Nightmare time.

[zeitghost]

The wonders of keyless ignition.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/business/8281981.stm

Yet another bright idea.

Though it must be said that a lot of Septic cars use the can bus for stuff like that.

Handbrake included.

Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaargh!

Or words to that effect.

[swamp]

Prius hybrid 2004-2009

Took them five years to realise there is a problem.

[rhubarb]

Took them five years to realise there is a problem.

admit

[TimberWolf]

Took them five years to realise there is a problem.

deaths

[BoredBloke]

"Before the crash, one of the passengers called 911 to report that the accelerator was stuck and the car had reached 120 miles per hour (193km per hour). "

I'm guessing as this was a Lexus and in the US that this car was an automatic, but isn't there a neutral setting on the gearbox? ( I drive a manual so I don't know!) Couldn't the driver have put it in the setting to force it into the lower range gears (1 or 2 instead of drive). OK the engine would have revved it's bollocks off but it wouldn't have been able to get to 120 mph meaning that any resulting crash was at a lot lower speed. I know if it was in a manual car I'd have taken it out of gear, braked and probably not died!

[ThomasSoerensen]

Took Americans five years to find a way to get killed by a floor mat.

fixed that

[ThomasSoerensen]

"Before the crash, one of the passengers called 911 to report that the accelerator was stuck and the car had reached 120 miles per hour (193km per hour). "

I'm guessing as this was a Lexus and in the US that this car was an automatic, but isn't there a neutral setting on the gearbox? ( I drive a manual so I don't know!) Couldn't the driver have put it in the setting to force it into the lower range gears (1 or 2 instead of drive). OK the engine would have revved it's bollocks off but it wouldn't have been able to get to 120 mph meaning that any resulting crash was at a lot lower speed. I know if it was in a manual car I'd have taken it out of gear, braked and probably not died!

how about pressing the brake pedal?

[Spacecadet]

"Before the crash, one of the passengers called 911 to report that the accelerator was stuck and the car had reached 120 miles per hour (193km per hour). "

I'm guessing as this was a Lexus and in the US that this car was an automatic, but isn't there a neutral setting on the gearbox? ( I drive a manual so I don't know!) Couldn't the driver have put it in the setting to force it into the lower range gears (1 or 2 instead of drive). OK the engine would have revved it's bollocks off but it wouldn't have been able to get to 120 mph meaning that any resulting crash was at a lot lower speed. I know if it was in a manual car I'd have taken it out of gear, braked and probably not died!

Yup there is a neutral setting on the Lexus auto box and you can change to it whilst driving and with the accelerator pressed

[Sysman]

"Before the crash, one of the passengers called 911 to report that the accelerator was stuck and the car had reached 120 miles per hour (193km per hour). "

I'm guessing as this was a Lexus and in the US that this car was an automatic, but isn't there a neutral setting on the gearbox? ( I drive a manual so I don't know!) Couldn't the driver have put it in the setting to force it into the lower range gears (1 or 2 instead of drive). OK the engine would have revved it's bollocks off but it wouldn't have been able to get to 120 mph meaning that any resulting crash was at a lot lower speed. I know if it was in a manual car I'd have taken it out of gear, braked and probably not died!

Yes you can knock it into neutral, but the last automatic I drove (a Ford Granada) wouldn't change down to lower gears until the speed of the car dropped to what each gear could handle.

If the accelerator is stuck when in neutral there wouldn't even be any engine damage with a recent car - don't they all have rev limiters now?

[BoredBloke]

how about pressing the brake pedal?

A few years ago a similar thing happened to me. A guy I worked with had a F150 lightning svt (150 MPH pickup truck -or 250 can't remember). Luckily it happened while it was still al low a low speed. Because it had an auto box the engine gets free reign to accelerate as fast as it can because the pedal is pressed down. Pressing the brakes did slow it, but unless you can free the mat you'll eventually lose your brakes - working on the basis that it has plenty of petrol and road! Also, his anti lock brakes made the thing bounce along as the brakes would bite and release, bite and release making it harder to control. He managed to pull the mat out before it hit the other cars in the car park, but the brakes were not stopping it - it was speeding up albeit slower than if the brakes were not applied.

The forces it was applying to the road actually made little ridges in the ultra smooth tarmac they had in the car park, which was pretty good as the wheels spun into action when the brakes released.