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Thing is, just jamming on the brakes will stop your car, every time. Your brakes are much more powerful than your accelerator. The problem is when a driver thin
by LogicHoleFlaw 16y ago
Thing is, just jamming on the brakes will stop your car, every time. Your brakes are much more powerful than your accelerator. The problem is when a driver thinks their foot is on the brake, when it is actually on the accelerator. So mashing their foot to the ground just exacerbates (i.e. causes in the first place) the problem.
The panic response is very difficult to overcome.
- InclinedPlane 16y agoIndeed, that was the first thing I listed. In an emergency you should condition yourself to jam on the brakes. That will stop the car, even if the accelerator is running. However, some people will try to apply the brakes gradually (as you would when coming to a stop normally). And in that case the brakes won't respond as one might expect. If the brakes don't seem to work, push harder until they do.
- Symmetry 16y agoAlso, if you use your brakes to slow down with a stuck accelerator but not stop you can wear out your break pads fairly quickly at 60 mph. At which point you're SOL. EDIT: Reading a comment farther down, I'm reminded that this is a matter of the copper pads getting too hot rather than wearing away. Same effect though.