[bwilson4web]

I track Prius accidents because ... well we have two Prius and I drive one just about every day of the week. I have 'skin in the game'. Regardless, this was an impressive photo considering everyone went to hospital:

http://www.sentinelsource.com/news/l...=image&photo=0

Yes, this car was opened using the "jaws of life" or similar technology so the damage is not just from the accident. Rather, there are two lesson's learned:

• Prius in an accident - awesome survival. I'm seen way higher ratios of Prius survival than expected.
• Older Prius drivers - there is a disproportionate ratio of older Prius drivers in accidents (I'm 61.)

The last is something I don't quite get, yet. I do not know if older drivers are more prevalent Prius drivers than younger. Although "CNW Marketing" is not a trustable source, they claimed a higher ratio of older owners of the Prius. But I'm seeing enough Prius accidents by older drivers, those older than 70, to suggest some may have died at the wheel.

Bob Wilson

[bwilson4web]

Today I came across this article about Toyota's crash lab:
http://en.akihabaranews.com/102630/car/toyota-safety-day-toyota’s-crash-test-experience-and-2-5-million-usd-crash-test-dummies

. . .
Think this is already impressive? Yes you will be right to think it is, but I am sure that you will also be very impressed to know how many cars per years Toyota are “testing” like this or should I say wrecking for the fun of learning and improving their vehicles. No Ideas? Well here you are, each and every year Toyota conducts 1,600 Test like this per years involving one or two car each times! 1,600 Test per year equal to 133 test a month or over 4 test a day, and this if Toyota is working 365 day per years without any day off!

Simply put you can be sure that at least 4 cars per days are wreck/destroyed over there in the name of science and safety, talk about commitment!
. . .

This is one photo from the safety day:

http://en.akihabaranews.com/?gallery=1&post=102630&origine=102630ℑ=008

But the best accidents are the ones that never happen:

The company showed some of its up and coming safety innovations in a demonstration to reporters Thursday at its facility in Susono, west of Tokyo, near Mount Fuji.
. . .
In the new system, Toyota uses cameras and a super sensitive radar called "millimetre-wave," both installed in the front of the vehicle, to detect possible crashes such as a pedestrian crossing the road.

The vehicle calculates how braking and steering must be applied to avoid a crash, said chief safety technology officer Moritaka Yoshida.
. . .
Toyota showed what is called a pop-up hood, which rises slightly in a crash, to mitigate the impact of a pedestrian getting hit by a car, similar to features offered by European makers.
. . .
Toyota also showed a steering wheel in development that measures the heartbeat of the driver to prevent crashes that can happen when drivers suffer heart attacks.

http://www.stuff.co.nz/technology/53...teering-system

Bob Wilson