Reminder: Safety first!

I was just involved in my first accident...and it had to be in my '07 Pri. :mellow:

I've been driving $3000 cars up to now and this HAD to happen less than 2 weeks after I took delivery of my first decent car.

I completely couldn't believe it. I had to watch this magnetic gray marvel with dealer plates be loaded onto a flatbed and hauled away.

It was determined to be the other driver's fault so atleast my rates won't go up, but now I have no idea when I'll see my car again and what it will be like. It was still on it's 1st tank of gas! :angry:

I just wanted to throw it out there to definately focus on the road and the traffic in all directions when you're driving your Prii. What good is the great miliage and low emissions if you need large parts of your car replaced? I wasn't looking at the screen when it happened, but I'm going to turn the screen off when I get it back, just as a precaution. Noone was hurt, thank goodness, but I definately wish it never would have happened. I also won't be afraid to use the headlights more, even if it uses up some watts. Also some extra following distance is the best thing you can have on the road. Even if people pull into that space, if you keep that buffer zone in front of you, the benefits are endless. I also found myself showing off the abilities of the car at times. This wasn't the case at the time of the accident, but I definately realize driving as safely as possible is much more important than demonstrating the abilities of the car or trying to maximize MPG.

This happened when I was turning left through a long row of stopped cars. Someone was coming along at a good clip on the right side of the stopped cars (the street had 1 lane in each direction) and smashed into the front passenger side and spun me around. I didn't see them until they were right next to me. I've always been chastised for being too cautious but now I don't think you can ever be too cautious. Most people disregard traffic laws on a regular basis so we always have to do everything we can to stay safe.

Eric

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Delta Flyer @ Apr 6 2007, 10:12 AM) [snapback]418802[/snapback]</div>

That's true. I guess what I meant was it's better focus on traffic than focus on the energy flow screen or the drivetrain of the car to try to maximize MPG. I found myself paying too much attention to the car instead of the surroundings of the car at times.