Hi, everyone.

I did a quick search on "intimidated" and didn't find any threads in which it was used in the context I'm curious about, so I thought I would start a thread to ask this question:

Do you ever feel intimidated on the road (primarily by tailgaters) in your Fit, given that most other vehicles are larger than the Fit (whatever the model year may be)? After all (no offense), many drivers are way too aggressive and display very little concern for your life or theirs, and I wonder how I would feel driving a small vehicle like the Fit in that kind of environment. Granted, it's great the Fit has six or eight or whatever the number of airbags it has, but you don't ever want to have to use those airbags.

I drive a 2012 CR-V and sometimes feel intimidated in it, even though I've got plenty of mass in front and in back of me (and those same aforementioned six or eight airbags). I try not to feel that way, but tailgaters make it really tough sometimes.

For example, I've been passed on 90-degree turns that I've taken at 10 mph (even when there's no lane available for passing); these people are on two wheels on these turns and don't give a fig. I've also been passed (again, without benefit of a passing lane) on highway entrance ramps. The risks people take are breathtaking.

I considered the Fit before I bought the CR-V, but I couldn't tolerate the cabin noise on the test drive (it was a new 2012). I haven't driven the '15 yet; maybe it is quieter.

I like the CR-V fine, but sometimes I think it's a bit too much car for my needs and think how it would be nice to lower my car payments a bit, so every so often I think about the Fit.

Thanks if you have any thoughts!

 

Not at all, perhaps because the car feels so big inside despite its exterior dimensions. The exceptional visibility and feeling I can get out of the ay of trouble helps too. And I'm used to renting mid-size cars because of the deal we had through my company.


Because I was rear ended back in 2003 I do constantly check my mirrors when I come to a stop or slow down, but I did this on all the rentals we had for years too; it's no function of the car's size.

 

I think I actually feel safer in my fit than in my sisters Jetta, I think being slightly higher up than a sedan helps that a lot.

There will always be a-holes on the road, there's nothing you can do about that, but I feel pretty comfortable in my Fit!

 

Nope. I drive defensively and dont feel the small mass at all while driving.

 

Very interesting! Thanks, 15BlkPrl, BrassInTheGrass, and exl500!

Cool that the Fit feels safer than a Jetta and, as exl500 said, feels big inside. I do remember that from my test drive, that it felt pretty cavernous.

Exl500, that's awful that you were rear ended. Were you at a stoplight, and there was nothing you could do? Were you in a Fit? Hope no one was hurt and that the insurance rates for the driver who hit you went through the roof!

 

Sounds more like you're afraid to be driving on the road with other drivers around you despite what car is being driven. All my cars have been small & don't feel intimidated by others on the road.

 

No, I was in a rented Saturn Ion, and I was pissed because usually the rental company had better cars to choose from (apologies to Ion owners, but that was one tin can).


A woman in a Ford F-150 just barreled into me and completely collapsed the trunk. I felt bad, because we actually came to enjoy each other's company while she kept telling the police and fire people it was her fault.


We were both fine, I always leave plenty of room in front so avoided the car ahead of me, and I got to get a better rental car for the duration of my vacation!


The Fit feels very solid, right up there with the bigger cars I've rented, and much less tinny than the otherwise great Kia Optima we had recently.

 

If I don't feel intimidated on my motorcycle, sure won't in my Fit

 

This.

I don't have issues with tailgaters. When people are close behind me, I pop it into sport mode and drop down 2-3 "gears" and get away from them asap.

But I never feel intimidated while driving. I'm a very confident driver.

 

My problem is that I feel superior to people driving $60,000 pick ups that get 13 mpg.

I have been rear ended before by a teen that got his flip flop caught in the pedals. The sad part is that had seen him driving poorly in traffic earlier and I didn't get out of his way.
Occasionally I use the hazard flashers to encourage someone to back off.

I'm new to my Fit and retirement. Safety first is best in both endeavors.

 

New to Fit and retirement too. Enjoy...I know I am!


(And I said I'd never drive in flip flops. That rule went out the window.)

 

After two decades of motorcycle commuting on LA freeways I certainly don't feel intimidated when surrounded by a ton of steel and half a dozen airbags.

 

I don't feel intimidated in my Fit. It undoubtedly helps that drivers are generally courteous around here (or at least not crazy aggressive—one benefit of having comparatively little traffic, I suppose). That's not to say I haven't seen other drivers doing crazy stupid things from time to time, though; that's a fact of driving life. (At least a few times I've done some crazy stupid things, too, through inattention or distraction or misunderstanding the prevailing conditions.)

To be frank, I feel more apprehensive when driving my motorhome (which is, of course, a much bigger and more substantial vehicle). It's obvious that it cannot accelerate, turn, or brake anywhere near as quickly as the Fit or most other cars. It takes up a lot more space in the lane, making it imperative that one be pretty precise to stay in lane. It has worse visibility, by nature of the shape of the vehicle. And I have a nagging suspicion that a good many of the other drivers on the road don't entirely realize these limitations.

 

Whether or not you feel intimidated in a small vehicle is much easier to judge when you are a passenger rather than the driver. Once you are relieved of ego considerations, you are better able to judge the level of intimidation that a larger vehicle can bring to bear on a smaller vehicle. In most cases, I feel quite intimidated when the driver of the car in which I am a passenger exhibits poor driving skills and is slow to react to what is happening. It has little to do with the size of the car. And then I have been in some really tiny cars driven by a friend who is very quick and smart about dangers---and felt completely at ease. On the other hand, I've been in some huge American cars driven by people with little talent and heavy, slow feet---and I felt VERY intimidated by ANY car that came within 50 feet.

I make it a point to never overestimate my own driving skills, and instead rely on defensive techniques and always making believe that my car is invisible to all other cars. Regardless of the size of what you are driving, if you always assume that the other guy cannot see you, your chances of making it home safely improve.

Few things piss me off more than someone who pulls some manouver that absolutely depends upon me hitting my brakes. Most professional drivers of big rigs would never think of doing that ----with vehicles that are many times smaller. And yet you see people in tiny vehicles jump in front of big trucks. (Compared to an 18-wheeler, all cars are tiny.)

If your car is agile and quick... and you are skillful and yet humble, few things on the highway should intimidate you. But if either your car or your drivings skills are clunky, you'd best be leaving huge margins of safety in every given traffic situation.

 

Not really. I spent a few years driving a Del Sol around, and there aren't many cars smaller than that (at least these days).

 

Well, ArchaicAP2, that's because I've seen some scary stuff pulled by my fellow Westchester County drivers, most of whom want to get wherever they are going yesterday. I can't deny I'd feel a lot safer in a tank. That's great that your cars have all been small and you've never felt intimidated.

Honestly, I don't feel as intimidated in the CR-V as I've felt in previous cars. But I can see that changing if I were to downsize to the Fit. Glad the folks here don't have any such reservations.

 

Cool, SheepNutz! Thanks! Yeah, Del Sols are pretty darn small.

 

Thanks, Andre181. I've never been inclined to try to outrun tailgaters; it's often not practical anyway. My usual practice is to maintain speed and hope they will pass (even on a double yellow line) or subtly slow down and hope that gets him to pass, too.

 

That's great, exl500, that the Fit feels so solid. Also glad no one was hurt in your crash; you would think an F-150 vs. an Ion would result in some serious human damage to whoever was in the Ion.

 

I like your idea about considering your car invisible and all so being agile, quick, skillful, and humble. Thanks