electric cars

drove to campus the other day behind a tiny little electric car. and when i say tiny, i am not exaggerating at all--it was big enough to fit a single person and an engine, and MAYBE a medium sized bag, but nothing else. it was the size of a motorcycle that had been completely enclosed, with two little wheels projecting out to the sides in front to bring it to a normal car width--kind of like a giant tricycle.

now, i can see wanting an electric car. i can see the value of saving money on gas, i can see the value of preserving the environment by producing less pollution, i can see all of that. but what i can't see is wanting to drive around in a tin can. that thing can't be safe in any kind of a crash. it's tiny, it can't have excellent visibility or lots of airbags or, well, have undergone crash testing. it seems really dangerous.