Anybody else sick of these Prius stories on the news?!

[9deuce9rr]

I swear, there’s a minimum of 2 each week. It’s all the same problem, by the same car, I don’t think we need to keep hearing about it.

And I don’t know about the rest of you, but I’m taking a bit of a different angle than what’s been said about it all: each one of these people need to have their licenses taken away for lack of common sense!
I DO believe a company should be held responsible for the problem, and their cars should be manufactured in the most failproof way (which is why I still think electronic throttle [fly by wire] is a horrible idea, and should always be mechanical).
But really?! Come on… Earlier this week, a man near Bakersfield drove over half an hour with his car at 90+ mph and had to call 911 to figure out how to slow it down. Police response: Step On Your Brakes!
Let’s say your gas pedal sticks and/or your car begins accelerating on it’s own, what happens next?!

1) you let off the gas and the pedal doesn’t come up b/c it’s stuck against the assembly used to increase pedal friction, or it is stuck behind the floor mat…….. take your foot OFF the pedal, stick your toes behind the pedal, and pull towards you. Crazy concept, but pretty sure it works out in your favor?

Or if it’s not stuck, but the electronics fail and it accelerates on its own?

2) I’m pretty sure neutral is still functional, perhaps you should try shifting into it?
3) Then you’re in neutral and your car starts revving real high? Maybe try shutting your car off? Sure your power brakes/steering go out, but I’m pretttty sure the majority of us don’t have power steering and we get around just fine. No power brakes could be a problem, but that e-brake handle works just fine to slow down your COASTING car if you use common sense and apply it gently.

If you cant figure out any of these… or you have to call 911 to have them tell you to step on your brake pedal after half an hour at almost 100mph, you should probably invest in a bike and/or a bus pass and get off the road! Sure it’s a scary experience, but take a second to gather your thoughts and put common sense to use

[/venting]