My husband and I commute about 100 miles each day (round trip) to work, and we’ve had plenty of time to observe drivers on the road. We’ve noticed a trend in driving styles and the types of cars being driven.

Now I know that Cadillacs DeVilles are typically driven by the older generation, and they’re usually driven very slowly. They do tend, however, to stay in the far right lane of the freeway, which is just fine by me.

Subaru Outback Wagons and Toyota Pria (not sure what the plural would be…), however, are a different story. About 90% of the time, they will park in the fast lane or the commuter lane, driving no faster than the 65 mph speed limit, or sometimes even slower, often matching speeds with big rigs. They do not care that traffic is backed up for miles – they’re out to save the world!!

Seriously, if these drivers truly think that by driving slowly they’re saving the world, they’re delirious. If they stopped to think, there is a lot of gas wasted when cars behind them, which have had to slow down a great deal, have to floor it to get around them. Maintaining a constant speed uses less gas than slowing down and then having to speed up again. (Which is why you get better mileage on the freeway than on city streets.)

If these Subaru and Prius drivers want to drive slowly, I have no problem with it. I think it’s great for them to conserve gas. They should not, however, push these beliefs on others, and force other drivers to drive slowly behind them. Just move over, and drive slowly in the slow lane. Let others pass!