Accelerator stuck @ 135mph

Lucky bloke to survive all that and not injure anybody else in the process.
And it's nice to see so many smart mouths and comfey arm-chair oppinions here too. All seven pages of it. :eek:
 
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As has been mentioned its happened to a few of us and no one reacted like him,
I turned the ignition off. No need to make a drama out of a crisis is there
 
iCraig said:
Yes, totally true mate. But, he isn't an idiot for not doing them, he was in a dangerous and unpredictable situation. Common sense and logical ideas don't always flood into your head during times like that.

The police also told him not to, he trusted an officer(s) of the law who he presumed knew better.

He isn't an idiot.
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He's still an idiot. Turning the engine off would be most people's absolute first thought the very second they realise the accelerator is stuck. Not this guy though.... Oh no, his first thought was to dial 999 on his mobile whilst dodging traffic at high speed......

I'd say it was an unpredictable situation. But it definately did not need to be dangerous. He was the one that made it dangerous. All he needed to do with flip his hazards on and turn the engine off. People brake down on motorways all the time.
 
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IMO he'd just been caught doing the wrong side of a ton by a speed camera, so his first reaction was to jam the accelerator to the floor and call the police.


The first reaction of someone with an ounce of sense (such as a lot of the people here) would have been to switch the engine off, as no power from engine = slow down/stop.


The Police were right to tell him not to take the ignition key out - but it didn't need that, he could have turned it one click, and the steering lock would have still been disengaged, he would have been able to steer/brake (just unassisted, so he'd have needed a little more strength than usual)


However he was a complete and utter muppet, and tried to hold the car @ 70, and wore out the brakes. Had he stamped on the brakes, he would have been able to slow down enough to pull over onto the hard shoulder, and then come to a complete stop, and doing so would have caused the engine to stall.



I've taken my automatic car out of gear @ very fast speeds with foot to the floor - it just made a lot of noise as the engine bounced off the rev limiter, absolutely nothing else happened.


For the accelerator to get stuck and the autobox getting jammed AT THE SAME TIME is exceedingly unlucky, going back to my first paragraph in this post - I reckon he got caught speeding so thought up this story to cover it.
 
ConfusedTA said:
For the accelerator to get stuck and the autobox getting jammed AT THE SAME TIME is exceedingly unlucky, going back to my first paragraph in this post - I reckon he got caught speeding so thought up this story to cover it.
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The Police said to the press at the time that they were going to fully examine the car to see what went wrong. So if you're right, chances are this will be in the news again - but for all the wrong reasons! :D I'd not be surprised if you're right.
 
I'm going to have to side with the "The Bloke Is An Arse" crowd on this one.

Brakes do not magically stop working when you switch the engine off! A vacuum servo just helps you press the pedal down easier. Maybe some of you are too young to have owned a car without a servo, but I can assure you that despite some hefty pressure back from the pedal, the car WILL stop.

Steering does not magically stop working when you switch the engine off! Power assisted steering will feel a lot heavier than normal because you are not only turning the rack but driving the pump and rams yourself manually. But really, if I can steer a Mondeo one handed, whilst pushing it with the engine off then this bloke can certainly manage at whatever speed he was doing.

Steering locks do not engage when you switch off the ignition! You have to remove the key and turn the wheel until it engages.

Using the handbrake is not automatically "Goodnight Vienna" although it should indeed be a major last resort, as it can easily induce a spin.

Sure, maybe because I've worked with cars over the years I might know a bit more about their workings than "Joe Average" but this is all pretty fundamental stuff that everyone should know. Why don't they teach it in driving lessons? Or make it part of the test? Some of the false information in this thread (brakes dont work once the vacuum runs out, you cant steer with the ignition off) is pretty scary stuff IMO.
 
car manufacturers wouldn't be able to sell cars, that if the engine wasn't running you had no steering or brakes.
the servo and the power steering pump ASSIST they don't do all the work.
he made a mountain out of a mole hill
one turn on the key to turn the engine off was all that was needed.
 
Lopéz said:
I'm going to have to side with the "The Bloke Is An Arse" crowd on this one.

Brakes do not magically stop working when you switch the engine off! A vacuum servo just helps you press the pedal down easier. Maybe some of you are too young to have owned a car without a servo, but I can assure you that despite some hefty pressure back from the pedal, the car WILL stop.

Steering does not magically stop working when you switch the engine off! Power assisted steering will feel a lot heavier than normal because you are not only turning the rack but driving the pump and rams yourself manually. But really, if I can steer a Mondeo one handed, whilst pushing it with the engine off then this bloke can certainly manage at whatever speed he was doing.

Steering locks do not engage when you switch off the ignition! You have to remove the key and turn the wheel until it engages.

Using the handbrake is not automatically "Goodnight Vienna" although it should indeed be a major last resort, as it can easily induce a spin.

Sure, maybe because I've worked with cars over the years I might know a bit more about their workings than "Joe Average" but this is all pretty fundamental stuff that everyone should know. Why don't they teach it in driving lessons? Or make it part of the test? Some of the false information in this thread (brakes dont work once the vacuum runs out, you cant steer with the ignition off) is pretty scary stuff IMO.
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Owning a 97 E36 auto I'll say this...

When in D the only choice you have without pushing the button is N. The stick moves freely between D and N, just push it. It will go into N whenever you want, under any load. I often drive it 'manual' and overshoot the 4th/5th and hit neutral at 6k+ rpm.

Also what Clarkey says about the TC is correct, you cannot tow it because of the fluid in the box that needs to be cooled, it shouldn't lock. I've had a stalling problem and it cut out at 110mph on me, the car just carried on rolling then jump started itself 20 seconds later.

I've broken a ps pump and driven the car 10 miles across town centre with no assistance, I'm a wimp and it was not that bad, got your attention but do'able :p

I've actually had the throttle jam 3/4 open in the FTO, despite knowing exactly what to do there was a small moment where I was screaming and unable to act. Eventually I dipped the clutch and turned it off...and then I drove it home somehow, turned out a cheap air intake rubber was jamming the TB butterfly open :|

So many things he should have done and I'm amazed they didn't advise him to do on the phone! Some people just live in another world :rolleyes:
 
i think he was a lorry driver or something. imagine if he had killed/injured someone in the process.

why make up such a story tho?
 
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