Re: Highway Patrol officer helped slow a runaway Toyota Prius from 94 mph to a safe stop

Could be a setup or staged and here is why I say this.

First off is driver negligence. You have brakes, and if they are at all maintained two feet on the breaks with parking brake applied will stop any vehicle I know even with the motor going. Brakes are stronger than motors. So did the driver not only forget to use them, were they maintained properly?

Second issue is there is always neutral. They teach that in drivers ed when I took it. Once in nuetral...problem is purely due care in pulling over and turning it off.

Third, there is the ignition. Turn it off long enough for it to stop and then to run (but not start) and coast. Works even without brakes!

So ask, why did it take this incopentat driver so long to do some basic steps?

Which makes me think this driver is carelessly gradstanding like OJ did.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Might not be possible to set it back to run position with a pushbutton ignition. Know what I mean? But, you and I can only offer conjecture unless we've used a Prius or read the manual.

Because our system of testing drivers does not weed out the incompetent ones, who comprise almost 90% of drivers on the road.

"Canuck57" wrote

The news tonight had the recording of part of the 911 call: Operator: Did you try shifting to neutral? Driver: NO

He later said he was afraid to because he thought the car might flip. He should have his license revoked.

Nothing more need be said.

This is America, where we allow people to drive even if they're legally blind or clinically dead.

Are you saying that it is alright for auto manufacturers to produce dangerous vehicles because the driver should be able to overcome anthing that fails, weather if be faulty steering, sudden acceleration, or bad brakes, if the driver is paying attention???????????????????

Are you tying to say that the driver, who paid tens of thousands of dollars for a vechicle he should reasonably assume will steer WHERE he wants it to go, accelerate WHEN he wants to (and NOT accererate when he does NOT WANT IT TOO), and stop WHEN he wants it to, should reasonably expect all these things?????

Myself, I think if a person only paid 25 grand for a car, and it suddenly accelerated out of control or would not stop when the brakes were applied, it would HAVE to be the fault of the driver. After all, you only get what you pay for!!!!!!!!!!!

OTOH, I really think that:

One should not HAVE TO BE READY TO PUT THE TRANSMISSION IN NUTREAL IN CASE THE CAR SUDDENLY ACCELERATES OUT OF CONTROL!!!!!!!!!!!!

The car should not do so in the first place!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

While a customer should not have to expect a car to rattle, or have a bad 'fit an finish" (lingo for the likes of Consumer Reports rap on the alleged "bad GM quality"), the same customer should expect his Toyota to STOP when he wants it to!!!!

Are you saying that it is alright for auto manufacturers to produce dangerous vehicles because the driver should be able to overcome anthing that fails, weather if be faulty steering, sudden acceleration, or bad brakes, if the driver is paying attention???????????????????

==================

I never said anything even remotely resembling what you want to believe I said.

==================

Are you tying to say that the driver, who paid tens of thousands of dollars for a vechicle he should reasonably assume will steer WHERE he wants it to go, accelerate WHEN he wants to (and NOT accererate when he does NOT WANT IT TOO), and stop WHEN he wants it to, should reasonably expect all these things?????

==================

I never said anything even remotely resembling what you want to believe I said.

==================

Myself, I think if a person only paid 25 grand for a car, and it suddenly accelerated out of control or would not stop when the brakes were applied, it would HAVE to be the fault of the driver. After all, you only get what you pay for!!!!!!!!!!!

OTOH, I really think that:

One should not HAVE TO BE READY TO PUT THE TRANSMISSION IN NUTREAL IN CASE THE CAR SUDDENLY ACCELERATES OUT OF CONTROL!!!!!!!!!!!!

==================

By saying that, you have proven that I am correct when I say that about 90% of drivers are and always will be unqualified to operate a motor vehicle of any kind. A driver must be ready for absolutely ANYTHING.

Agreed. He was obviously grandstanding. Maybe thought he was going to get nipped for speeding.

Also said something like he was busy controling the car to shift it, yet he could dial 911 on the cell...

Cops should yank his license.

YA THINK?

Are you saying that it is alright for auto manufacturers to produce dangerous vehicles because the driver should be able to overcome anthing that fails, weather if be faulty steering, sudden acceleration, or bad brakes, if the driver is paying attention???????????????????

Are you tying to say that the driver, who paid tens of thousands of dollars for a vechicle he should reasonably assume will steer WHERE he wants it to go, accelerate WHEN he wants to (and NOT accererate when he does NOT WANT IT TOO), and stop WHEN he wants it to, should reasonably expect all these things?????

Myself, I think if a person only paid 25 grand for a car, and it suddenly accelerated out of control or would not stop when the brakes were applied, it would HAVE to be the fault of the driver. After all, you only get what you pay for!!!!!!!!!!!

OTOH, I really think that:

One should not HAVE TO BE READY TO PUT THE TRANSMISSION IN NUTREAL IN CASE THE CAR SUDDENLY ACCELERATES OUT OF CONTROL!!!!!!!!!!!!

The car should not do so in the first place!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

While a customer should not have to expect a car to rattle, or have a bad 'fit an finish" (lingo for the likes of Consumer Reports rap on the alleged "bad GM quality"), the same customer should expect his Toyota to STOP when he wants it to!!!!

Cops don't yank licenses. Courts do.

True. Just not often enough.

Now, if we could just go after the motor vehicle departments of each state, and their obviously-lacking test requirements. It's too easy to get, and retain, a license. Period.

Yes, but if the cop does not charge him, courts will never see him to make it permanent. And yes, in some places they can take your license for a time pending court.

I guess you could include me in the 90% of drivers unqualified to drive, even though in 35 years and about a million miles (knock on wood), I have never been involved in an accident. Been lucky a few times, but I consider myself to be both a skilled and safe driver.

However:

I can see a driver not being prepared when his car, for no apparent reason, suddenly fully accelerates.

I can see a driver not being prepard when his car, for no apparent reason, does not stop when he applies the brakes.

I can see a driver not being prepared when his car, for no apparent reason, does not steer in the direction in which he wants it to.

Especially in heavy traffic.

Even if he is keeping a 'safe' distance from other traffic.

Is this what we have come to expect from the "king of quality"????

Pay your 25 grand for our car, but be prepared in case it wont stop on it's own???

No one here is suggesting the cars should drive themselves, but gimme a break (not pun intended).

Like I said, I guess you get what you pay for.

"jr92" wrote

You do expect that any car will stop, go, turn when you want it to, however, I've had those things go wrong over the years on various cars I've driven. You have to have some modicum of training and ability to deal with those situations. Forget Toyota, it has happened with every brand of car at some point. Mechanical devices fail.

Just as you should have a flashlight and candles in the house for the inevitable power failure, you should be mentally prepared for mechanical defects that will occur. Toyota is still on the hook for the real problem, but most of the situations can be lessened by an attentive driver. Especially now that is has received so much publicity and the news media has shown what to do.

Once again our friend Canuck57 is telling us the sky is falling

The more stupid drivers on the road, the more Toyotas, and the more Toyotas, the more chances of accidents like this.

It sounds pretty accurate. Anyone can drive so the whole chain of predators gets fed. A good reason for most cars being automatic, so the drivers go into "automatic pilot."

Few people know that they should shift into neutral if that occurs. Most likely they'll jump out the window. ;)

Uh, and the problem with that is?

-------------------------------

"Why didn't the driver simply throw the transmission into neutral as officers urged him to do?"

Maybe he doesn't like authority? Rather prove a 94MPH point? good thing it wasn't a corolla... this chase would have topped 110mph