Prius Driver Has a Meltdown...

Neither one of them had any rights entitled to them. There is no law that favors either party in this situation. However, if you want to make compromise with a stranger, you certainly do not want try in a fashion this lady did. Considering the engine running is essential to the operation of air conditioning, I really dont see what the dmax driver did wrong. Based on what we could see from the video, it appeared he had moved once before (see 0.45, subtitles suggest he was in a parking spot and she came over in her vehicle - though this can only be considered speculation as nobody knows how it actually happened), and she continued to complain anyway.

There are a million different ways things that could have preceded this video. Because we do not know who was there first, because we do not know if the truck was moved in attempt to reach compromise, because we do not know if either party was hostile or polite pre-video, we simply cannot say who is right and who is wrong.

That said, I'm siding with the truck based on what we know. You cannot mean to tell me the angry prius driver was in the right by trying to lecture the dmax drivers' kid who was in the bed.

Oh jeez. So the constitution guarantees you the right to idle your engine whenever you feel like it? This is not a matter of law, it's a matter of common decency.

You said 'no right to a nap in a parking lot.' What nonsense. It's not a matter of right, it's a matter of common sense. I'd much rather a driver take a nap than drive while sleepy. Can be as bad as driving drunk. This incident didn't take place at a truck stop.

The lady stated that she asked politely and they laughed at her. Who knows, but wouldn't surprise me. Their daughter has allergies and needs to sleep in a space with AC powered by a diesel with hundreds of foot pounds of torque? Oh please. We are WAY too in love with our vehicles in this land. They are a tool, not a lover. The guy's printed remarks in the vid make it clear that he's among the ranks of self-infatuated diesel geeks. I own two BTW, a Mercedes 300SD and a Grumman with a 6.2 GM.

Telling her to mind her own business would be polite?!? It WAS her business. Being polite would have been going somewhere else or turning off the engine.

Originally Posted by rooster1986

Sounds like the truck is a desiel, if so I would have got my smoke screen on and really set her off. I was always told its harder on desiels to start them then to just keep them idling. But they did show alot more restraint then my wife and I would have if we were in the same situation

Sent from my thumb to your eyes

FYI, it's always more efficient to turn off and restat. In Europe they do not allow idling.

The AC thing is part of what astounds me. People are going to leave their engine going so they can keep the AC on? Good lord, we're becoming a nation of wimps. Scratch that, we've become a nation of wimps. They said they moved the truck. Sounds like crap to me. Still pretty close to the lady's car.

Looked to me like she was talking to the wife, not lecturing the kid in the truck's bed. Chances of that being her first approach to the truck approx one in 10 million. How many people have their video cam on in preparation for someone approaching their vehicle? I could see me getting sort of steamed if I asked someone politely to turn it off and they sneered at me. If they had turned it off, they wouldn't have run the risk of her coming over with weird righteous indignation. I'd do a fair amount to avoid having to listen to that lady.

Originally Posted by cmac2012

Yeah, I heard about the horses. So he has horses and therefore can't turn his diesel off. More wear and tear on the engine and batteries.

I've been at fairs up the hills, trying to sleep in my tent only to have some fool turn on his engine and idle it for a half hour or more cuz he's like cold and stuff. Holy crap, one of my few chances to sleep in the incredible quiet of the back country and some nimrod has to idle his engine. I'm not talking diesel, just an average gas auto and the noise is like getting crapped on. I don't hesitate any more. I tell them to shut it off or take it a few miles away from where people are camping and I've not been ignored yet.

Originally Posted by FIA

Jeez man, I had no idea you senses were that deadened.

Noise pollution is real, most of us bathe in it daily. The deep silence of the back-country at night is some kind of treat.

The stars one can see are pretty wild too, but the that's another issue.

Originally Posted by cmac2012

Jeez man, I had no idea you senses were that deadened.

Noise pollution is real, most of us bathe in it daily. The deep silence of the back-country at night is some kind of treat.

The stars one can see are pretty wild too, but the that's another issue.

I guess your not familiar with the great plains or the Ozarks. Peace and quiet are everywhere and M31 is quite visible.

I've been in the plains somewhat, never in the Ozarks. There are of course many places that enjoy peace and quiet. I don't get to spend much time in any of them. When I do, I like to enjoy it and some nimrod running his engine because he doesn't understand the virtues of a good sleeping bag, or like, wants to warm up his feet first, man, gives me a major pain. Not sure what is so hilarious about that.

BTW, NYC law is you can't idle the engine for more than 2 minutes. You'll get a ticket.

That's before Bloomberg, if anyone is going to the wrong conclusion.

Originally Posted by MatWiz

BTW, NYC law is you can't idle the engine for more than 2 minutes. You'll get a ticket.

That's before Bloomberg, if anyone is going to the wrong conclusion.

If you slowly creep forward, are you idling? What about revving it up while in neutral?

Originally Posted by cwinter

If you slowly creep forward, are you idling? What about revving it up while in neutral?

Creeping forward is considered normal speed in NYC.