Guess Those Tesla Drivers Want All The Privileges For Themselves
If I had to think of a single car that would be least likely to demonstrate “road-rage” behavior with a man behind the wheel, I’d have to pick the Tesla Model S, at least until the Model X becomes widely available.
Note my qualifier: “with a man behind the wheel.” My thinking here is that male Tesla drivers tend to come from the most feminized segments of American society — coastal elites, eco-weenies, virtue-signalers, and other people who have opted out of the traditional male experience. (If you’re wondering what the “traditional male experience” might be, I refer you to everything I’ve ever written that doesn’t deal with Yacht Rock, classical music, Jacques Derrida, or iambic pentameter.)
If you’re shaking your head in contempt or disbelief right now, ask yourself the following question: You’ve been told you’ll be fighting someone to the death with your bare hands in the morning. What would you rather see that person pull up in — a Tesla Model S, or a beat-up F-250 with a utility body in place of the bed?
In California, however, there is another kind of Tesla buyer — somebody who will pay any price and bear any burden to get a California HOV lane sticker. Those people pride themselves on being able to drive past the common man in traffic, and they don’t like it when you demonstrate more privilege than they have.
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Jack, for what's it's worth, the motorcyclist doesn't do himself any favors here. Look at the way the guy is riding. Not doing any head checks, assuming he's the fastest thing on the road. No thinking "Gee that Hyundai has moved over, I'd better head-check my left lane just in case ...". Post incident, he's target fixated on having a go at the Tesla driver. That silver coupe, at 37 seconds, is mighty close to his left bar.
Lane splitting is dangerous - not surprised that California would allow it since nothing they do is based on logic or facts. Try that in Virginia, Mr. Motorcycle. You are likely to be sent flying by someone in a 20 year old Chevrolet with gold teeth with 50 inch rims driven by a 350 pound five foot something woman.
I'm surprised by the idea that anybody would be "jealous" of a motorcycle rider, much less somebody with a new $70K+ seedan. If Tesla guy wanted a bike he'd have one. Bikes are stupidly cheap. You can get a competent one for less than $5k new; and a $3,500 ten year old CBR600F4i will out-accelerate almost any car on the road. Some of the most competent motorcycles on the planet cost about as much as a Versa. A CBR1000RR will go 0-60 in well under 3 seconds and costs 14 grand. If you have two legs, ten working brain cells, and an income tax return you too can have a motorcycle and a learner's permit no problem. Being jealous of somebody's motorcycle makes as much sense as being jealous of somebody's corn dog. Just go buy one of your own = problem solved.
The proliferation of non-Californians telling Californians what their law means is hilarious. Lane-splitting is "not illegal" in CA. Therefore it will continue and it will continue without legal consequence until someone changes the law. This is not a bright moment for the B&B.