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I spent 24 hours with a Prius a couple of weekends ago. (Free upgrade at the rental lot.) Despite starting out with a mostly-discharged battery and learning how to drive the thing, I averaged 54.9 mpg over New Jersey's hilly backroads.
My biggest concern with the Prius is just how unrepairable it is. The transmission, electrical system, body systems and high-voltage systems are so computerized and closed that I wouldn't even know where to start--and I'm not sure that, unlike the Insight, I could drive it home in the case of some kind of HV-system failure.
I do love driving in "EV mode", but that just makes me want to do an EV conversion more, not get a Prius. :-)
BTW, the seatbelt does two things. First, it keeps you in the car in case of a crash, and second, it keeps you in your seat so you can maintain control of your vehicle. If you hit a rock in the road, I'd rather you keep moderate control of the vehicle than get knocked askew and end up plowing into somebody else head-on because your left foot is no longer in front of the brake pedal.
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