Has anyone else fixated on the display or have you let your gaze linger a little too long? With the Prius you have more to look at besides a speedometer, you have the Hybrid System Indicator with the its readout and I have found myself watching it a second too long at times. The other thing I noticed with the Prius is that sometimes trying to stop completely with the regenerative breaking but having to hit the regular brakes a little harder and later than I should have resulting in a not so pefect stop becasue I am watching the charge indicator trying to get a better charge. I haven't had any close calls but I wonder and suspect if "some" of the Prius accidents have not been because of mechanical problems but because of driver inattention, its easier I feel to become distrated in the Prius. Just my 2 cents.
I drive in to work pretty early to avoid some of the Wash, DC traffic. I find that a quick glance at my read-outs on the display keeps me alert. You have to pick the right spots; lights, stopped traffic or very slowed traffic, straight-aways. Once you begin to master driving techniques e.g. pulse and glide, timing traffic lights, slow starts, kissing with your eyes open. Whoops, like Rae says, control the impulse and be safe.
Hehe thanks for the replies, I am starting to ween myself of the fixating and just driving lol. I too drive early in the morning so I have been picking my spots and doing a quick glance here and there also!
With the HUD the HSI can be displayed at the bottom, which helps a lot with this. To start with i needed to watch the HSI while braking to try and avoid the friction brakes, now i can feel the moment the friction comes on so don't need to watch.
This is precisely the reason why mine spends about 95% of its time on the 5-min interval economy screen.
One of the reason why Toyota got rid of the old display next to the driver and put it in front, but then you will get used to it. There is nothing special about it.
I watched the screen a lot when I first got my 2007 Prius, I got over it after a while. I dont look at the display at all in the 2010. I find it too small and have to concentrate on what I am looking for - so I gave up and only look at the total MPG.
