I was in an accident / car totaled

Yes, I have read various reports about studies re this. If you're going to run into something, I think it made almost no difference, other than to help the "something" avoid you. But if someone is going to run into you, a more visible car is going to help you. From memory, they said that Red, White and Yellow were good in daylight, but at night, White and Yellow were better than nearly every other colour. I've had more white cars than any other. A google search can find all sorts of statistical studies - one of which I spotted said "Black cars are up to 47 per cent more likely to be involved in crashes, research shows" - but I can't vouch for the accuracy.

From personal experience, I've nearly collected a grey or drab blue car on a few occasions where I didn't see them - after that, I owned a Grey car for a few years, and drove with headlights on at all times. Cars the colour of tarmac tend to blend in.

Off topic - my other personal experience is that White cars (which is the most popular "colour" here in Australia) are more difficult to find in a carpark than Red or Yellow.

 

Welcome!

My tip for a new Prius 2013 driver is get used to the blind spots on the car, double-check
by looking over your shoulders, or get a small convex mirror on the side mirrors.

Enjoy the MPG; use power mode for needed acceleration.

stt

 

Be aware of the wide A pillars on the Prius too. A pedestrian or vehicle can "hide" behind those pillars, look, then look again when pulling out into a turn or coming out of a parking stall/driveway.

 

My tip...drive it as a normal car.

Accelerate with the flow of traffic.
Seeing the graph raise into the power mode is not a bad thing.
The gas pedal "can be your friend" and add to the safety you mention.

Plus...keep 'er shiny and waxed!

 

White safer? do not know but it worked for us.
I believe I posted a thread about this a few months ago.
Dark cars seem to me (on my bike) to get lost in the shade under trees on really sunny days.

 

welcome! drive carefully and do not exceed the speed limit. stay to the right when possible and keep your eyes on all the cars around you. leave your phone off when driving, any distractions can be a hazard. and don't tailgate, leave 10 feet in front of you for every 5 mph.

all the best with your new prius!

 

Best advice you'll hear all day.
If you decide to try to drive it like a hybrid, then you'll miss the whole point of how seamless the Prius is at being efficient.

The white can be a better color than the earth tones that are popular these days for visibility, but that only helps other people see you if they're actually LOOKING.
When I drive and I see somebody else on the road, I presume either that they do not see me, or they DO see me, and they're trying to kill me.

As far as the car is concerned, if you're going to keep the car for more than 150,000 miles, then become familiar with the schedule of maintenance, and watch out for dealerships trying to sell you "maintenance" that's not on this list.
Also make it a habit to poke around under the hood and check the oil level every 1,000-2,000 miles.....say every third or forth fill-up.

If you're only going to keep the car until you get tired of it (or worse....) then you'll only need to develop a plan for dealing with flats and dead auxiliary battery (the little one that boots up the car, not the traction battery!)

Seems a little anal I know but stuff happens.
There's a far better chance of breaking down now (hopefully) than there is of getting into another accident.


Welcome to PC.
Good Luck!!!

 

Is tuff to recover after an accident, body hurts at least that is expected, but the psychological trauma takes longer to recuperate. My experience is that you will slowly recover and then be back near normal driving behavior. My best suggestion is to drive defensively, no matter what color, safety product or data/digital item you purchase will still no help you from others crashing your vehicle.

 

Boy, are you right about the psychological trauma. When we were broadsided (and our blue Prius was totaled) in March it was my first accident since 1973. No one was hurt but now the apprehension approaching intersections is palpable. I know it will gradually go away but it's still going to take a little more time.

 

Honestly I would say that any advice you would give to someone driving a non-hybrid for road safety you apply to yourself as well. Seat belts, proper seating, blind spots, practice, don't give in to peer driver pressure, back up at a crawl, etc.

The only surprise for other drivers, on a rare occasion (so rare don't worry about it) might be if you use B mode for engine braking without pressing the brake the driver (er, tailgater) behind you may not register the sudden deceleration and be caught off guard because the brake lights don't come on.