Hybrids seem like great ideas, considering the fact that they get incredible gas mileage and make drivers feel the joy of being smug, South Park style. Environmentalists, myself included, have touted the benefits of hybrids for some time now; after all, there is only so much gas left in the world, so we have to come up with something. However, the Prius hybrid might not be the best solution, and I’m now very glad I haven’t been able to afford one.
This is because Prius owners are starting to have some very big issues with their hybrids; they’re starting to act like another very infamous hybrid by the name of ‘Christine’. Christine is an evil spirit/1958 Plymouth (R.I.P.) Fury hybrid who seemed to enjoy killing her drivers and passengers. The Toyota Prius may not be possessed, but some owners are reporting that the cars are starting to act as if they have minds of their own when it comes to accelerating.
Seattle Weekly reports on an alarming number of accidents involving the vehicles accelerating on their own and the brakes not working. Prius owners have crashed into rivers, gas stations, schools, garages, and forests; it’s amazing there haven’t been reports of anyone being killed yet. Toyota technicians have been telling these people that the problem they are experiencing is due to the cars running out of gas, and the Toyota company claimed that the problems have been due to faulty floor mats that were causing the gas pedals to stick, so they recalled these mats. Another explanation has been that the people are not pressing the brake down when they believe they are.
Regardless of the explanation, it’s frightening that so many people are experiencing trouble with these hybrids, and the benefits definitely aren’t outweighing potential accidents. Sure celebrities drive them; they make a smug statement; and they could possibly help end global warming; but their still unexplained ability to start accelerating on their own and for their brakes to go out at the same time makes them potential death traps.
So is the Prius going out of style? Well, sales are down since gas prices have gone down, so it looks like smug might be out and smog back in. Oh well; I guess I’d hate to be in a car that runs partly on electricity in 2012 when an apocalyptic electric storm fueled by the sun hits our planet (global warming will matter no more then). And there have been cars in the works that run on water and even air; so maybe it’s time we started looking into these or at least trying to develop hybrids that aren’t possessed by spirits with the need for speed.
SOURCES: http://www.seattleweekly.com/2009-04-22/news/the-flip-side-of-the-perfect-prius/
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Water-fueled_car
http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/1672951/an_earth_day_horror_story_how_the_sun.html?cat=47
