Well, my wife passed away after 5 major lung cancer surgeries over the last 3 years and before she died, she indicated that she wanted her car to go to our daughter in law . . . . who lost her drivers license after an accident at age 16 and never got another one until last month at age 42. We both thought Carolyn's iMiEV would be a great 'first car' for someone finally learning to drive
So, last week my son and I got the title transferred, got a tag and when he checked adding the car to his insurance policy, it wasn't that much more to get full coverage, so that's what he did. Saturday my son took her out for her first driving lesson. They tooled around the neighborhood for 15 minutes or so at 15 or 20 mph and then she *thought* she was ready for a major street, so off they went. She was looking to turn off at a certain street and when she realized halfway through the turn it wasn't the street she wanted, she paniced and didn't know which street to stick with - The one she was turning off of or the one she was already turning into . . . . so she 'compromised' and did neither. When my son realized they were about to leave the pavement, he hollers Brake, Brake BRAKE!! and in another panic, she floored the gas instead and they centered a large oak tree at about 25 mph
The car is a total loss, but when you consider it hit an immovable object at 25 mph (Oak trees are very tough and this one was a couple feet in diameter) I think the car held up very well. My son has a substantially sprained lower back and can barely get out of bed it hurts so bad and she has a broker rib and a fractured L1 Vertebrae. She's in the hospital being fitted with a back brace she'll be wearing for the next 4 to 6 weeks. They'll both be fine, eventually . . . . can't say the same for the car though