As the title says, the driver claims an, out-of-control type of event. Personally I'm a little skeptical, what do BR's think?
tinyurl.com/yhqm9kj
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This was a very big issue for ford explorers a little while ago but they are saying its not linked, well something was ( pardon the pun) May be he wanted a little attention or it really did happen but why don't they just turn the ign off! although i have to say some cars don't allow the engine to be switched off now whilst in gear & driving. May be he needs a prarchute
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Prat. Needs to be banned from driving for at least ten years.
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Prat. Needs to be banned from driving for at least ten years.
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Agreed, and then an extended driving test.
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It looks like it is Ford who have a problem not the driver.
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One of his kids will be dragged off in a balloon next.
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why don't they just turn the ign off! although i have to say some cars don't allow the engine to be switched off now whilst in gear & driving.
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>>>>>>>>> i used to love doing that years ago and feel the thump in the back axle as power was restored by turning the ignition back on
sometimes you also got a lovely flame out of the exhaust too :-)
darent do it these days though too many silicon doo rons about in the emu connected to the watsit
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Ah they were the day but when i used to do it the silencer always ended up with a split from end to end & lots of noise!
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Still use that method to deter tailgaters when I'm on the vintage Harley. Flamethrower efffect has been known to melt Volvo front number plates! ;-)
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I wouldn't want Chase Weir covering my back in a tight situation.
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Don,t these cars have an automatic/manual gear stick? Oh and a brake pedal? How does this rubbish get onto our news? I assume we are expected to believe the gear lever, ignition key and brake pedal along with the cruise control all jammed at the same time. Police woman must be exceptionally ignorant to praise this idiot oops I mean hero!
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>>Don,t these cars have a....
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-ve button to step down the speed you want from the cruise control.
A significant concern re my 98 Mondeo cruise control is that operating the hand brake does NOT switch off the cruise control. Why not ?
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does it on any car? doesent on my Seat either.
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A significant concern re my 98 Mondeo cruise control is that operating the hand brake does NOT switch off the cruise control. Why not ?
Because you are only supposed to apply the handbrake when stationary?
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A significant concern re my 98 Mondeo cruise control is that operating the hand brake does NOT switch off the cruise control. Why not ?
Isn't the "off" switch, disengage switch, clutch pedal, brake pedal, gear stick, and ultimately the ignition switch enough for you?
EDIT - And of course as a last resort you could always ram something that isnt going to damage anyone.
Edited by Old Navy on 17/12/2009 at 09:04
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Isn't the "off" switch disengage switch clutch pedal brake pedal gear stick and ultimately the ignition switch enough for you?
Nope, I also want it connected to the electric windows, air con and central locking... well you never know.... ;)
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Isn't the "off" switch disengage switch clutch pedal brake pedal gear stick and ultimately the ignition switch enough for you?
No.
I would like the emergency brake to disengage the cruise control.
It is an easy logical device to operate in an emergency.
It is also an easier control for a passenger to reach than the ignition key / off button wherever might be! ( KISS?)
As I suspected other makes are the same as my Mondeo in not including the emergency brake in the process.
And of course as a last resort you could always ram something that isnt going to damage anyone.
Sadly IIRC there was a case not so long ago when a vehicle in cruise control did finish up stopping by raming something when the driver was incapacitated.
Edited by henry k on 17/12/2009 at 12:07
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Sadly IIRC there was a case not so long ago when a vehicle in cruise control did finish up stopping by raming something when the driver was incapacitated.
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Thats automated systems for you, good idea not to fall asleep either.
henry, do you work in the Health and Safety "industry"? :-)
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Pity he wasn't driving a bus. They could have turned his story into a film...
;-)
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Henry K, what "emergency brake"?
Only things I know of with them is a train which has a plunger... you are surely not suggesting that cars are fitted with one that passengers could use? I would be very much against that idea, the very rare occassions it could be useful I suspect would be far outweighed by the number of times a passenger would use one unnecessarily causing havoc for the driver and other road users when the driver loses control of the car because of its (mis)use.
Edited by b308 on 17/12/2009 at 16:54
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Henry K what "emergency brake"?
I think a character callef "F. Flintstone" had a vehicle fitted with one of these.
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Emergency brake or e-brake in an American concept. I haven't experienced it in Europe, where a handbrake is just for securing a stationary vehicle.
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Hamsafar
Is not the case that the handbrake is also intended for use as a second line of defence should the footbrake fail?
Edited by Spospe on 17/12/2009 at 17:28
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An "emergency brake" is same as the handbrake, just the term commonly used in America, as far as I know. Obviously its intended for keeping the vehicle stationary, but in an emergency situation could be used while the vehicle is moving.
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>>henry, do you work in the Health and Safety "industry"? :-)
Only for my family.
Just a couple of weeks ago in the rush hour, just a couple of miles from my home, my daughter with paramedics using CPR saved a driver who had a lowish speed crash with no other vehicles involved. An example of driver incapacitation but unfortunately no passenger was with him to assist stopping. (He is recovering after a spell in intensive)
(Yes the road was closed as a crime scene )
>>Henry K, what "emergency brake"?
Thanks to posters who explained this
A while back at a presentation by the IAM to a very large well known car club at a motoring mecca near me I raised the question of cruise control / handbrake and it was obvious that no one there had considered the situation.
As a passenger how would you bring a vehicle to a halt if the driver became so unwell as to not have proper control even without cruise control switched on ?
Foot operated "parking brakes" , electronic parking brakes, stop /start buttons, keyless ignition etc etc can all complicate the task.
In the old days before steering locks and power steering, removing the key would kill things but not a good idea today
Worth some thought next time you are a passenger?
Edited by henry k on 17/12/2009 at 22:55
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Worth some thought next time you are a passenger?
Not really... If I ever started thinking like that the only form of transport I'd ever use would be a train, as its the only one fitted with a device that stops it automatically if the driver collapses, and at least it can't swerve into anything else! I know it can happen (but only very rarely) but how many passengers could actually do anything useful in the time available, even if there was some way of doing anything, which I strongly doubt?
Oh, and like Henry, thanks for the explanation of the emergency brake, never heard it called that before...
Edited by b308 on 18/12/2009 at 09:11
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Just a couple of weeks ago in the rush hour just a couple of miles from my home my daughter with paramedics using CPR saved a driver
I think you are overreacting to your daughters work experiences.
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Is not the case that the handbrake is also intended for use as a second line of defence should the footbrake fail?
At any sort of speed, it's next to useless.
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Seem to remember some cars had (may still do) a hand brake that worked on the propshaft so pulling it on when moving could roll the car.
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Seem to remember some cars had (may still do) a hand brake that worked on the propshaft so pulling it on when moving could roll the car.
Can you explain the physics of that please?
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Probably not but I would guess that if the brake is fixed to the car and it grabs a rapidly rotating disc /drum that is fitted to the propshaft of what I seem to remember was a four wheel drive vehicle this was the outcome. Sounded genuine to me. Am I the victim of a wind up?
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Won't belong before a similar story surrounds a Mazda 6 20ltr diesel when a runaway engine takes command of things
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Ho hum. Let's see, driver claims they couldn't stop the car, the gearstick wouldn't leave drive (!), the cruise wouldn't dis-engage and the ignition wouldn't switch off(!!!).
Ok, that's all far fetched enough. But then, it turns out he managed to stop in the end (after much farcical behaviour) by using his brakes of all things.
Simple question, why didn't he try using the brakes first, which is what would be instinctive for anyone, even the most mechanically ignorant driver?
I smell a fish...
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TheOilBurner
At the start of the article it does say, "Careering along in his Ford Explorer, he tried to slam on the brakes, but they did not stop him"
Seemingly it was only when the nice police oficer ordered him to brake that he was able to stop the car.
I also smell a fish ...
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Exactly. Are people's egos so small and fragile these days that they have to resort to attention seeking madness like this to feel better about themselves? Truly bizarre.
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