Reply #38: I did for 3 years - my only wheels [View All]

sometimes is was pretty scary - and could sure be difficult in winter (Seattle)

Now I live in Texas and drive a bubbatruck but I still wear a helmet when I drive.

As for why a bubbatruck and not a Prius (which I would prefer): There is simply no substitute for mass once two vehicles have come together. Might want to look at this British crash test of SUV vs. Honda Civic Coupe ( http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m_86RuYXoJA&feature=related ).

Both were quite old vehicles (1992 I think), and with more modern restraint systems at least one, and likely both, of the people in the SUV would have survived - however, even now, there is no restraint technology which would have saved any of the people in the Civic.

A few years ago, coming home from the hospital on a holiday after doing an emergency case, I was rearended by a hopped up kid in a small car. No one was hurt (And I did not even do the All'Merican thing of suing for 'whiplash'). The front of his car went under my rear bumper, its whole front end was crushed, a wheel broke off and was totaled. My bubbatruck got a bent bumper. If I had been driving the Honda Accord I used to have - it would have been much worse for me.

Why do I wear a bike helmet in my bubbatruck?

Watch this video http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-Jb3tCkrlII and follow the crash-test-dummies head.

Working in a Level-I trauma center, it is a rare week when I do not see several severe head injuries from car crashes. At my age, my brains are all I have left.