----- Original Message -----
From: "Paul G" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
To: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
Sent: Thursday, September 19, 2002 8:36 PM
Subject: Re: How about a 100% electric Prius?
> John wrote:
> >Though I didn't actually see my car for nearly a week, when I did, I was
> >shocked to see
> >that the only visible damage to my Insight was a caved-in rear
> >bumper...the glass hatch was unscathed and still fit perfectly with the
> >body seams lining
> >up just as factory, the taillights didn't even break and were without a
> >single scratch!
>
> Although its nice that your Insight was easily fixed, this is not a
> feature. Its like you have the back 1/2 of my Dodge Dart back there. I
> would certainly prefer a vehicle that properly folded up in such a violent
> accident ("properly" - as much as possible without intrusion into the
> passenger compartment). Yeah, you would have had to buy another Insight to
> rebuild your soundoff sniffer, but likely too that you could have hit the
> windshielf pillar about 10mph slower.
>
No, he wouldn't have.
Try and leave your preconceptions at the door. People have walked away from
accidents in Insights that would have seriously injured them in normal cars.
Most dramatic are some of the side inpacts the car and occupants have
survived.
The reason John was hurt was he was not wearing his seatbelt. It wasn't the
inpact that hurt him, it was the fact that his e-brake was set.
Picture the scenereo. John's insight is rearended. The center frame member
accordians, absorbing enough of the energy that the rest of the car isn't
even tweaked. No broken glass, no damage to seats, interior, etc. John is
pressed back into his seat. So far, he is _completely fine_.
Now comes the bad part. John isn't wearing his seatbelt, and a rearend
collision does not detonate the airbag. Because his e-brake is set and his
foot is probably on the brake, the car comes to a stop almost instantly.
John's body is brought to a stop - from 45 mph - by whatever happens to hit
first. In this case, probably his head.
If he had been wearing his seatbelt, he would have now unbuckled it, gotten
out of the car, and exchanged insurance information. He might have suffered
minor abrasions where the seatbelt bit him, but other than that he would be
unhurt.
Motto: even when giving the cops your wallet, always turn hazards on and
leave your seatbelt buckled. ;-)
> Neon
>
> P.S. - Prius cd is 0.29. Other advantages are special lightweight aluminum
> wheels (like the Insight, only prettier :-) and a suspension designed for
> low rolling resistance. *Big problem would be the transaxle*.
I get the impression that you're biased strongly towards the Prius. That's
fine, and let us know how your Prius conversion goes! But please make sure
you understand the Insight's frame, and what a wonderful peice of work it
is, before you make negative comments about it. I wish that every car out
there had the Insight's frame - a lot more of us would be walking away from
high speed accidents if that were the case. I'd rather be in a Insight than
a Ford Explorer if I had to hit a wall at 60 mph.
S.
