Yup....4 months old and 4,000 miles on my new 07 Prius .....all it took was one inattentive driver on his cell phone driving a one ton pickup who did not notice traffic in the freeway fast lane had stopped. The fact that I walked away with a concussion and severe whiplash says a lot for the Prius....it really crumpled under the direct hit (50mph). I was wearing my seat belt and also had a sore chest for awhile.....no, airbags did not employ....they don't engage with a rear end collision. And I'm grateful they don't....the seatbelt did its job and I'm glad not to have had bags in my face. Went out and bought another Prius as soon as my head stopped screaming.
Interesting about the airbags. A coworkers wife was rearended in her Taurus in a similar situation. Her airbags did deploy, but she walked away too. However, she had burns on her face from the air bags. She too was rearended by a truck on the freeway going approx. 55mph. Glad you are OK.
The cops in California are going to have a field day on July 1 when the new law goes into effect. I will be coasting by all those traffic stops with my Bluetooth engaged. I hope that you feel better soon.
It's wonderful that you are going to be ok! If you're willing to share, did the collision encroach into the rear passenger area? Would rear passengers have been ok as well?
Oh wow!! I'm so sorry! Glad you are mostly okay!! I was shoved aside by a pickup driver who was merging onto the highway with a phone shoved under his left ear... I saw it in time, and moved out of his way, but he totally ignored traffic! (I was driving a Malibu, with lights on) Hang Up and Drive, DAMMIT!
Glad you're more or less okay. A 50mph rear-ending by a big pickup is a very violent collision and you are truly fortunate. Seems that the Prius protected you well, all things considered. I recall reading somewhere that speaking on a cell-phone while driving (whether it be hand-held or hands free makes relatively little difference, it is the attention impairment much moreso than the physical impairment) is roughly the equivalent of being .15BAC, or nearly double the legal limit for blood-alcohol content, and I tend to believe it as I can recall having conversations on a cell phone while driving (yes, I've been guilty of it, but not anymore), especially if the conversation was somewhat intense, hanging up at the conclusion of the call, and realizing that I cannot recall anything whatever about the drive......similar to an alcoholic black-out. Not good. I personally believe that phone calls should not be permitted under any circumstances when driving.
Sorry to hear about your accident. I am also glad that you walked out alive and by the sound of it...you are back out on the road driving a new Prius. I've also experienced a rear end collision and it was the most horrifying 180 degree spin into a ditch I've ever experienced. As expected, my seatbelt kept me from flying all over the car. Take care and hope to see a pic of your new Prius soon. Welcome to the forum.
I'm so sorry to hear about the accident, but glad that you walked away from it. It's also encouraging to hear that the vehicle was able to withstand such a high speed crash and keep you from being severely injured. People driving with their cell phones are truly a menace. In New York, it's against the law to do so and has been for a few years. That said, I see countless people yakking away and not keeping their minds on what they're supposedly doing (i.e. driving!) I recently had one of these yo-yos hit me as I walked across a street in a crosswalk. The person "rolled" through a stop sign, merrily chatting away and knocked me ashes over tea kettle. At least, she hung up before inquiring if I was okay!!! At the risk of sounding like Andy Rooney on "60 Minutes," I can't understand the obsession with cell phones. Honest to goodness, I was at a wake recently and was standing on line to go up to the coffin to pay my respects to the family. The cell phone of the guy standing in line behind me went off, he answered the call, and walked up to the coffin, while speaking loudly on the bloody phone. I really think this one took the cake for unmitigated gall. Bill
Glad to hear that you walked away from the accident - I see people talking on their phones every day. My daughter just got her license and I'm glad the present Illinois law prevents her from using her cell phone while driving for a year. I just linked my phone to my new Prius and the hands free aspects will be certainly handy (no pun intended). This got me to thinking (always a nebulous prospect ). I've talked for years to a passenger sitting in the seat next to me (as we all have). Functionally it doesn't seem that much different than carrying on a hands free cell phone conversation; however, it seems that I pay less attention to driving performing a cell phone conversation than an in-person conversation. Wonder why? Do you think it's the concentration required to make sure that you're understanding the person on the other end of the line? Time to go back watching basketball - I'm thinking too much .....
Yikes Glad you're ok; Am a bit uncomfortable about the airbag non-deployment. Regarding 'driving under electronic distraction,' check this out (FWIW, I'm # 133) http://community.nytimes.com/article/comments/2008/02/12/business/12distract.html?s=1&pg=6
I have oftentimes hung up on a hands-free conversation because traffic required my full attention. Driving is often difficult enough without added distractions.
