Today's not-quite-Darwin award for ignorance
Goes to this driver: news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/business/8281981.stm

"Last month, an off-duty California state trooper and three members of his family were killed when their 2009 Lexus E350 crashed in the San Diego area.
Before the crash, one of the passengers called 911 to report that the accelerator was stuck and the car had reached 120 miles per hour (193km per hour)."

So, I'd like to think that if this had happened to me, I'd have just put it out of gear, hit the brakes, parked the car and switched the engine off.
( K2k6 has a proper job these days, Wed 30 Sep 2009, 9:18, 24 replies, latest was 16 years ago)

even just hitting the brakes would help surely?
if they had time to call 911 and explain then they certainly had time to entertain other options like knocking it out of gear, turning off the engine....

morons.
( Vipros. clever got me this far, then tricky got me in, Wed 30 Sep 2009, 9:24, Reply)

To be honest I wouldn't have known what to do.
But then I'm not a state trooper and I've only been driving for 6 years.
( girlinthehole, Wed 30 Sep 2009, 9:26, Reply)

But even so
I'd like to think that you'd at least try to brake, instinctively. Or perhaps dip the clutch? OK, the US car was probably an auto but that makes it easy to knock into neutral.

With a powerful Lexus, the engine would be pretty strong, but braking would at least slow it a bit.
( K2k6 has a proper job these days, Wed 30 Sep 2009, 9:29, Reply)

Over a certain rev limit
it's not possible to change from D-N.
(Himjim died a little more inside on, Wed 30 Sep 2009, 9:58, Reply)

Even if you're braking?
Surely that's a more dangerous issue than floor mats.
( K2k6 has a proper job these days, Wed 30 Sep 2009, 9:59, Reply)

If you think about the amount of times
a sane person would want to shift from Drive to Neutral at high speed/revs, it doesn't surprise me that it's like that.
(Himjim died a little more inside on, Wed 30 Sep 2009, 10:17, Reply)

I don't see the problem though
My car has a six speed manual gearbox. If I want to drive at some silly speed and knock it out of gear, I can.

I don't, in general, but I could if I wanted to, with no ill effects.

OK, automatics work differently. But even American autos aren't driven exclusively by fuckwits, so why can't you do it?
( K2k6 has a proper job these days, Wed 30 Sep 2009, 10:26, Reply)

There was obviously a junky from the year below around,
you can't stop a honda if there's a junky from the year below around.
(PsychoChomp, Wed 30 Sep 2009, 9:36, Reply)

oh it's toyota,
I should probably have read the article.
(PsychoChomp, Wed 30 Sep 2009, 9:36, Reply)

But
this was a Lexus.
( K2k6 has a proper job these days, Wed 30 Sep 2009, 9:37, Reply)

Once a lexus has tasted human blood it turns into a honda.

(PsychoChomp, Wed 30 Sep 2009, 9:43, Reply)

I knew there was something suspicious about them

( Vipros. clever got me this far, then tricky got me in, Wed 30 Sep 2009, 9:47, Reply)

It was probably an automatic.
Poor people.
(Himjim died a little more inside on, Wed 30 Sep 2009, 9:41, Reply)

Yeah,
rich people drive manual.
(PsychoChomp, Wed 30 Sep 2009, 9:42, Reply)

Brakes are more powerful than the engine, normally
I believe that on a standard factory built car, the brakes will always be able to overpower the engine specifically for problems like this. Even if it's an auto with a stupidly powerful engine, returning the car to it's normal state should be possible.
(stimpy, Wed 30 Sep 2009, 9:43, Reply)

Yes, although
if you're going fast enough, brake fade kicks in.

But, that said, modern engine management systems should cut the power when you hit the brakes, to cope with just this situation.
( K2k6 has a proper job these days, Wed 30 Sep 2009, 9:44, Reply)

frankly, if they had time to accelerate to that speed
and call 911 then he could have got a passenger to take the wheel, grabbed the pedal in his hands and wrenched the fucker up from the floor.
( Vipros. clever got me this far, then tricky got me in, Wed 30 Sep 2009, 9:48, Reply)

An 80-year old woman
managed to drive off the road and down the steps into the door of the police station under the little castle in town yesterday causing all manner of traffic chaos. Unfortunately she was unhurt.
( Noeli overtheshoulderboulderholderthingstraplatchboobs, Wed 30 Sep 2009, 9:54, Reply)

It serves them right
for using a mobile phone when driving.

I haven't even looked at the article btw.
( sandettie light vessel automatic New Twitter - @bollocksreally, Wed 30 Sep 2009, 11:26, Reply)

Uh,
Just turn off the ignition making sure that you don't engage the steering lock.
(oneinthepink is at your cervix m'lady, Wed 30 Sep 2009, 12:23, Reply)

Have you ever
tried to control a car with power steering if the engine cuts out at speed? It doesn't just turn into a car without power steering, it turns into a car that is wedged between rail tracks.
( sandettie light vessel automatic New Twitter - @bollocksreally, Wed 30 Sep 2009, 13:07, Reply)

Not if you keep it in gear though, as the hydraulic pump will still work
unless it's an automatic, in which case, you're fucked.
( K2k6 has a proper job these days, Wed 30 Sep 2009, 13:24, Reply)

Nope
I only drive old cars, I hate power steering.
(oneinthepink is at your cervix m'lady, Wed 30 Sep 2009, 15:39, Reply)

What about stalling it?
Although I guess you can't in an automatic.

It's easy to say what you do in a situation but it is very hard to think rationally when in that kind of situation.
( Mrs Entity is in hiding., Wed 30 Sep 2009, 19:58, Reply)