My wife drives a Kia Rio that we bought in 2005 (new). She's had 1 major accident where someone in a large SUV T-boned her in an intersection and 1 minor accident where a large (not MINI) van scraped her front fender and pushed her onto the curb. She's had sevearl "close calls" with other large vehicles including one I witnessed as I followed her where a large truck turning right on red turned into both lanes of a boulovard causing her to have to stop in the intersection because he obviously didn't see her in the intersection.
All that to say that I think she's driving a car that is too small. no one sees her - it's not as bad as people not seeing motorcycles, but almost.
I'm trying to get her to buy a larger vehicle because that's what most people are driving now and they don't see her on the road in her little car.
this Elio you're getting is smaller than her Rio, and barely larger than a motorcycle. If she had been driving an Elio when that SUV hit her, the SUV would have driven right over the top of the Elio and crushed it!
Not judging you at all, Michael - just saying that this is not the future for me or my wife! :)