Anyway, kidding aside, back to the OP, there are plenty of good, and not entirely selfish, reasons to consider driving the smallest vehicle you can. It takes a little discipline to get past the fear mongering and see the bigger picture, but I would never ever discourage someone who wants to make a smaller footprint. There's no telling what people can do when they put their mind to it.
But, I would not expect your parents blessing, unless they are REALLY progressive. Your dad sound pretty cool, I can't blame him for being shook up after an accident. I remember wrecking a car when I was young and had a little bit of a struggle getting back behind the wheel, not that me behind a wheel is a good thing
