Unintended acceleration

[Whereitis]

Toyota's cruise doesn't give me a way to turn off the distance-keeping function, only to adjust the distance some (not enough imho) and my i3 doesn't have the feature at all, so I tend to trust them all a bit less since they work differently. But I'll admit it's convenient on any long drive.

 

[SocialCat50]

Wow - incredible experience. What did the brake pedal do - go to the floor? What happened to the steering?

I don't think you've said where you are, but in the UK or US an accident like that would result in the car being forensically examined, I would have thought. Has that happened yet?

Hi I’m in the US Ca I was blamed for the incident as I am a 74 yo white haired woman Currently fighting with my insurance company to pull the data recorder! Accident maybe happened in 10-15 seconds I could feel the car continue to accelerate No warning systems worked until the car crashed into a parked vehicle Thanks for your intetest

 

[SocialCat50]

There have been numerous reports of unintended acceleration over the years, starting (in my recollection) with the infamous Audi 5000 incident that almost knocked Audi out of the the US market back in the day. I'm sure there are a few that are legit (I had one of my own in an old Toyota once, however I was able to safely stop the car without the incident making the 6:00 news), but the vast majority of them seem to be devoid of details that would validate the accuracy of the report, and in the few possibly legit ones, the inability of the driver to know how to operate their own vehicle well enough to stop it safely is astonishing to say the least. In more recent reports, the number of integrated safety systems that would have all had to fail simultaneously for it to happen reaches a Chernobyl level of incredulity. Not that it couldn't happen, but what are the odds and how stupidly must the operator have acted in the moment?

I’m not stupid but was in shock as the car didn’t respond to steering or braking Incident lasted 10-15 seconds Maybe you’d do better

 

[mojo]

I remember an incident in my car (actually an X1/9, but that's not really relevant) from a lot of years ago:

I stopped in a sloping petrol station, pulled on the handbrake and started to get out - and suddenly realised that the car was gliding forward into the car in front. So I pulled myself back in and stamped on the footbrake, which went to the floor. And then, even after I understood that my foot must actually be on the clutch, I could not make my brain allow me to take my foot off the clutch and back onto the brake!

Luckily the handbrake was within easy reach, and I yanked it on harder - the car then of course stopped.

It made me realise that the way the brain works when under sudden stress is not always as you think it should be...

 

[Mondomensch]

I’ll just note that as more of us are living longer lives many of us also suffer from sensory issues such as peripheral neuropathy. If you can’t feel sensation on the bottom of your foot it can sometimes be hard to realize you’re pressing the gas and not the brake. Not stupidity but rather infirmity.

 

[eNate]

A UK study pegs 65 as the average age for pedal misapplication. A NHTSA / North Carolina study says a significant factor is the different in height between the brake and accelerator pedals, where pedals on an even plane are more likely to be confused than a slightly higher (within reason) brake pedal. The study combines this aspect with driver age to develop a more complex model.

Hopefully my car is reliably and safely self-driving me before this befalls me.

 

[SocialCat50]

I remember an incident in my car (actually an X1/9, but that's not really relevant) from a lot of years ago:

I stopped in a sloping petrol station, pulled on the handbrake and started to get out - and suddenly realised that the car was gliding forward into the car in front. So I pulled myself back in and stamped on the footbrake, which went to the floor. And then, even after I understood that my foot must actually be on the clutch, I could not make my brain allow me to take my foot off the clutch and back onto the brake!

Luckily the handbrake was within easy reach, and I yanked it on harder - the car then of course stopped.

It made me realise that the way the brain works when under sudden stress is not always as you think it should be...

Thanks for your comments I know I tried to get control but 10 seconds goes by quickly !

 

[BMWCCA#41]

A friend's father with Alzheimer's was still driving (VW Jetta, I believe). He had several (at least three) "unintended acceleration" events, where he crashed into cars at stop lights. These were of course due to him pressing the wrong pedal. The amazing thing was that VW/insurance took his word for it multiple times before his license was finally revoked and he was sued. (He'd been nuts for years before the dementia hit, and his family never was capable of controlling him.)