Unintended Acceleration

News Item: A woman, who was driving a neighbor's car, crashed into her own house, through the kitchen, out the back, across the yard, through the fence, across the alley and into a ditch. "It accelerated and the brakes wouldn't work," she said.

Been There. Done that.
Well, sort of. Similar to that unfortunate driver, I have pushed the wrong pedal—more than once. It can happen to anyone. The only difference is that prior to my incident, I'd practiced corrective actions, so it didn't end expensively.


Instead of pushing the gas when I wanted the brake, I got the clutch instead of the brake. Also, several times I've been a riding instructor in high-performance driving events when students pushed the gas in the mistaken—but unshakable—belief they were on the brake. And, I witnessed an accident where a car accelerated wildly from a stop into another vehicle and then a telephone pole: Her brake lights never illuminated. I've experienced my share of unintended acceleration, which is also known as sudden or unanticipated acceleration, or pedal misapplication.

In a modern, properly maintained passenger vehicle, the brakes easily overpower the engine.
Don't fret that your car might develop a mind of its own and accelerate wildly despite your best efforts to stop it: In a modern, properly maintained passenger vehicle, the brakes easily overpower the engine. I've proven this in hundreds of vehicles, from Corollas to Corvettes. Try it yourself. In an empty parking lot, bring your properly maintained automatic-transmission vehicle to a stop. Place your left foot hard on the brake. While holding the brake to the floor, push the accelerator all the way down. Have no fear: Your car will not move. Unintended acceleration complaints fell dramatically when carmakers installed brake/transmission inter-locks, devices that require the driver to push the brake pedal before automatic transmission cars can be shifted out of Park.

Double Entendre
But what if the car is already in motion? Return to that deserted parking lot or find an empty dead-end road. Make certain there's no traffic behind. Get up to, say, 30 mph. then plant the accelerator to the floor with your right foot. Simultaneously push aggressively on the brake with your left. Now, stay hard on both pedals until the car comes to a stop. Stopping distance will be longer than if the throttle wasn't wide open, but stop you will.