The Republic of T. Archives

So, I subscribe to the Anderson Cooper 360 blog. Even though is doesn’t appear that Andy (in the fantasy-friendship we have in my brain I get to call him Andy) writes most of the posts, I read it anyway because … well, it’s Andy, or at least Andy-related. I haven’t found much there to blog about, until now.

The writer of this particular post calls a recent California phenomenon a "low-level, non-violent road rage." I prefer a much simpler term: Prius Envy.

Under legislation signed by Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger, drivers of the highest gas mileage hybrids — only certain Toyotas and Hondas — can now use California carpool lanes even if the driver is alone. If you try using those lanes alone in your Escalade, or even your Jetta, you’ll get pulled over by a cop on a motorcycle, and the minimum fine is $271.00.

So not only is that nerdy guy you made fun of in high school now getting 52 miles per gallon, he’s getting special treatment from Arnold himself, which allows him to zip past you in the carpool lane, while you sit stuck in traffic.

And here’s the complicating factor: Not only is this a special privilege for people who buy certain cars, but the hybrid owners, as a group, have a reputation for driving slowly. Sometimes maddeningly so. That’s because they get better gas mileage at lower speeds, and if they didn’t care about gas mileage, then they wouldn’t be driving a hybrid in the first place.

This is why Prius drivers like Jane Velez-Mitchell (Yes, the TV legal analyst who sometimes appears on CNN Headline News) say they’ve been yelled at, honked at, cut off in traffic and generally messed with.

Does it seem a little crazy to anyone besides me that with gas prices now so high that school systems are canceling school for two days to save on fuel, that people are getting flack for trying to be more fuel efficient? And with the likelihood that three or more years of high gas prices may be a reality, doesn’t it make sense for a government to give people incentives to save fuel?

If nothing else it balances out the fact that people can still get tax-breaks for buying SUVs, up to $25,000 if you can write it off as a business expense. Compare that to the reality that hybrid owners can only get a tax credit of up to $3,400, which phases out for eligible cars once the manufacturer sells over 60,000. (Apparently, Bush supports lifting the 60,000 limit on hybrids eligible for tax-credits. We might actually agree on something. Shocker.)

In the meantime Senate Republicans are caving to the oil industry — which just reported record profits — and scuttling their tax proposal to offer some relief on gas prices, even as 10 states — including California — are suing the federal government to strengthen gas milage requirements for SUVs.

And hybrid drivers are the ones being picked on here?

It seems to me that this add up to the government basically subsidizing SUVs in a way that it doesn’t for hybrids, or at least to a much greater degree than it does for hybrids. So, I’m not sure what SUV-drivers have to honk about. But I think one hybrid-driver hit the nail on the head.

Some advice: Don’t mess with Jane unless you want an earful.

"I do get hostility, especially from SUV drivers," she told us. "And let’s face it, they’ve made a really bad choice in their vehicle. … If your little Prius is standing in the way of their Escalade, they get angry. Well, that’s not how it works. Just because you drive a big Escalade doesn’t mean you’re more powerful or more important or should be able to get in front of me."

I know, I know. I’m sure there are people who live in places where an SUV is the most practical vehicle to have, or whose lifestyles demand a huge, four-wheel-drive vehicle, etc. But I’m willing to bet that, given what we’ve learned about the psychology of some men who drive SUVs, that an undying obsession with size and power along with the belief that "bigger is better" drives at least some SUV purchases. That and a healthy dose of overcompensation.

And the idea that some "little hybrid-driving twerp" might be getting some reward for being a "little hybrid-driving twerp" — that maybe being the biggest doesn’t come with the perks they think it ought to, including kicking sand in the faces of "little guys" — probably does inspire some low-grade "road rage." But I still prefer to call it "Prius Envy." For obvious reasons.

This entry was posted on Tuesday, May 2nd, 2006 at 10:34 am and is filed under Current Events, Environment, Politics. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.