The Consumer Reports Cars Blog has done the homework and …
Whatever the cause of runaway acceleration, there’s a simple solution that could save your life.
Here’s all you have to do:
- Move the transmission to Neutral.
- Use the brakes to come to a stop safely on the side (or off) the road
- Shut off the engine with the transmission in Neutral
- Put the car into Park
. . .
Shutting off the engine during an uncontrollable acceleration is another option, but we recommend against that. First, killing the engine will not allow you to slow down any sooner than shifting to Neutral will. Second, you can lose power steering assist, making the car difficult to control. And finally, if you should manage to turn the key all the way off, that could lock the steering wheel mechanism, making a safe stop all but impossible.
Funny, I was just thinking about this very thing today as I drove down I-10. I was driving someone else’s car, and my shoe kept catching on the floor mat. So, naturally that brought to mind the recent tragic accident involving a floor mat that was talked about on this blog. I was wondering how many of us would have the presence of mind to act correctly in a moment so fraught with fear and pressure. I was also thinking, if you shut off the engine, you’d lose the power steering and lock the steering wheel, making it all but impossible to steer the car to a safe stop. NEUTRAL, that’s the ticket.