Is automatic dangerous?

In D or R mode, the only control is the brake pedal. The default engine speed is kept at low revs such that you can manoevre the car e.g. in tight spaces. But what if a fault the engine management system sends the the engine to 4000 rpm in P mode before you start, and not noticing this, you put it into D or R mode, and if it's a big engine. Then no amount of foot or hand brake will hold the car back; it just flies into the wall and crashes. Always watch the rev counter before putting into D or R.

Reply to
johannes
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I'm not always the most observant person in the world, but I really do think that I would notice the engine revving at 4000 rpm in neutral or P.

Reply to
polygonum

Quiet smooth engine, habitual starting and taking off not involving the brain. We do many things without thinking about it, e.g. when walking putting one foot on front of the other...

Reply to
johannes

You're right. It's the gearbox that'd be the dangerous thing there.

Reply to
Adrian

I've been driving autos daily since 2008 and have, quite literally, been killed to death every time I get in one.

Reply to
SteveH

You'd have to be a special kind of idiot to even attempt to put a revving engine into drive without noticing.

Would you qualify?

Tim

Reply to
Tim+

Its quite possible not to notice with modern cars being as smooth and quite as they are if your hearing isnt up to scratch the car isnt equiped with a rev counter or like many people these days are plugged into the personal entertainment system or stereo

Reply to
steve robinson

If there was a real problem the insurance premiums on automatics would very expensive.

Reply to
alan

There is no road car ever made where the engine is more powerful than the brakes.

If you can't tell your engine is revving at 4000 RPM rather than idle, give up driving now.

Reply to
Dave Plowman (News)

I'd agree that a deaf person may not be able to hear the higher revs - but I'd be willing to bet they'd sense it in other ways.

And anyone who gets distracted by using those things you mention deserves everything they get.

Reply to
Dave Plowman (News)

Agreed

Reply to
steve robinson

You're right. It's the gearbox that'd be the dangerous thing there.

No, the dangerous thing would be the nut behind the steering wheel.

Reply to
Tarcap

Now we're back to the nut behind the steering wheel...

Reply to
Gordon H

Well, f*ck me, Einstein. Well spotted!

Reply to
Adrian

Don't feed the troll!

The cases of automatics running away have all proved to be senile drivers who mistook the brake pedal for the accelerator.

Having said that, my Mercedes of many problems did have a sticky throttle. And a 'launch control' rev limiter set to 4000rpm below about 10kph. So if it had been an auto, Johannes's problem could possibly have occurred.

Reply to
Eiron

If your hearing and common sense is so impaired that you fail to notice a revving engine before engaging Drive, you should do us all a big favour and surrender your driving licence now.

Tim

Reply to
Tim+

The charge is "due care and attention", 3 to 9 points. With a bit luck they already have other points, so points are issued to achieve a ban. In the case of the elderly person, usually after a short discussion they surrender their license to the DVLA and the police take no further action unless someone is injured.

Reply to
Peter Hill

Anything that modern's got an interlock

Reply to
Duncan Wood

It's Johannes. Surely that's a rhetorical question?

Reply to
SteveH

What kind of shit car have you GOT???

Reply to
The Revd

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