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U.S. decides not to investigate Toyota unwanted acceleration

20 Comments
By TOM KRISHER

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20 Comments
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Maybe Bob needs to learn the difference between the brake and accelerator.

6 ( +8 / -2 )

Sounds like people want to place the blame of their accidents on Toyota...

7 ( +7 / -0 )

The guy should just send his wife for driving lessons..a refresher course so to speak.

4 ( +4 / -0 )

I usd to be a traffic accident investigator in a large American police department, and I responded to at least 5 accidents every day. I can't even remember how many accidents, perhaps hundreds, which involved people stepping on the accelerator instead of the brakes, and I have always wondered why people are still taught to drive with only the right foot.

When I learned to drive, I was taught to use both feet, right for the accelerator, left of the brake. Try stepping on the gas pedal with your left foot some time, it is not that easy.

Lastly, when a car runs away from you, it can still be stopped. I have had a cheap floor mat cause my gas pedal to stick. and have had a broken throttle cable cause the same thing to happen. On both occurrences I simply turned off the key, and stopped the engine.

0 ( +2 / -2 )

*When I learned to drive, I was taught to use both feet, right for the accelerator, left of the brake.***** thats fine if you only drive a automatic, on manuals have you tried to brake with you left foot and push the clutch in when down shifting at the same time, if your in a higher gear the engine will most likely stall. thats why the right is applied to the brake while the left can apply the clutch to prevent a stall or down shift. its a lot more pronounced when you driving a sports/track car. cant heel toe the brake/accel with you left foot. learning one technique for auto and one for manual will cause more problems/mistakes than its worth

2 ( +2 / -0 )

sangetsu03,

I also drive with both feet. You can stop in half the time it takes to move the right foot from the accelerator to the brake.

One problem with many later model cars now is that they drive by wire. You now use a transponder and start and stop the engine with a start/stop button. This means that you have no physically operated ignition switch. With the normal ignition switch, you can turn the key and cut the engine off.

It is well known that newer drive by wire vehicles can be hacked and and overide the engine computer which controls ABS brakes, transmission and accelerator etc. How do you turn off an engine when you have no ignition key and the stop button won't cut the ignition off ? A car with a mechanically operated ignition switch will always turn off an engine if by chance the accelerator was stuck. Also bear in mind that many later cars also do not have an accelerator cable direct from the pedal to the throttle body as in older vehicles.

Funny how all these problems happen in the USA but not in Japan, and now you never hear anymore on the acceleration problem.Time for the USA to return the money they stole from Toyota.

2 ( +3 / -1 )

"Sorry officer, this Toyota is really giving me problems."

0 ( +0 / -0 )

Sorry, but if you feel the need to use two feet because using just one is "too complicated", you need to stay off the roads.

0 ( +2 / -2 )

People don't know that these cars are computer controlled and that the computer stores information about what the driver is doing in order to determine what kind of operation to carry out. The memory stores several minutes of information so it is easy to determine what the driver was doing.

1 ( +1 / -0 )

When I learned to drive (over 50 years ago) I was taught that it was illegal to use the left foot on the brake. Of course in those days most cars had manual transmissions.

I think a case can be made for using both feet but only if the driver will never be driving a manual transmission. Using the same foot for the brake and clutch is impossible and the idea of switching the brake foot when changing from auto to manual is a very bad idea. Imagine using a manual truck at work and then an automatic the rest of the time.

Many people will never drive a manual so perhaps there could be an "automatic" license which, once accepted, can never be converted to a manual license.

0 ( +0 / -0 )

U.S. safety regulators have rejected a Rhode Island man’s request for an investigation into low-speed unintended acceleration problems with Toyota Corolla compact cars.

Gee, where are all the posters who love to say the fines the NHTSA levels against Japanese companies are used to bring down the U.S. debt, and/or to bring bad publicity to Japanese care comapnies for the benefit of "Government Motors"? Cat got your tongue?

-3 ( +2 / -5 )

How old is his wife? 90 years old?

0 ( +0 / -0 )

used to bring down the U.S. debt, and/or to bring bad publicity to Japanese care comapnies for the benefit of "Government Motors"? yeah and now GM is trying to hide behind its bankruptsy, stating that the new GM should be held accountable by the old GM, due to the deaths from the indicators switch coverups. and the decisions by US judges looks like they may get away with it. typical J companies get the book thrown at them GM a slap on the wrist.

1 ( +2 / -1 )

clamenzaMay. 04, 2015 - 05:59PM JST Sorry, but if you feel the need to use two feet because using just one is "too complicated", you need to stay off the roads.^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

You don't know what you are talking about. Fact is, 2 feet driving in an automatic car gives much more control over reaction to braking times. To shift a foot from one pedal to another takes time. It only applies to vehicles with automatic transmissions.

-3 ( +0 / -3 )

You don't know what you are talking about. Fact is, 2 feet driving in an automatic car gives much more control over reaction to braking times. To shift a foot from one pedal to another takes time. It only applies to vehicles with automatic transmissions.

utter nonsense. It takes a fraction of a second to hit the brakes. Once again, if you don't have the coordination to make this simple transition, stay off the roads. Bad drivers blame everyone and everything but themselves. Thats what it boils down to.

0 ( +1 / -1 )

I think Bob was hoping to use Toyota to finance his retirement.

0 ( +0 / -0 )

25years in Japan, I have to agree with Clamenza. Using the left foot for the brake would, indeed, be faster but only if you drive with your foot riding on the brake pedal. But riding the brake pedal also a bad idea for two reasons:

(A) Touching the brake pedal will turn the brake light on even though you are not braking. Then, when you brake, there is no change in the lamp hence no signal that you are stopping.

(B) A light touch on the pedal might cause the brake pads to lightly touch the brake disk or drum causing heating that impairs stopping ability when you actually try to brake.

0 ( +0 / -0 )

MoondogMay. 05, 2015 - 11:02PM JST----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

It is easy to rest your foot on a brake pedal or accelerator pedal without depressing either. Ummm, touching the brake pedal will not turn on the brake indicator light. It only comes on if the handbrake or side brake is on. When do you need to see a brake light when stopping ? The fact is that swapping one foot from the accelerator takes longer than if your foot is already resting on the edge of the brake pedal. Another advantage of using both feet is that you can hold the car on a steep hill without rolling back and take off safely. ( I only use the side brake for parking ) Advantages also include towing another vehicle whereby you can keep a tow rope taught through braking and at the same time use the accelerator.

A lot of proffessional drivers use both feet when driving automatic cars. No good on manual transmissions as the clutch pedal is in the way.

-1 ( +0 / -1 )

25 years in Japan - And what happens when a startled driver with both feet on the pedals inevitably pushes down on the wrong one causing a crash? The same bad drivers would be screaming that it should have never been taught.

-1 ( +0 / -1 )

25years in Japan wrote:

It is easy to rest your foot on a brake pedal or accelerator pedal without depressing either.

True for accelerator, due to its design. Not so much for the brake petal. It would be tiresome to constantly hold the foot over the brake petal without pressing it. If it was intended that your foot constantly be on the brake petal, its design would resemble the accelerator petal.

Ummm, touching the brake pedal will not turn on the brake indicator light. It only comes on if the handbrake or side brake is on.

Uhhhh, you're kidding, right? Handbrakes and side brakes, also known as emergency brakes do not engage the brake lights. Ever. Only touching the foot brake does that. How do you think other drivers know you are braking?

When do you need to see a brake light when stopping ?

Wait a minute. Do you think I'm talking about the little light on the dash? Really? You know that there are brake lights on the back of the car, right? Those lights!

The fact is that swapping one foot from the accelerator takes longer than if your foot is already resting on the edge of the brake pedal.

Not in dispute. Nor is the fact that riding the brakes is A Bad Idea. Thirty million hits on Google agree. Here are a couple for your edification:

https://driversed.com/driving-information/city-rural-and-freeway-driving/covering-the-brake.aspx http://arstechnica.com/civis/viewtopic.php?f=20&t=1203723

Another advantage of using both feet is that you can hold the car on a steep hill without rolling back and take off safely. ( I only use the side brake for parking )

Right heel on brake; right toe on accelerator. Or, just use your left foot on the brake to hold the car from rolling back (automatics only, of course). The real trick is holding the car and then starting to go on an icy hill with a manual transmission. Learned how to do that when I was a kid back in Colorado.

Advantages also include towing another vehicle whereby you can keep a tow rope taught through braking and at the same time use the accelerator.

Really? I'm guessing you have never rope-towed a car. When you tow with a rope, the car in front doesn't use the brakes at all unless it's an emergency. The car in back brakes for both cars--to keep the rope taut and avoid snapping it.

A lot of proffessional drivers use both feet when driving automatic cars.

Really? Pros? Links, please.

0 ( +0 / -0 )

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