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Do we also blame the drivers of the Toyotas that got stuck accelerators, because any driver should know to take the car out of gear or turn the key to the off p

Do we also blame the drivers of the Toyotas that got stuck accelerators, because any driver should know to take the car out of gear or turn the key to the off position. Right? While the car is accelerating at or near WOT? I've been in a car when the throttle got stuck open, we crashed, I hit the windshield. It happened in about 5 seconds, and the driver spent most of those giving steering inputs to avoid hitting people and furiously working the break and kicking the gas pedal. It happened because enough engine mounts were broken or broke because of a hard throttle push. Also my dad died in a single seat plane crash because the engine died several times in flight, according to a witness interviewed by a local paper; there was no investigation at all so I'll never know what really happened. At least the company that made the plane changed their name!

WalterBright 1y ago
I had the throttle stick on my car once. I immediately turned the ignition off. I was a teenager at the time (and my car was a POS). The brakes are much stronger than the engine (proof: you can brake in a much shorter distance than you can accelerate). On my current car, I have inadvertently hit the edge of the gas pedal while I stepped on the brake a couple times, as those pedals are too close together and I have wide feet. My reaction was to instantly move my foot. A number of those "surging" incidents are suspected of being the driver had their foot on the gas rather than the brake. Glad to hear you're all right after the crash. I nearly died in a car crash. Sorry to hear about your dad. It must be very frustrating to not know the cause. I thought all GA accidents were officially investigated.
- genewitch 1y ago
  My car has a pushbutton "ignition switch" and i have not tried pushing it while travelling; however, my lexus also has floormat retention to stop the floormat from going onto the gas pedal. It wasn't "accidental" - there was a recall. The toyotas and lexus affected don't have a floating accelerator pedal, where it hangs from above and there's space underneath. The gas pedal is hinged on the floor, and swings free at the top. So you could shove something forward and it will push the gas pedal down. If memory serves there was an instance in southern california where the driver called 911 or some other recorded line (they died); but it may have just been a witness statement i remember.
quesera 1y ago
I do not work in aero or auto, but I have a much higher expectation of training and retention of a commercial airline pilot than I do of a random Toyota driver. I had a stuck accelerator on an old Ford F-150. The throttle inside the carb got stuck. I was lucky to have the Toyota case in my memory, so I just shifted into neutral. It was an automatic, which I think is another factor -- the more direct control you remove from the driver, the less intuitive it becomes to compensate for a single system failure. Obviously a standard transmission driver would just hit the clutch. (And I've had a similar failure on an unfamiliar motorcycle that just came out of storage. Pulling the clutch bail was the instinctive response, after manually untwisting the throttle did not work. I learned my lesson about old vehicles eventually. Trust nothing, verify everything.) Very sorry to hear about your dad!

WalterBright 1y ago

I had the throttle stick on my car once. I immediately turned the ignition off. I was a teenager at the time (and my car was a POS). The brakes are much stronger than the engine (proof: you can brake in a much shorter distance than you can accelerate). On my current car, I have inadvertently hit the edge of the gas pedal while I stepped on the brake a couple times, as those pedals are too close together and I have wide feet. My reaction was to instantly move my foot. A number of those "surging" incidents are suspected of being the driver had their foot on the gas rather than the brake. Glad to hear you're all right after the crash. I nearly died in a car crash. Sorry to hear about your dad. It must be very frustrating to not know the cause. I thought all GA accidents were officially investigated.

genewitch 1y ago
My car has a pushbutton "ignition switch" and i have not tried pushing it while travelling; however, my lexus also has floormat retention to stop the floormat from going onto the gas pedal. It wasn't "accidental" - there was a recall. The toyotas and lexus affected don't have a floating accelerator pedal, where it hangs from above and there's space underneath. The gas pedal is hinged on the floor, and swings free at the top. So you could shove something forward and it will push the gas pedal down. If memory serves there was an instance in southern california where the driver called 911 or some other recorded line (they died); but it may have just been a witness statement i remember.

quesera 1y ago

I do not work in aero or auto, but I have a much higher expectation of training and retention of a commercial airline pilot than I do of a random Toyota driver. I had a stuck accelerator on an old Ford F-150. The throttle inside the carb got stuck. I was lucky to have the Toyota case in my memory, so I just shifted into neutral. It was an automatic, which I think is another factor -- the more direct control you remove from the driver, the less intuitive it becomes to compensate for a single system failure. Obviously a standard transmission driver would just hit the clutch. (And I've had a similar failure on an unfamiliar motorcycle that just came out of storage. Pulling the clutch bail was the instinctive response, after manually untwisting the throttle did not work. I learned my lesson about old vehicles eventually. Trust nothing, verify everything.) Very sorry to hear about your dad!