Coincidence?

So I'm in town today, and stopped at a light. It turns green, I cross what is the main road through downtown and go through the intersection. Suddenly, what I thought was an Impala parked at the curb takes off backwards, almost clipping me, goes down the road, through the intersection WFO, and puts the car into a hydro poll, destroying the rear end of the car. I jump out of my truck and run back to see if they're alright. Guy says, I don't know what happened. I started it up, put it in reverse, it took off at full throttle and I couldn't stop it. It was a late model Camry.

Sounds like the old man didn't like his Camry, or stood on the gas instead of the brake.....

Mmmmmm- pedals be confusing...

Audi from the 90's?

Did I say it was an old man?

Pedals be confusin', but you have to put your foot on the brake to get it out of park, and if he hit the gas pedal by accident, would he keep it there for the 500+ feet he traveled?

I don't know what ever became of the Toyota acceleration thing, but this sure didn't look like a case of operator error.

Pretty much ever case was determined to be operator error aside from a sticky gas pedal and floor mat issue.

Fueled by Caffeine wrote: Pretty much ever case was determined to be operator error aside from a sticky gas pedal and floor mat issue.

But they then reflashed every computer and replaced a large portion of the models throttle pedal assemblies.

Problem is people panic, and are certain they are pressing on the brake even when its the gas, so they don't let off. Saw this on truth about cars recently:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dsTiPhcaeus

Fueled by Caffeine wrote: Pretty much ever case was determined to be operator error aside from a sticky gas pedal and floor mat issue.

This ^^^. We have a friend of the family, an elderly gentleman who recently purchased a new Toyota Camry. As he was leaving a parking lot, the car took off and ran into the side of another parked car. He told me, "the harder I pressed the brake pedal the more the engine screamed, it just wouldn't stop!". It was later determined to be driver error and he was told that he was actually pressing the gas pedal and not the brake. Was he? I don't know but it makes sense. It seems most people that experience unintended acceleration are in cars that they just recently purchased and are unfamiliar with.

Yahoo News: The U.S. Postal Service has taken the unusual step of releasing a set of helpful tips to help reduce the number of drivers in Florida who have been crashing their cars into post offices. This year so far, eight drivers have crashed into post offices in Central Florida alone. Local ABC affiliate WWSB7 reports that the tips include, "Avoid distracted driving; Proceed slowly and carefully when pulling in, and backing out, of parking spaces; Visibly check to see whether your foot is on the gas pedal or the brake pedal," and "Visibly check to see if the vehicle is in Park, Reverse or Drive." The USPS says the two most common causes of such accidents are when drivers step on the gas instead of the brake pedal and when the driver accelerates thinking the vehicle is in reverse. In June 2011, 89-year-old Phyllis Slaunwhite crashed her vehicle into a Florida post office, causing more than $250,000 in damages. Slaunwhite later told police she had blacked out and had no memory of the accident. "It was just a big smash and everyone started shuffling toward the front of the building," local resident Frank Kubacki told the Tampa Bay Times. "There you go. Another Florida accident." Florida is home to more than 15,000,000 drivers, nearly a third, or about 4 million, of whom are over the age of 60.

This just in: People are berkeleying retarded. Not you guys. You guys are all right.

Under carefully controlled conditions and only with an absolute guarantee of complete reversibility...

I'd like to experience for 1 hour what it's like to be one of the general population car operators that do this kind of thing.

I've spent a staggering amount of time and money over the past 20 years in an effort to be the best rider and driver I can be. I'm running at the front of the fastest group in SCCA club racing, and my street driving is extremely smooth and predictive and predictable.

I can see needing to work on your heel-toe rev matching, or your left foot braking. Which pedal is which? I literally cannot comprehend that.

MrJoshua wrote:

Fueled by Caffeine wrote: Pretty much ever case was determined to be operator error aside from a sticky gas pedal and floor mat issue.

But they then reflashed every computer and replaced a large portion of the models throttle pedal assemblies.

In aware of the pedal but not a reflash. Interesting. Toyota is very concerned with customer loyalty. So much so they will replace things that are not 100% needed just to keep customers placated. There was an article I read about it recently, basically the old gm and ford loyalties by customers have been broken and toyota will do whatever it needs to do to make sure they keep their customers.

Has everyone here seen the recent episode of Top Gear where the converted a FIAT Multipla minivan into a purpose built old folks car? Some of thier ideas were actually brilliant, like making the brake pedal have an audible warning. Hear the noise, and you've got the brake, no noise, its not the brake.

I know there have been several tests done by auto magazines. The brakes of most cars on the road can outpower the engine...stomp the gas and brake at the same time and the car won't move, or if it's already moving, it will eventually stop.

I don't doubt that some cars have issues with the engine suddenly revving without hitting the gas, I remember it happening to a late 80's Mercury Topaz my father had as a company car. It's rare, but it happens. But from there, the "runaway" car is complete driver error.

Automatic kill!
We should be protected from ourselves, everyone should be required to drive a manual transmission.

john for prez

Whatever happened to Tap-A-Toe Futuroidic Footless De-Clutching, Single Pedal Power Control and The Floorboard of the Future?

http://forums.fourtitude.com/showthread.php?4639142

Maybe Jeremy's "sqeaky toy under the brake" idea from the latest Top Gear season isn't so ridiculous.

I've tapped the gas instead of the brake a couple of times in my life...I knew I'd made a huge mistake instantly and corrected it in a fraction of a second.

motomoron wrote: I can see needing to work on your heel-toe rev matching, or your left foot braking. Which pedal is which? I literally cannot comprehend that.

I had it happen twice. Once was while pushing a truck backwards with my left foot. Right foot found clutch instead of brake.

Second time was in an older Mercedes. Throttle feels odd in those cars, almost hydraulic in the initial effort required.

OTOH, I don't claim to be perfect, and if I screw up, then I screwed up.

I've accidentally hit the gas instead of the brake, and lunged forward, or reverse, but not all the way down the street, across 3 lanes, up the sidewalk, and into a pole. You had to see it to believe it. He traveled a long way.

I've actually had a throttle stick (you know, when E36 M3 was cables and not electrons) on my old 84 Tempo with the 1-bbl holley carb. So I pushed in the clutch, turned off the key, set the eBrake and got out and unkinked the cable. Got back in and drove home. I was 17.

I am still baffled by this whole thing....if it is a legitimate case of a throttle sticking, why not put the damned thing in neutral?

This guy is either a terrible driver, hated his toyota, or old.......pick any 3.

Bobzilla wrote: I've actually had a throttle stick (you know, when E36 M3 was cables and not electrons) on my old 84 Tempo with the 1-bbl holley carb. So I pushed in the clutch, turned off the key, set the eBrake and got out and unkinked the cable. Got back in and drove home. I was 17.

In the snow? Uphill...both ways?

Zomby Woof wrote: Did I say it was an old man? Pedals be confusin', but you have to put your foot on the brake to get it out of park, and if he hit the gas pedal by accident, would he keep it there for the 500+ feet he traveled? I don't know what ever became of the Toyota acceleration thing, but this sure didn't look like a case of operator error.

I bet he's a left foot braker. He taps the brake with his left foot to get it into reverse, then moves his left foot out of the way, car lurches, and he stabs with both feet in a panic.. Left foot isn't on the pedal so it's pushing on the floor, right foot is on the gas.

I believe the Toyota ECU re-flash made it so the throttle would close when both the brake and gas were pressed for a certain amount of time.