I am thinking about the Prius. I asked about the car generally in a separate thread. Thanks for the helpful responses!

One concern I have is about the safety of a car that size with all the big cars and SUVs on the road. About the only thing I remember from high school physics was that if a Cadiallac hits a (old-style) VW bug head on, each doing 60, the bug ends up going backwards at 30, a 90 mph shift! Of course, there have been a lot of changes to cars since I was in high school (class of 70). I know the Prius is well rated for its class, but that class is for small cars. Does anyone have a sense of its safety in absolute terms?

Thanks.

Well, the Prius is no less safe than other midsize cars which score the same on the crash tests......if Safety is your number one concern, forget about what car you like or prefer and just look for the cars which rate 5 stars all around in both the Govt crash tests and the Highway Institute's tests....I know very few people who put "safety" as their number one concern in car purchase decisions, and most of those people drive Volvos.....

Or maybe a Saab:

http://www.autospectator.com/modules...p?storyid=1217

Or one of these cars:

http://moneycentral.msn.com/content/...nce/P63955.asp

Or perhaps one of these:

http://www.bankrate.com/brm/news/auto/20010925c.asp

This site has a ton if vehicle safety info:

http://www.safecarguide.com/exp/overall/idx.htm

We can what if saftey to the ends of the earth! Ever think what would happen to a Caddy if it got hit by a Mack Truck? I don't mean to sound goofy but man if you drive most anything there is something else out there that is bigger than you. A few years ago here in Houston there were two different accidents involving SUVs that got hit by big trucks and both times the people in the SUV were killed. It happened in almost the same area of the freeway and both times it was the trucks fault. So it didn't matter if it was a Expedition or if it was a Prius the end would most likely be the same. Kevin

2004 silverblue 5 sp.

Actually the Prius is classed as a midsize. It may not look that way on the outside, however on the inside it definitely is. Cab forward design techniques have allowed many manufacturers to create smaller vehicles with larger interiors. In the case of the Prius, they did this by extending out the wheel base longer than a vehicle of this size normally is configured and by making the cabin taller than your average small car. Oh, and the weight of a vehicle has a lot to do with how it performs. The Prius is about 2900 lbs. Most small cars are not nearly this heavy.

It has been said:
Hybrid drivers come in 3 flavors, greenie, techie and cheapie. Pick any 2.
2005 Prius, Melinium Silver over gray, package 5 (AI)

Side airbags
Front driver and passenger airbags
Curtain airbags
Standard!

Need I say more? Check this out. http://www.autobeyours.com/05%20Prius.htm
Check out the massive external carnage, then take a look at the drivers seat. I'm pretty sure these people had the back seats folded down as they should stay up in a similar situation. It looks like a business car and I'm sure they were hauling something in back. But man.

Thanks. Very impressive.

Side and curtain airbags are an option, though its very difficult to buy a Prius without them.