LZ, hybrids are no worse than regular cars when it comes to accidents. They have batteries, just like your regular car does (only more of them). It uses the engine to recharge the batteries... just like your regular car does. And your regular car offers more danger from fire and gasoline vapors, doesn't it?
It's not like you're a rolling power station with 220 volt lines spitting sparks all over the place...
I also read something today that a Ford Focus Hybrid would cost about $3000 more than a straight gas version... at $2 per gallon, and buying 15 gallons per week, that's 100 weeks, or less than two years, to break even. Factor in that you do use some gas, and perhaps it's up to three. At $3/gallon, it's even more favorable.
I forgot to mention one of the neat things the Prius had... a power button! Honestly, there was a power button on the dash, just like a computer. Same design -- nearly complete circle with a line pointing up. And we did check what happened if you tried to power down while driving... it won't let you.
And try as we might, we couldn't find a control, alt, or delete key anywhere
