Personal Injury Law

Stuck Floor Mat Survival Strategies ? How to Avoid a Collision

By Claude Wyle

Recent reports of stuck accelerator pedals causing crashes and Toyota's auto recall has caused many to question whether or not a vehicle's brakes are powerful enough to overpower the engine to stop a vehicle, and what you should do if you are ever in that situation. While most experts agree that a typical consumer car engine won't be able to overpower the car's brakes when the car is stopped, what happens at speed is another question. Consumer Reports decided to put this question to the test.

Consumer Reports found that several German cars with so-called 'smart-throttle' technology will electronically ignore the throttle input if the brake pedal is depressed. With such cars, they accelerated to 60 mph and then hit the brakes with the throttle pedal still planted to simulate a condition where the floor mat might have stuck it in place. Despite the engine open to full-throttle, they were able to safely slow to a stop.

They then tried a Toyota and a Chevrolet without smart-throttles. At 20 miles an hour, the cars did stop, but took a lot of time and effort. At 60 mph before they slammed on the brakes. Braking was very difficult because the engines downshifted and tried to maintain speed. By the time the car slowed to about 10 mph, the brakes had faded so much that the car was not able to come to a complete stop. If the driver had less strength or was traveling at higher speeds, the results could have been tragic.

So what should you do if the car you are driving has a stuck accelerator pedal? Put the car in neutral. In each one of the cars Consumer Reports tested, they were able to push the gear lever into neutral and stop the car quickly. Because all modern engines have 'rev limiters' that prevent the engine from over revving and damaging the engine, you can safely shut off the engine after you come to a stop. Please note, however, that Consumer Reports does not advise shutting off the engine while still driving. While this would allow you to stop, you lose power steering and will have trouble maneuvering the vehicle due to the extremely heavy steering.



As defective automobile attorneys, our most important mission is to prevent harm, especially harm that can be prevented. So, next time you are in your car, take a few moments to familiarize yourself with the gear system. Find the neutral position and make a mental note so that if you are faced with an emergency such as a runaway vehicle, you will be prepared to take action.

Full post as published by San Francisco Personal Injury Lawyer on November 10, 2009 (boomark / email).