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It's been a year since I was issued my driving licence. I have never driven automatic transmission cars, so my idea about them is very faint. I know that there is no clutch pedal, and one doesn't have to shift gears while driving forward - that's it.
Last day, I was watching a TV show where they showed the case of a car in which the accelerator pedal was stuck. The terrified driver had called 911, and cops assisted her in bringing the vehicle to a stop.
I was thinking what I should be doing in case I am in a similar situation - break failure or a stuck accelerator pedal. First, it is important to navigate properly so that I do not hit a lamp post, another car or a pedestrian. In my city, the maximum allowed speed is 60 km/h, but it is rarely possible to drive above 40 km/h in the traffic. So consider that I am on a highway where I am driving at around 80 km/h - 100 km/h (or maybe more).
I have an idea on how to handle the situation in manual transmission cars - press clutch and shift the gear to neutral. Once the engine is disengaged from the wheels, the speed will gradually decrease, and below a certain speed, I can engage the hand brake (or parking brake, whatever you call it) slowly. The car will have a chance of skidding, but nothing can be done about that. Another option is to shut down the engine. However, I would lose the power steering. In our car, power steering automatically switches off at speeds > 60 km/h. But in case of a break failure/stuck accelerator, I would like to take advantage of power steering whenever it is available, so switching off the engine is not a viable option.
What about automatic transmission cars? If the accelerator is stuck or the car is speeding at 100 km/h, can I forcibly change the gear from drive to neutral? If the car has a push-button for ignition rather than a key, will I be able to shut down the engine suddenly? I don't want to do that even if it is possible, for reasons mentioned above. Would it be safe to engage the hand brake at high speeds? What is the best way to stop the car in this situation?
I found a few questions on Quora regarding this, but I don't consider it to be a credible site.
Last day, I was watching a TV show where they showed the case of a car in which the accelerator pedal was stuck. The terrified driver had called 911, and cops assisted her in bringing the vehicle to a stop.
I was thinking what I should be doing in case I am in a similar situation - break failure or a stuck accelerator pedal. First, it is important to navigate properly so that I do not hit a lamp post, another car or a pedestrian. In my city, the maximum allowed speed is 60 km/h, but it is rarely possible to drive above 40 km/h in the traffic. So consider that I am on a highway where I am driving at around 80 km/h - 100 km/h (or maybe more).
I have an idea on how to handle the situation in manual transmission cars - press clutch and shift the gear to neutral. Once the engine is disengaged from the wheels, the speed will gradually decrease, and below a certain speed, I can engage the hand brake (or parking brake, whatever you call it) slowly. The car will have a chance of skidding, but nothing can be done about that. Another option is to shut down the engine. However, I would lose the power steering. In our car, power steering automatically switches off at speeds > 60 km/h. But in case of a break failure/stuck accelerator, I would like to take advantage of power steering whenever it is available, so switching off the engine is not a viable option.
What about automatic transmission cars? If the accelerator is stuck or the car is speeding at 100 km/h, can I forcibly change the gear from drive to neutral? If the car has a push-button for ignition rather than a key, will I be able to shut down the engine suddenly? I don't want to do that even if it is possible, for reasons mentioned above. Would it be safe to engage the hand brake at high speeds? What is the best way to stop the car in this situation?
I found a few questions on Quora regarding this, but I don't consider it to be a credible site.