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Van 1, Prius 0

Discussion in 'Gen 2 Prius Main Forum' started by jimmyrose, Jul 26, 2010.

  1. jimmyrose

    jimmyrose Member

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    I haven't been in the forum in a long time, but thought I might share a bad/good news story. Bad news - my 2006 Prius was t-boned by a commercial van on the passenger side 7/21/2010 and is, in all likelihood, completely totalled. Good news - no one was in the passenger seat and I walked away virtually unscathed (couple of scrathes from the flying glass, couple of sore body parts). There was a third vehicle involved (which I impacted with my driver's side from the force of the van's impact), and a total of 5 people (I was the only one without a passenger), none of whom required medical attention.
    I was always a fan of my Prius, but am thrilled at how well I was protected in the crash, especially by the side curtain air bags, without which my head surely would have had its own dent.
     

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  2. Bica2go

    Bica2go New Member

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    Wow! I'm glad everyone is OK. Thanks for the photos. Clearly, your baby took quite a beating. It is impressive how well the Prius handled the impacts. Years ago I had a Saab and was hit on the passenger side by a pickup truck that ran a red light. I walked away from that - the Saab was built like a tank. I didn't expect the same level of security in the Prius. Airbags make a big difference, but you can also see how the Prius absorbed the impact.
     
  3. spiderman

    spiderman wretched

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    Bummer. Glad you are OK. So, going to buy a 2010/11?
     
  4. GrumpyCabbie

    GrumpyCabbie Senior Member

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    Glad nobody hurt after that! :eek:

    You can always get another car, you can't get another you! And yes, you can rest assured that your car will be totalled. Also, what happened to cause this? Did the van jump a light? He's hit you quite hard.
     
  5. 2k1Toaster

    2k1Toaster Brand New Prius Batteries

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    Glad you and everyone are ok. The Prius, and Toyota in general are very safe cars. Most people dont think of crash ratings when they buy a car, but wow do they make a difference.

    The images that stick in my mind, are from an episode of Top Gear where they had various crash models with Euro NCAP 5star, 4star, 3star, and 2star ratings.

    The Toyota Avensis (Scion tC is a derivitive of it) got 5 stars. The door still opened, meaning no damage to where the important bits (you) are. Nothing in the cabin moved or shifted.

    [​IMG]

    [​IMG]

    The 4star Proton, the door was barely usable. The brake pedal was shoved forwards which would break your foot/ankle. The steering wheel was pushed forwards which would break your ribs, collapse a lung, brake your hands, less cushion for your head if flung forwards, etc... And this is a 4 star, B grade car. If a 4star does all that damage, it baffles me why anyone would buy anything less, or why car companies are even allowed to make cars like that.

    The landrover, a classic "big SUV that will save me no matter what I hit", was absimal. The frame around the top of the door was deformed. Look at the second pic of the rover. The roof and the door are misaligned by a good 8inches. The top is crumpled. The door itself is completely destroyed. Look inside the car, the seat moved forwards, the steering wheel, the pedals, everything. There is a 6-8in gap between the seat and the metal of the car. Can you fit in 6-8in? Well you will after you hit something in that car whether your body wants to or not. And guess what, that is a 3 STAR CAR!!! Wth?!

    [​IMG]

    [​IMG]

    [​IMG]

    [​IMG]

    And to those that think they dont make cars like that anymore, well a 2008 Ford Ranger is a 2 star car. No thankyou.

    To those that want to see the full thing:


    The Prius is a great car, and there is no doubt the damage to you would have been much more severe in a worse car.
     
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  6. GrumpyCabbie

    GrumpyCabbie Senior Member

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    Well somebody had to post it;



    Yep it's a five star rating and didn't do too badly either.

    Oh and it's a RHD version just incase you were wondering.
     
  7. jimmyrose

    jimmyrose Member

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    Totally impressed with the Prius' ability to absorb that impact...
     
  8. jimmyrose

    jimmyrose Member

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    We were at the dealership Saturday negotiating a 2010...
    BTW, I believe you should have my avatar...
     
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  9. jimmyrose

    jimmyrose Member

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    The accident occured at a detour where the main road (that I was heading east on) was closed for construction and they were diverting all traffic to the left down a side street. The van was coming west (he actually lives on the closed part of the road, so it's not like he didn't know there was a detour), went around the barricade and caught me broadside. No brakes, no horn - and if it wasn't me, it would have been the SUV in front or the car behind me.
     
  10. jimmyrose

    jimmyrose Member

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    No doubt. Great video, and a little scary...
     
  11. ThePriusMan.com

    ThePriusMan.com Waiting for my Prius

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    Top Gear (Love that show) but the guy hate's Prius's :)
     
  12. 2k1Toaster

    2k1Toaster Brand New Prius Batteries

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    Yeah Clarkson is not a Prius (pronounced pry-uhs by those in the UK :)) fan... But 17mpg around the track vs. less than 3 by an evo on the same course, same driving style, and I think it becomes obvious that even with the hate, it still outperforms :D
     
  13. 2009Prius

    2009Prius A Wimpy DIYer

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    Proton is 3 star, not 4. ;)
     
  14. GrumpyCabbie

    GrumpyCabbie Senior Member

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    I never know and I get asked all the time, but is it Pr I us or Pr E us?

    I as in i'm and E as in eek.
     
  15. 2009Prius

    2009Prius A Wimpy DIYer

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    Prius is a Latin word. Any Latin speaker here? ;)
     
  16. MJFrog

    MJFrog Active Member

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    It's pronounced Pre-us...at least here in the States.
     
  17. Bica2go

    Bica2go New Member

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    Here's some Top Gear fuzzy logic:

    Fact: Jeremy Clarkson calls it PrIus.
    Fact: Many of his assertions about the car are wrong.
    Conclusion: The proper pronunciation should be PrEus. ;)

    Actually, I just chalk it up to a US vs UK thing for differences in pronunciation (ie schedule) or how you (!) give things different names - boot, jumper etc.
     
  18. GrumpyCabbie

    GrumpyCabbie Senior Member

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    Are you say tomato I say tomato?
     
  19. Codyroo

    Codyroo Senior Member

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    Pree us

    Let's call the whole thing off......
     
  20. 2k1Toaster

    2k1Toaster Brand New Prius Batteries

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    In Latin, it is praɪ[​IMG]əs. So Clarkson is correct.