So here's the scoop: Me in Prius in Carpool Lane. 134 Fwy by Glendale/Pasadena area. 9:30 PM. Going 70 MPH. About 1/4th-1/2 mile ahead of me, I see a car stop suddenly. His emergency lights start blinking. The car behind him doesn't react fast enough. He hits rather violently and forcefully the stopped car ahead of him. Glass is everywhere. The car that hit him then spins around towards the carpool lane (which I AM ON). I foresee a very messy and deadly accident ahead of me and I start to break. I see that car in my lane and I start to panic and APPLY THE BREAK REALLY HARD. I hear my car screaching and I begin to pray for my life. I then find that my car was literally a feet away from hitting the car ahead of me. I completely stop and I see on my rearview mirror these cars slamming on their breaks and all these screaching noises everywhere. More hits. I escape the mess alive and I drive along to the next exit, worried that my poor prius might have been hit. Thankfully, me and my car were both alive and well. No scratch, no nothing. All in all, thanks to the Prius for its amazing breaks. If it not were for my Prius' excellent breaks, I would've been involved in a horrible accident -- or worse, even dead. Paying $27k + tax for a Prius is well worth it -- especially if it saves your life. - Mark
Paying attention and having enough open space in front of you saved your butt, not the Prius. Nice defensive driving. BTW, in case you are looking for *another* reason to slow down, it takes about 1/2 the distance to stop from 50 mph, as it does from 70 mph. Or about 3/4 if going 60 mph.
Yup especially since our brAkes are smaller than usual since we use regenerative braking most of the time (compare ours to a Corolla with 15" wheels). Nice.
Yes, maybe my being extra attentive and defensive driving saved my butt, but I am convinced that the Prius helped me by giving me that extra foot of "space" from fully colliding with the vehicle in front of me. In fact, I would have hit the the car at its driver's side, hitting the driver. My dad is a Toyota mechanic and he told me the Prius' brakes are EXCEPTIONALLY GOOD. Nice to know. Yet another reason to buy a Prius, and a big reason for us to feel a bit safer on the road with our Prius.
I remember Prius brakes as being about average for car class, but I may be wrong. I am more impressed that you stayed in your lane. BTW, how many turtles did you get ?
Lest you think that brakes are the whole story, brakes can only stop a car as fast as the grip of the tires will allow. Pay attention to the tires....
You have to figure that VSC may have engaged as well depending on the road condition, it does help keep you on the straight and narrow in an emergency.
I don't know about compared to other cars, but I say that compared to my last car the brakes on my new 2006 Prius are amazingly sensitive and responsive. I still haven't become 100% used to them, and as a result sometimes hit them a tad too hard when trying to come to a stop. My biggest fear isn't whapping someone ahead of me. My biggest fear is that something ahead of me will happen (as in this case, or a simple sudden stop), I'll hit the breaks too hard, stop too fast, and get rear-ended by the tailgater behind me. -Ken
