Prius

There were several things that I did this summer, when I wasn't posting to this blog at all. One of those things is that we bought a new car. The Saturn had belonged to Richard for 14 years, and it had accumulated 180,000 miles. It finally got to the point when the repairs were worth more than the car was worth. So, we decided to bite the bullet and get a new car.

What did we get...only the best that we could...a 2010 Prius.
And we LOVE it!

It's quiet. Over the summer, it was getting over 60 miles per gallon. Now that it's colder and rainier, it's still getting over 50, which is over double what we were getting in the Saturn.

But here's the downside: I'm paranoid.

I've already backed the car into a parked car. I was exiting the garage, and I didn't turn the wheel sharp enough on the street. When I heard a crunch, I swore and freaked out.

It turned out that I hit a rental (that was there because the owner was in another accident). It was covered and fine. Richard worked on the dent that I put into the back of the car, and it is like it never happened. There is barely a mark.

But now I'm freaked out about being in another accident. I'm more freaked out about this than I ever was with another car. I always imagine another car changing lanes quickly and side-swiping me. I can see someone (maybe me, maybe someone else) trying to make it through the stoplight and ramming into my car. I'm just imagining the ways that I'm going to wreck this car.

Does this happen with every new car? This is the first time that I've owned and driven a new car, so maybe the paranoia is normal. Can you tell me?