SecurityDriver News

First this is a rare occurrence, but it can and has been fatal. One of the fatal incidents happened in my home town – Medford MA.

 If this event happens there are two things you want to do quick – real quick. Slow the car down and disconnect the engine from the drive wheels.

 Here are some things you can do; Press on the brake pedal – brakes can and will overpower the horsepower created by the engine. In a test done by Car and Driver magazine here is what they found “With a Camry’s travelling 70 mph, the brakes easily overcame all 268 horsepower – and stopped the car in 190 feet—that’s a foot shorter than the performance of a Ford Taurus without any gas-pedal problems and just 16 feet longer than with the Camry’s throttle closed.”

 Also from the same  Car and Driver  article – “If this is a concern, in the future look for vehicles with electronic throttle control since the advent of electronic throttle control, many automakers have added software to program the throttle to close—and therefore cut power to the engine”.

 Shift into neutral this will disconnect the engine from the drive wheels – don’t worry about the engine revs going crazy – most cars have rev limiters. But if your gas pedal is stuck and you are travelling 60 MPH or 90 Feet in a second, the least of your concerns is the engine revs.

 Keep in mind where you are. If you are on a major highway you don’t want to stop in the passing lane, the people behind you will get cranky. Once the car is in neutral you can control the speed of the car with the brake pedal. Get the car safely to the side of the road and if you can, off the road. DO NOT shut of the engine while the car is moving. Shutting off the engine will make the car hard to steer, just adding more excitement to your life.

 Once the car is stopped shut off the engine, take a deep breath.