Hybrids make HOV motorists mad
LOS ANGELES - Solo drivers of fuel-efficient hybrids in
California may be regretting their right to drive in car-
pool lanes because of "Prius backlash" from carpoolers.
The hybrid drivers are being accused by carpoolers of
going too slow to maximize fuel efficiency, thereby
clogging their diamond lanes, reports The Los Angeles
Times. "There's a mentality out there that we're a bunch
of liberal hippies or we're trying to make some statement
on the environment," Travis Ruff, a real estate agent who
drives a Toyota Prius, told the newspaper. "People are a
lot less friendly than when I drove a Mercedes." The
state, which has issued carpool-lane stickers to about
50,000 hybrid cars, now plans to study the impact, says
the report. A similar debate over carpool-lane congestion
also is taking place in Virginia, where hybrid drivers
using the lanes in peak hours must have three or more
people in their vehicles.
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