Woman survives stuck accelerator, speeds of 110 MPH". What would YOU do?

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911 operators just aren't being trained like they used to be.

"911, what's your emergency?"

"I'm trying to defuse this explosive device and the timer shows I have 90 seconds left before detonation -- there are 3 wires leading to the
striker cap -- do I cut the red one or the blue one or the green one?

911: "Let me look thru my training manual -- (pause as 911 operator looks thru 330 pages of possible scenarios ranging from toddlers locked in cars to rabid raccoons to aliens landing for 60 seconds) --
cut the blue wire!"

Caller: "Are you sure?"

911 operator: "Not really, but there is a 33.3% chance that I'm right -
I'll stay on the line and if I hear a Boom, next time I'll go with red or green. Have a nice day":eek::D
 
Back in the early 1980s I had I think, a 1972 chrysler new yorker. My Ex, I and a buddy were headed to the santa anita horse races. It happened so fast its a blurr in my mind as to exactly what I did but I was takeing the off ramp of the freeway and the car speeded up. I stood on the brakes and it still raced ahead. It gets foggy, but I think I tried to turn the key off but it woudnt turn! I tried downshifting and that didnt work! Finaly I hit the cross street, ran it off and somehow the engine quit with me standing on the brakes. Seems I had to also deal with a frozen steering wheel for a secound when the engine quit on me before we came to a halt! The problem? A engine mount had busted and the engine had rocked the throttle wide open! Get your kicks on old route 66!
Years ago and probley now things can defeat each other in a untried emergency! All these gadgets!
It never crossed my mind to try and sue chrysler.
 
I remember almost 25 years ago I had a similar experience when I was in my early 20s. I was driving on an interstate highway in the winter. Lots of snow and ice. Car was an older Rotary engine Mazda. I took my foot off the throttle at one point and it didn't slow down. HHMMMM. OK, I can deal with this, guess I now have cruise control (which, by the way, I HATE and never use). I just steered it along, and if I got to going too fast I just threw out the clutch, shut it off, braked to the speed I wanted, put it in 4th gear with the ignition in the "on" position, dumped the clutch and roll started it. Did that for almost an hour. Got to my location in total safety, with a fun story to tell.:D

People today have no idea how to deal with life's little difficulties.

Jim
 
I would never damn someone else`s story like that after it happened to me. I have drove, flew and rode many motorcyles etc. In that experiance I cant even remember the sequence of everything I tried!
I found out nothing is foolproof. As said different cars have different safe guards. On most or many you cant turn the key off in motion. If you are going too fast on some the auto transmission wont let you downshift. That chrysler wouldnt with the broken engine mount.
Another story: I had a 1985 ford ranger 4WD I bought new. I had about 150,000 miles on it. I was on a trip in the sierras and the fuel pump started doing strange stuff. The engine quit repeatedly always on a down hill left turn. When that happened the steering locked up and I had no power brakes. I had to put all my weight and strength on the brakes to stop! Uphill or on the level it ran as it should. I was lucky to get home alive! I also was sick of the truck from other standpoints and the next day went and bought me a brand new GMC truck.
After those experiances I would be carefull about calling another person stupid or a liar! I also had a few freak things happen flying.
Sorry, but the older I get the softer and more understanding I get too!
 
Today Lee in quartsite posted this picture. I LOVE IT! I think it go`s with this thread too. Thanks Lee!
Bummer when your engine quits in flight........
Sorry. That didnt work. It was that picture of a pilot stepping out of a cub trying to turn the prop!
 
Last edited:
P&R Fan said:
I remember almost 25 years ago I had a similar experience when I was in my early 20s. I was driving on an interstate highway in the winter. Lots of snow and ice. Car was an older Rotary engine Mazda. I took my foot off the throttle at one point and it didn't slow down. HHMMMM. OK, I can deal with this, guess I now have cruise control (which, by the way, I HATE and never use). I just steered it along, and if I got to going too fast I just threw out the clutch, shut it off, braked to the speed I wanted, put it in 4th gear with the ignition in the "on" position, dumped the clutch and roll started it. Did that for almost an hour. Got to my location in total safety, with a fun story to tell.:D

People today have no idea how to deal with life's little difficulties.

Jim
Click to expand...


...back in 1975...I was driving between Tonopah and Ely Nevada...the very definition of the middle of nowhere...when my throttle cable (1970 VW bug) broke. The inventor of the cell phone hadn't even been born yet...and I don't think there's a cell tower out there even today. I thought about it for awhile...then ran what was left of the throttle cable under the rear seat...wrapped it around one of the heater control levers next to the between seats emergency brake lever...and clamped it with a set of vice grips. Drove home 700 miles with a hand throttle...got really good with it by the time I got home.
 
My work van, an E250, accelerates by its self occasionally . The cure is fairly simple. I take my foot off the pedals. My foot is wide enough to catch both the brake and the gas at the same time. The first impulse is of course to press harder on the brake, which also is pushing harder on the gas. Was a little nerve racking until I figured out what was going on.
 
I've had 2 runaway cars in my life. One was my 1st Jeep in which I never knew why the gas got stuck but it only did it once. The pedal wasn't all the way down so I was able to use my brakes to get the truck to stop it. After that I put the car in park and was able to push the pedal back. After taking to my dad about it on the side of the ride, he told me to put it in neutral. I was 16 years old at the time.

2nd time it happen to me was last year in a rental car. The floor mats got bunched up and started to push down on the pedal at WOT. I remembered what my dad told me and I just shifted it into neutral and pulled over.
 
dan01 said:
I know someone that tried to stop a run a way by putting the trans in Park.
Click to expand...

Funny, I knew a runaway that met up with a tranny at the park.........:rolleyes:


It happened a long time ago on one of my racebikes. Road America, Wisconsin. Headed down the front straight, about 155mph, maybe 160 and when I lifted to start braking for turn 1...... the motor was full beans and I was chopping the throttle madly. The old V4 Hondas had some linkage issues if they were not installed very carefully when they were switched to push-pull cables.

I managed tro slow it to about 65 before I stuffed into the haybakes and went for a short flight. Even with the kill switch flipped, the motor dieseled pretty good on the leftover fuel being sucked from the carbs under the vacuum created by the high compression.

Kids, don't try this at home.;)
 
I had another one that wasnt quite as bad with a 1961 oldsmobile. Both incidents, it and my older post, were due to engine mounts breaking and the motor will twist and open the throttle.
 
Its been 46 years ago so I can tell it now. I gassed up my 1946 luscombe that didnt have a starter. I should have got someone to hand prop me but I didnt know or see anyone there. I had done it many times with the tail chained down and even got away with it before a few times without tyeing the tail down. This time I must have set the throttle a tad too far open. I swung the prop and the plane started out without me! I jumped out of the way, ran around and grabbed a strutt, hanging on to that with one hand was running along side and was able to get to reopen the door and throttle back. This was in san fernando california. The plane probley might have took off it didnt hit something first and probley crash like a kamo kuzzi somewhere in the los angeles area! I have heard of it happening before! Until now, nobody else knew of my blunder!
 
jarhead 0802 said:
so her car went full throttle and she didn't have the common sense to save her dumb ***, but was able to pick up the phone and make a call? She should be taken to the nearest vet and spayed immediately.
Click to expand...

...I'm willing to bet she was already on the phone when it happened...put her call on hold...and called 911...probably resumed the original call when she got it stopped.
 
"PUT THE CAR IN NEUTRAL YOU IDIOTS! Guaranteed to slow or stop forward motion. I can GUARANTEE this can be done in every car out there.
You can turn the key off and NOT lock the steering, again, in every car out there I"ve ever seen/driven (was a mechanic and service advisor for 20 some years).
go try it in your car and you'll see."

You are dead right with that last piece of advice.

With every car I've owned (the ones with power brakes and/or steering anyway) since the late 60's I find a safe place, get up to speed, shut the ignition and see how it stops and steers.

Unless it's a '69 Electra 225 or the like it should stop and maneuver just fine.

I'm convinced a large percentage of drivers have no seat-of-the-pants driving skills, a result of dependency on ABS, Traction Control, Stability Control etc. - JP
 
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