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Home » Lose Weight Quickly » Car Talk: Slow and steady wins the Prius race – ThisWeek Community News

Dear Car Talk:

Do Prius owners really think they need to set the (slow) pace for everyone else?

Very often, at the head of a line of slow-moving vehicles is a Prius, or one will pull out in front of another car and slow down every car behind it.

Is it because the car cannot accelerate, or is it because the owners of that particular car feel the need to control others? -- Susan

I dont think its either one, Susan.

We know a famous researcher named Dr. David Giovannoni. We call him Dr. Joe Baloney. He once explained to us that humans (and organizations) achieve what they measure.

So, for instance, if you want to lose weight, what would you do? Well, you might cut out sweets, drink water instead of soda and maybe start to exercise (Note: were talking about you, not me).

Then youd get on a scale. And if the number on the scale was lower than it was the week before, youd keep doing those things, because youd know theyre working.

You achieve what you measure.

Now, who buys a Toyota Prius? Someone who wants to get better gas mileage than the rest of us mortals. And guess what a big screen on the dashboard of the Prius does? It measures mileage. Constantly. By watching the numbers change on that screen, Prius drivers learn very quickly that by accelerating very gently, they can coax their mileage up from 53.8 mpg to 54.1 mpg.

That makes them feel good. So they learn to feather that gas pedal and take 25 seconds to get from 0-60 while youre cursing at them through your windshield.

Its not that the Prius cant accelerate. It will accelerate like pretty much any other car if you put your foot down.

And its not that they feel a need to be controlling. Theyre just pursuing their personal goal of maximizing their mileage -- because they care about it, and theyre constantly measuring it.

Likewise, if you measured your blood pressure, Susan, youd probably find that it goes up when youre stuck behind a Prius.

If you took a few deep breaths and said to yourself, "How nice, theres a person who cares about the planet and is making the world a better place by wasting less fuel," youd see your blood pressure go down.

Then youd throw the blood pressure monitor out the window and pass the Prius with a few choice hand gestures.

Got a question about cars? Write to Ray in care of King Features, 628 Virginia Drive, Orlando, FL 32803, or email by visiting the Car Talk website at http://www.cartalk.com.

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Car Talk: Slow and steady wins the Prius race - ThisWeek Community News

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Home » Lose Weight Quickly » Car Talk: Slow and steady wins the Prius race – ThisWeek Community News