a steady speed no matter what. They even insist on stopping on the through lanes of the prepaid tolls. I can't tell you how many almost accidents I have seen because of this.

The only changes to my driving style is that I don't have a 0 to 60 in 4 second car anymore, so I have to plan my freeway entrances (which is another peeve of mine.) What makes it so tough with this car is that we have people here who seem to think that they can merge with traffic going 60+mph doing 30. This is the one time I wish that the HCH had a bit more get up and go.

BTW, speed limits are too low. The roads in general are designed to be driven at a speed higher than what is posted. The logic is that people don't know how to drive and we need tax revenue (read speeding tickets) so that is why some speed limits are set the way they are.

Mike V

 

Must still be the "Wild Wild West" in a way.

Sounds very difficult....I feel for you guys!