Hybrid Car crashes into Tacoma Mini-mart.

[xcel]

Hi All:

___While looking for News this morning, I ran into a good one. Brand new hybrid driver (probably less then an hour) in a used 2005 Toyota Prius II in which the ICE revs up, says he cannot stop the car with both the foot and E-Brakes engaged AND he cannot place it into N. Then the fire department is worried about high voltage after the fire. Is the US filled with this many incompetents? Any brake system can overcome the power of an ICE and the HV pack’s breakers trip on any crash like the one pictured. Watch the video from the story linked below to see how the news team covering the incident had added interesting commentary and proved to be just as clueless.

___The guy did not know how to drive the car and more then likely had his foot on the gas instead of the brake.

Prius II - Crash and Burn.

___Good Luck

___Wayne

[Chuck]

When I was learning to drive, my parents did not seem to appreciate the cross-training learning curve they were throwing at me on top of Driving 101.

The long-time family car (later commuter) was a 1961 Corvair with automatic. It's essentially a large VW and does not respond like a conventional car. One lunch break, my Dad attempted to see if I would "get" a second-hand Corvair with a stick shift. Not near enough time for me, plus walking all day drained me - left me frustrated. A few years later, I'd master the standards, but it took two weeks.

Family also had a 1969 Oldsmobile Cutlass with power brakes/power steering. One day I let the Oldsmobile punch a hold in the garage. Why? The brakes were so easy to press I was afraid it was the accelerator. Jumping from it to the Corvair was so confusing I just decided not to take a chance pressing the accelerator.


Many of you probably need a slight break-in period with a rental. This guy just got his Prius, so I suspect unfamiliarity was a factor.

[Skwyre7]

Originally Posted by xcel

Hi All:
...Is the US filled with this many incompetents? ...

Yes, and they were all at this mini-mart.

[psyshack]

What A Dufus!!!!

[philmcneal]

great, give the prius some more bad press boo!

[SmittyNC]

It's incredible how stories of "unintended acceleration" still circulate virtually unquestioned in the mainstream press! There was an excellent article in Car and Driver (circa 1986/1987) debunking the Audi-related claims common at the time. IIRC, the two primary explanations were:

1. Shame -- The driver could not admit fault.
2. Pedal placement -- Foreign manufacturers tend to position pedals closer together.

An aside: When I was a small child (7 years old), a car I was riding in was involved in a rather serious "unintended acceleration" incident. I won't go into specifics, but it involved a Volvo wagon smashing through my parents' garage door, breaking through the cinderblock wall at the back of the garage, and ending up in my father's home office. No one was hurt, but the driver's pride was no-doubt bruised. The episode bears all the hallmarks of "unintended acceleration," but the situational variables that were seared into my memory (the sound of the engine, the look on the driver's face, etc.) point towards pedal confusion.

[Tochatihu]

There have been earlier reports that the driver's top rug could bunch up around the accel. pedal, if not restrained by the rug hook. May have happened here; with tragic results.

Brake vs accel pedal confusion is another reasonable hypothesis.

DAS

[xcel]

Hi Doug:

___I did not know there was a possibility for the mat to get bunched on top of the accelerator pedal? That might explain a few things … Was there a TSB issued about this? Brakes would still overcome the ICE and MG2 but it may have scared the guy into a panic once the scenario began.

___Good Luck

___Wayne

[pagemap]

In the Civic Hybrid, there are hooks that attach to the driver's mat and keep it from creeping towards the accel and brake pedals. There is no such safety feature on the Prius?

[JusBringIt]

Of course he will blame the car....idiots get smart when they're about to lose a lot of money.