This stuff gives me gas...

I've noticed a ton of Toyota Prius (priuses? what the heck is the plural of prius?) around Baltimore. I suppose it is the perfect car for the treehunger hippies of Baltimore. But Priuses and the whole hybrid car thing are starting to get on my nerves.

I've noticed that every Prius I'm behind has some sort of sticker on the window touting how much better than me they are for driving a more environmentally conscious car than me (52mpg, eat my voltage, ect). I've also noticed from being behind them that they are slow as heck - and I drive a PT Cruiser (with the original normally aspirated 150hp 4-banger).

Most of the gas milage numbers are exagerated - the first Car and Driver test of one registered 35 miles per gallon. The most recent one pegged it at 42 - not bad, but still less than the EPA numbers or the claims on the back of hippie's windows.

It seems odd to me that Prius owners should get a break - tax breaks, use of carpool lanes and free parking in some places, ect - when other cars (Geo Metro, Jetta TDI, ect) get better gas milage. And what happens when companies start introducing hybrid SUV's and trucks? Should someone in a hybrid Hummer get more perks than someone in a gas-powered car that gets better gas milage?

And then their's Ed Begley's non-stop talking about his Prius interupting blogger hottie moxie on the Dennis Miller Show.