Health benefits of driving a Prius...

I agree... going from a maxima to a prius has lowered my blood pressure. In the Prius I listen to Jazz and smile at people rushing to the next red-light. On the highway I do 52 or 63mph on cruise control and have time to think.

/Robert

 

Absolutely. Driving a Prius focuses the mind and calms the nerves. Let the world pass by!!

 

Wow I thought it was just me. Now I look foward to the ride to work. No not work, I feel better not nuts .But the ride puts me in a better state of mind. I wonder how much I will save on stress related expense ?

 

I am calm, more confident and operate at a lower level of stress with my Prius. When a vehicle zips past at high speed or in an erratic manner, I realize it has little to do with me and that person is the one who is stressed - substituting oil for knowledge, in a hurry (late) and in competition with themselves and others. They have increased operating costs for driving, contribute to deteriorating air quality, probably have a shorter life due to stress, in essence, find life a frustrating, high blood pressure, struggle.

 

I tell people it has increased my quality of life.

Of course, that has more to do with the 45-60 mins of rush hour traffic I avoid by going in the HOV lane!

 

I found that I really enjoy listening to classical in the Prius from time to time. And the Cinemagic XM station (movie scores). I also have found myself looking forward to driving in sloooow traffic to get my mpgs up. I was pleased this morning when I opted to take the freeway for awhile and got stuck in the slow lane behind a box truck. I managed to get 2 100-mpg bars during that time.

 

While yes I do have the relaxing of driving, there's the other side of things is the stress caused by the computers decision over what it decides to use as far as power. Example: Going 28 MPH release the gas, then gently apply pressure "@#*()@& Wth?! Why did the ICE kick on, I am just resting on the fricking gas pedal!"

 

Mostly. Even on those occasions when it is necessary to dust the jerkweed in the BMW next to me at the stoplight, this can be done in a calm, serene, and non-aggressive manner.

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(j24816 @ May 18 2006, 08:23 AM) [snapback]257497[/snapback]</div>

It's been described as "Prius Nirvana."

 

I think my stress level has actually increased. Not from traffic, but from the freakin' MFD. I now stress out about getting a complete tank at over 60 MPG. I'm totally obsessed! :blink:
Once I reach this goal though, I will be the calmest person on the planet, cause I promised myself that from that point on, I'd ignore it and just drive for fun. I've got the Jazz and Blues CDs loaded for when it happens. I think this tank is gonna be it. I'm at 250 miles averaging 61.5 MPG and I'm drivin' with my shoes off. :lol: If it weren't for the darn hills around here! :angry:

 

The Prius is a great car for the obsessive compulsives!

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Salsawonder @ May 19 2006, 11:05 AM) [snapback]258035[/snapback]</div>

Ah. I knew it was a match made in heaven!

I agree with unruhly about the MFD. I can't bring myself to simply turn the darn thing off. But when I feel myself tensing up, trying to get up the next incline without losing any mpg, I just think of the small SUV we traded in, and how no matter what mileage I'm getting in the Prius, it's at least double that of the SUV ... and I start to smile.

In general, yes, there are indeed health benefits to driving a Prius. It's more fun with less stress, and it has some neat toys, AND it only seems to get better as I get used to it.

 

I dont get pissed off during traffic jams anymore. Looking at people who drive SUV at 5-10 mph makes me smile.

 

I am very relaxed driving our Prius. I use to own a 2004 Subaru Forester XT that went 0-60 MPH in 5.3 seconds. That's close to 100% better than a Prius. It was a thrill to drive, but it was also awful for my blood pressure. I already had high blood pressure to begin with, so getting rid of that thing seriously improved my health. At least for me, I always felt like I had to drive the car fast because I spent a substantial premium for extra engine perrformance. I definitely regret buying that car... it was just so intoxicating during the preliminary testdrives that I couldn't resist.

The Prius is a breath of fresh air and is fun to drive in its own way. The car is not meant to accelerate fast, so I never try and don't feel bad about it either. My blood pressure has been much better ever since.

 

I don't know if it's because I don't have a manual transmission anymore, or how quiet the car is, or how little gas I'm using, or the drive quality, or the cool MFD, or the smart key......OK, it's all those things! But I do feel more relaxed driving the Prius vs/ my other car, a Matrix. Plus, I too don't care if people pass me by on the highway anymore. Weird.

 

This morning I thought of another health benefit of the Prius, that ties in with another thread I remember seeing.

Went to the grocery store early this morning, and despite there not being too many cars in the parking lot, I parked way, WAY far away from the store entrance and other vehicles. I do this every time I can with the Prius, soooo, I'm walking more!

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(GreenGene @ May 20 2006, 02:47 PM) [snapback]258514[/snapback]</div>

Maybe we should start touting the health benefits as well as the MPG, cool technology et. Then we could get the AMA to endorce the health benefits, get the FDA to do a study, and get them to approve it as the newest miracle drug for lowering blood pressure. Then doctors could writh a prescription for the Pri, and we could deduct the entire cost of buying one as a medical expense.