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It literally took me years to understand it - how can you accelerate by accident? Until someone mentioned that all of these cars were automatics. But every aut

It literally took me years to understand it - how can you accelerate by accident? Until someone mentioned that all of these cars were automatics. But every automatic I've ever driven (not many - I prefer a clutch) moves forward unless you're pushing the break in. In the rest state, it's in motion. The problem isn't Toyota, the problem is a broken system.

mpyne 5y ago
That's a mechanical side effect of the torque converter used in automatics, which even at engine idle with no acceleration input is able to transfer power to the drivetrain. The Toyota case was an instance of the car's engine control software unexpectedly commanding acceleration not requested by the user. In principle it could happen on a manual car as well, but most of Toyota's vehicles in the U.S. are automatics.
gedy 5y ago
People panic and jam the wrong (or both) pedals. (There are quite a few people who use two feet to drive automatics, one foot for break, other for gas..)
- lostlogin 5y ago
  > There are quite a few people who use two feet to drive automatics They are very irritating to drive behind. Some seem to keep pressure on the brake pedal, and the brake lights stay on as they accelerate. When they slow it takes longer to realise they are braking as the lights have been solidly on.
  - frosted-flakes 5y ago
    Are you sure they're not just driving a manual transmission car? I can keep my foot lightly on the brake and apply the clutch to accelerate, without touching the accelerator pedal (diesel engine has a lot of low-end torque). Not that I do this in practice, except in drive-through lines just for the fun of it. In first gear I can reach 8 km/h, but it's possible to get all the way to fifth gear while idling (takes a long time though).
- swiley 5y ago
  I thought you would fail most driving tests doing that.
  - Zak 5y ago
    Perhaps, but left-foot braking is a useful technique, and common practice in some forms of racing. In street driving, the main application is being ready to brake while driving normally. It is much faster to brake with the left foot hovering over the brake pedal than by moving the right foot from the throttle to the brake. Of course covering the brake pedal with the right foot precludes driving normally on a flat road or uphill. This should of course be practiced in low-risk situations before being attempted in high-risk situations.
    - gedy 5y ago
      True but these are definitely not race drivers I'm seeing, jumpy older drivers mostly.
AlfeG 5y ago
Not sure how is this possible. Automatic cars almost always require You to push brake constantly if you not driving. You can't turn car on without pressing brake, can't change to drive mode from parking state without pressing brake. There should be something very broken in Toyota case.
- andi999 5y ago
  Automatic handbreak at a traffic light?

mpyne 5y ago

That's a mechanical side effect of the torque converter used in automatics, which even at engine idle with no acceleration input is able to transfer power to the drivetrain. The Toyota case was an instance of the car's engine control software unexpectedly commanding acceleration not requested by the user. In principle it could happen on a manual car as well, but most of Toyota's vehicles in the U.S. are automatics.

gedy 5y ago

People panic and jam the wrong (or both) pedals. (There are quite a few people who use two feet to drive automatics, one foot for break, other for gas..)

lostlogin 5y ago
> There are quite a few people who use two feet to drive automatics They are very irritating to drive behind. Some seem to keep pressure on the brake pedal, and the brake lights stay on as they accelerate. When they slow it takes longer to realise they are braking as the lights have been solidly on.
- frosted-flakes 5y ago
  Are you sure they're not just driving a manual transmission car? I can keep my foot lightly on the brake and apply the clutch to accelerate, without touching the accelerator pedal (diesel engine has a lot of low-end torque). Not that I do this in practice, except in drive-through lines just for the fun of it. In first gear I can reach 8 km/h, but it's possible to get all the way to fifth gear while idling (takes a long time though).
swiley 5y ago
I thought you would fail most driving tests doing that.
- Zak 5y ago
  Perhaps, but left-foot braking is a useful technique, and common practice in some forms of racing. In street driving, the main application is being ready to brake while driving normally. It is much faster to brake with the left foot hovering over the brake pedal than by moving the right foot from the throttle to the brake. Of course covering the brake pedal with the right foot precludes driving normally on a flat road or uphill. This should of course be practiced in low-risk situations before being attempted in high-risk situations.
  - gedy 5y ago
    True but these are definitely not race drivers I'm seeing, jumpy older drivers mostly.

AlfeG 5y ago

Not sure how is this possible. Automatic cars almost always require You to push brake constantly if you not driving. You can't turn car on without pressing brake, can't change to drive mode from parking state without pressing brake. There should be something very broken in Toyota case.

andi999 5y ago
Automatic handbreak at a traffic light?