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It was a floor mat from a suv(bigger) put in a Lexus sedan. The reason the thing was such a media darling because it had all the trappings for news ratings: Bor
by weaksauce 16y ago
It was a floor mat from a suv(bigger) put in a Lexus sedan. The reason the thing was such a media darling because it had all the trappings for news ratings: Borrowed luxury vehicle, police officer off duty, 911 call up until the end, 90 plus mph, flying off a cliff to a huge crash and fire that killed the whole carload of passengers. If it was an accelerator getting stuck and crashing into a pole from a red light it wouldn't have gotten nearly the attention.
- AlexandrB 16y agoThe first time I read this account, my immediate response was that the police officer was an idiot. Regardless of why the accelerator is stuck, it seems as though a trained police officer should know that you can shift a moving car into neutral with the flick of a wrist. Yes it might ruin the engine, but who cares. The fact that he had time to call 911 and didn't do this first is shocking to me. I knew this trick since I was 16 - and cars aren't even my thing.
- damoncali 16y agoI've read that when the engine is racing, it can take some force to get the transmission into neutral. Don't know if that's actually true (never tried, and I usually drive a manual), but it would explain the failure.
- gregpilling 16y agoNope, usually pretty easy. In 1999 I had the the throttle linkage break on a 5-ton truck I was driving up I-10. It instantly went to full throttle, accelerating as madly as a heavy truck can, and I simply put it in neutral and signaled for the next exit and pulled over to the shoulder. The engine was screaming, it wouldn't shut off with the key (diesel) and I finally got it off by putting a book over the intake. Then I fixed the linkage with some wire and drove home.