Sent to NBC Nightly News:
With all the reports on Toyota's stuck accelerator problem, no one has really said a lot about how to control the car if it does get away from you. These are common-sense rules for handling a Toyota recently on recall, and general rules for any car on which the accelerator is sticking:
- If the accelerator sticks in an open position, do not try to free it by pressing on it! Get the car into neutral first.
- Get the transmission into Neutral! Most cars sold in the US have Automatic transmissions. For the 5% sold with manual transmissions, depress the clutch and move the shift lever into Neutral.
For Automatics: if the vehicle is not equipped with a "Sport Shift" style transmission, move the gear selector from Drive or Overdrive to the Neutral position, in almost all cases one notch. On cars equipped with a Sport Shift style transmission, the gear selector has to be moved back to the Drive position before it can be shifted into Neutral. On the Toyota models that have the Sport Shift and are subject to the recall, it is best to refrain from using the manual shift option and until the car is repaired; use the Drive position. Seconds can matter.
- Turn the key to the ACC position.
On cars with a key, turn the key back one click to the ACC position. This shuts off the engine to prevent any damage, but also turns off the power steering and power brakes. The car will become harder to steer and stop, but the engine will be off so if the gearshift is accidently moved back into a gear, the car will coast to a stop.
- Plant on or both feet firmly on the brakes.
Pedal pressure will be light until the effects of the engine being turned off start to be felt. At first the pedal will operate normally. Do not pump the pedal. This will cause the pedal to operate harder more quickly. Instead, with one or both feet, depress the pedal and bring the car to a safe stop.
- At some point when it is safe to do so, turn on the flashers.
This will alert other drivers on the road that you are experiencing a problem and hopefully avoid a collision.
These steps will ensure most people a safe stop.
Instead of telling us how bad Toyotas have become, and scaring the daylights out of people, you would better serve the public by passing these steps along to keep people safe.
It should also be mentioned that if a person is intimidated by their car and might be unable to follow these steps, they should avoid driving the car until the repair is made, and either have the car towed to the dealer, or have it driven there by someone who would be able to control the car in case of a runaway situation.
Having a scared person behind the wheel of an uncontrollable car is the last thing that should be allowed to happen!