want to buy a Prius, concerned about safety - help please

[hycamguy07]

Next thing they'll do is have Ralph Nader come out and tell us the prius is in the same boat as the Corvair..

[Skyjim]

I think that you're being confronted by a tradeoff and you are approaching it thoughtfully and rationally.

YOU are the only one who can decide how important each aspect of the car's strengths and weaknesses is to you. I've been fortunate enough to have driven in Southern California for 34 years without being rear-ended, so I'm not too worried about the whiplash issue - in my mind, part of the decision to purchase a car that masses under 3000 pounds involved accepting the statistically small but real risk of being taken out by some mindless H2 driver on a cell phone. I was actually pleasantly surprised by the Prius' overall performance and impressed by the effect of the side air bags, which my car has.

I'm loving the car and I really believe that the Synergy Drive system is the best hybrid design on the market. The Honda does have a very nice, rigid body structure and outperformed our Prius on the rear impact test. That test may or may not indicate a real-world advantage for the Civic in that area - I have no real idea. I own a conventional Accord and love it, but I'm not terribly impressed with the Honda approach to hybrid power, since it lacks the EV-only capability we have sleeping in our US-market Priuses and won't be able to take full advantage of improved batteries and future plug-in hybrid battery packs, which I expect to be on the market at competitive prices in 5 years or so when my 100,000 mile warranty on the original pack goes away. That and the ability to swallow large equipment cases that I use for programs I do at schools tipped my personal balance decisively to the Prius.

I think if the whiplash issue is really a large personal concern, you should go for the Civic if you feel it can do the job you need it to do. You're still choosing a vehicle which allows you to walk a little lighter on the Earth while saving a bit of gas money. If you're spooked by your existing neck isuues, you'd probably spend the whole time in your Prius uneasy - and that's not a good mind frame to be in while driving.

Best of luck and thanks for making an environmentally-conscious choice!

Jim

[Ed Vatza]

Etal Rose,

Check out this recent thread. It addresses that same issue that you have raised.

http://priuschat.com/Scared-to-buy-a-Prius-t18594.html

Obviously I'm comfortable with the car. I bought one. You have to make your own decision.

[TimBikes]

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Etel Rose @ Apr 27 2006, 04:56 PM) [snapback]246360[/snapback]</div>

o.k. I'm not needing more advice (but of course people can keep the thread going if they want).
[/b]

Etel Rose - I hope you did not get discouraged by some of the comments. You ask a very fair question. That said, my understanding is that the frequency of rear enders is very low - somewhere around 3% of all accidents. This is why automakers have been slow to design for it and testing agencies slow to test for it - bigger fish to fry kind of thing.

But if you have had neck injuries are that is a primary consideration, you possibly should consider a different vehicle. But remember, there are many safety trade-offs. As somebody else noted the Honda may not offer stability control. Here is a link to a number of IIHS studies that demonstrate the benefit of stability control: http://www.iihs.org/research/topics/esc.html

Along the same lines, consider that IIHS found the Prius to be among the safest of cars based on a study of real world accident data. This could be because of the driver, the car, or more likely both. But overall the Prius does very nicely: http://www.iihs.org/brochures/ictl/pdf/ictl_0905.pdf Note that the color coding indicates overall Injury and Collision loss relative to ALL vehicles in the study. Out of the 371 vehicles listed, the color-coded relative loss data indicates the Prius was in the top 25. This is across ALL types of vehicles - including large cars, trucks, and even SUVs. You can't get much safer than that.

A guy at the gas station today asked me how safe the Prius was. I only wish I had the IIHS study with me so I could have shown him that in the real world, it proved to be safer than the Land Rover he was driving.

[Tideland Prius]

I suggest you take a look at the other headrest ratings for other cars. I think you'd find the Prius has one of the better ones even though it's rated Marginal in that category. It seems to be a fairly new test (either that or I haven't seen it in all the times I went to that site).

[qbee42]

The Prius is a very safe car, as far as any car can be considered safe. There are many, many factors that figure into real-world saftey, many of which don't show in test results. For example, since the days of the Pinto, all automobile fuel tanks are required to meet certain minimum standards for not rupturing and exploding. These are minimum standards; if a tank meets these, it gets a good grade. The Prius fuel tank is an impact resistant plastic box (no sharp metal parts) with an internal bladder. The plastic box is less likely to break and spark, and the bladder prevents gasoline vapor from building up in the empty part of the tank - gasoline vapor is what explodes in a gasoline explosion. This is similar to what is used in race cars.

You are much, much less likely to have an explosion with a Prius in a rear end collision, but this doesn't raise its saftey rating because it is not part of the scoring. That's just one example. The Prius also has front seatbelt "pre-tensioners" which use explosive charges to yank the seatbelts tight in the event of an accident. The Civic may also have these, I'm not sure, but it's just another example of how much thought and engineering have gone into making the Prius a very safe car. I'm an engineer, and I really appreciate good enginneering - the Prius has it in spades!

As for headrests and whiplash, most whiplash injuries result from poorly adjusted headrests. This is not to defend the Prius headrests. If testing has shown them to be weak, then by all means they should be improved, but let's analyze what we can do with the current equipment if you choose to buy a Prius. First of all, adjust you headrest exactly as shown in the manual. You don't want your head to go up and over the headrest on a rear impact, so it needs to be centered on your ears. Now let's talk about body types. I'm a small, fairly short person (5' 7", 140 lb male). My head is going to be a smaller load for a headrest than a big and tall person. A big person's head may weigh more, and a tall person puts much more leverage on the headrest supports. If you are a smaller person, the whole whiplash rating issue may be a moot point.

In the end, it's your decision. As an engineer and driver, it was my decision, and I chose the Prius. Having driven one for a while and having seen the current saftey test results, I would definitely buy the Prius again. It's a great automobile. The Honda is a good vehicle too. I've been a Honda person for years, but I have to tell you I am absolutely sold on the Prius. Toyota has done an amazing job on this car and all of its systems.

You make your choice, but if it was me, there is no comparison between the Civic Hybird and the Prius. Buy the Prius, and since you are worried about saftey (and rightly so), get a package that has side curtain airbags and VSC.

Tom

[daniel]

Consider also the safety of VSC, which will help you AVOID an accident in the first place. Crash-testing a car tests how it does in an accident. It does not factor in the likelihood of having an accident.

The Civic is an excellent car. You cannot go wrong with a Honda. But the Prius is a better car overall, and with the side air bags and VSC is an extremely safe car. Of course, here on Prius Chat, you are going to be told the Prius is the best car around and as safe as any. I would not drive one if I didn't believe that, nor would any of the people who hang out here.

No car is perfect. The Prius comes darn close, is fun to drive, is the cleanest thing you can buy today, and gets better mileage than anything but a two-seater Insight. If you get one you will love it. But if you will not feel comfortable in anything but the absolutely safest car on the road, buy a Volvo.

[hobbit]

On top of all that, the Prius will likely encourage you to become
a better, more aware driver, and thus be MORE likely to spot and
avoid the H2-wheelin' yutz on the cellphone before he gets to you.
Increased following distance, more mental leisure, and that wonderful
quiet smoothness while starting up from stoplights counts for a
*whole* lot in one's mental defenses while out on the road.
.
_H*

[Begreen]

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Etel Rose @ Apr 27 2006, 04:12 PM) [snapback]246349[/snapback]</div>

I know my old car probably doesn't measure up. But now I'm talking about getting a NEW car in which I have the choice of getting better safety ratings.

Look, I saw these results here: http://www.iihs.org/ratings/default.aspx Honda 5-star, Prius 4-star, and "marginal" on the rear crash test. Like I said, I was wondering if anyone had any insight to those tests, or real-world experience (thanks for the links, other poster). Just someone who would take my question and concern seriously and have some good insight. Obviously I'm not going to stop driving and I'm aware that there is risk in being in a car. [/b]

Etel, ask your insurance company. Mine was glad to insure the Prius and even dropped the rate.

BTW, the Honda is also a good car and there are several others, so you won't be making a bad choice with either. What you really should be deciding is whether the Prius is a good fit for you and your driving habits. Have you test driven one yet?

[clintd555]

If safety's your concern, go for the Civic. It definately has better safety ratings. And before buying the Hybrid Civic, keep in mind that the rear seats DO NOT FOLD DOWN. And to be fair, the Prius front seats don't have a height adjustment... :-/