BMW Accelerator jam car hits 135mph

Allegedly, he thought doing so would disable the vehicle's power steering.

Funny how he broke down in tears though, beer belly, bleached blond hair, ear-ring, BMW driver, I bet he used to be a proper Jack-The-Lad at his local pub.

These young boys certainly are in touch with their feminine side these days.

Yes .... but it was a BMW owner !

Turk 182

I expect there's a lock to stop you doing that. Might get some backfiring or summat - safety regs y'know.

Either turn off the engine (not a good idea to turn it so far that you lock the steering) or clutch in and select N. Engine will go to the red line and make a lot of noise. Better than crashing though.

In article , Derek Hornby writes

"I was in tears most of the time on the phone to the police..."

So he was on a mobile phone, in tears, and driving at 135mph?

Sounds like total bullshit to me..

He could have put the gear lever or automatic transmission into neutral. Don't try and tell me that the lever and clutch pedal (if any) were also jammed.

It all sounds very implausible. He claims that the brakes didn't slow the car down but merely burned out. I don't believe that, having myself experimented with applying brake with accelerator. He claims he couldn't put the car (automatic, I think) into neutral.

The only explanations that came to mind were (a) he is an incompentent DIY car mechanic who had attempted to dismantle the controls of the car but hadn't connected them properly again, or (b) he is a raving loony/attention seeker.

is there a clutch on an auto?

No

The report says this is more or less what did happen. The accelerator was faulty, the brakes were unable to slow him down, and he couldn't put the car in neutral because "the gears were jammed" (whatever that means). Luckily his phone seems to have been a hands-free one, otherwise this could have been a really dangerous situation. It really wasn't his day, was it?

Rod.

Thanks, I have never owned an auto, too prone to accelerator sticking, key sticking, gearlever sticking and brake fade. Mind the phone works under all adverse conditions.

He must have been driving for half an hour without trying it, that's why I wondered if the car had a conventional key.

He says the box was jammed too. Odd, very odd.

Gotta agree - plus the odd way he couldn't turn the engine off nor even drop out of gear. Yet it seems he really did phone the police.

The car had an automatic transmission, IIRC.

marc

One click of the key would have done it, but I can understand why he would not have wanted to do it - one slip of the fingers and you'll engage the steering lock.

marc

According to him he was in tears because he was convinced he was going to die.

marc

You may joke about it, but that happens all the time with mine. I just put a big pile of cushions in my garage

Ah, well of course phones tend to work outside of BMWs as well as inside them.

Oh yes there is!!

Not on the on's I drive! Where?

JS