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.
Is automatic dangerous?
Jul 19, 2014
84 Replies
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.
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...
You're right. It's the gearbox that'd be the dangerous thing there.
I've been driving autos daily since 2008 and have, quite literally, been killed to death every time I get in one.
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
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
If there was a real problem the insurance premiums on automatics would very expensive.
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.
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.
Agreed
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.
Now we're back to the nut behind the steering wheel...
Well, f*ck me, Einstein. Well spotted!
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.
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
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.
Anything that modern's got an interlock
It's Johannes. Surely that's a rhetorical question?
What kind of s*it car have you GOT???
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