What the heck are they doing off road and how fast was they going? I have been pushed off the side of the road and never lost control of my prii. That is totally driver error or lack of experience and going the speed limit. I'm sorry bit I'm tired of these kind of news already.
so sad, happens every year. i lost one of my friends just before high school graduation. doesn't seem to be any solution. i spent a lot of time with my kids making sure they knew how to drive carefully and defensively, but i'm sure their were times when they did things i wouldn't have wanted them to do. i hope they all recover.
One thing a Garmin nuvi can do it record the route and speed of a car for later playback. But nothing replaces a sense of responsibility. Bob Wilson
It sounds like the driver was going too fast, and was surprised by the gravel. Classic rookie driver mistake. Tom
Huh...they rallied the Prius, so I'm assuming that the car can at least reasonably drive on gravel at speed. At least they didn't end up all dead in a tree for seeing how fast they can go in an M5 like these kids: Flying BMW Crashes and Kills Occupants, Darwin Wins
This sounds like the most probable explanation. An accident recorder (black box) could indicate vehicle speed and throttle position during the 30 seconds before the accident. For the kid that was not wearing his seatbelt, there is no excuse ... An I have to ask if he was distracting the driver. No seatbelt means there is clear evidence this kid was an irresponsible rebel. Because we have proof, he would be my primary suspect.