Post by: Iain on March 11, 2006, 03:13:33 AM
Kevin Nicolle, 26, was on the A1 near Thirsk in North Yorkshire when the car started to accelerate.
"I was in tears most of the time on the phone to the police - I really could see myself dying," he told the BBC.
He had to drive on the hard shoulder to avoid crashing but eventually lost control and hit a roundabout near Blyth, Notts, but escaped unhurt.
Speaking to BBC Five Live about the incident on 5 March Mr Nicolle said: "I was travelling down the motorway and I came to traffic in front of me.
"I took my foot off the accelerator because it's automatic - but I wasn't slowing down at all.
"I hit the brakes. They were braking ok, they were keeping me at about 70mph.
"So I phoned up the police after I called the AA and they said straight away 'stick your hazard lights on and headlights on - we've go a helicopter on route to you'."
Police patrol cars were also sent but struggled to catch up with the BMW 318.
Mr Nicolle said: "Then the brakes started burning out - I could see smoke coming from the brakes."
He tried to put the car into neutral but the gears were jammed.
Mr Nicolle was in constant contact with the police on a hands-free phone.
As he approached Blyth he saw a sign for a roundabout.
"There was a load of cars parked waiting to go onto the roundabout, so I went on the inside on the hard shoulder to try to get around it.
"But doing that sort of speed there was no chance and I hit the roundabout head on.
"I remember the 999 lady saying 'he's crashed'.
"I survived the accident but I thought I was going to die in the fire."
But miraculously he walked away completely unhurt - and said he is now considering giving up driving for good.
Mr Nicolle said the police took the car away for tests and BMW said they would carry out a full investigation.
The R reg car had 107,000 miles on the clock and had three months remaining on the MOT.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/4796264.stm
Post by: K Frame on March 11, 2006, 03:21:46 AM
Brakes jam...
Gears jam...
I wonder if he tried shutting the key off, or was the key cylinder jammed, too?
I'm kind of dubious about this.
Post by: M14rick on March 11, 2006, 04:53:16 AM
Post by: Art Eatman on March 11, 2006, 05:20:40 AM
Duh.
Oh, well. Just shows to go ya that people don't get smarter. An article in the Detroit "Free Press" in 1962 told of a woman whose accelerator jammed as she headed out on Michigan Avenue. She finally wrecked at about 80mph. She was afraid to tuirn off the ignition because it might have hurt the motor.
Duh.
Art
Post by: Iain on March 11, 2006, 05:41:37 AM
Post by: ...has left the building. on March 11, 2006, 06:16:39 AM
Post by: 280plus on March 11, 2006, 06:29:45 AM
Before anybody starts yelling,,,This was long ago, I haven't picked up a hitch hiker in decades. I used to get around by hitch hiking when I was a kid so I had a soft spot for them. Still do I guess but I don't stop anymore. Too bad you can't trust anyone anymore, it was a cool way of meeting interesting people.
"Ventura Highway in the sunshine"
Post by: Sindawe on March 11, 2006, 06:39:27 AM
Post by: griz on March 11, 2006, 07:38:13 AM
Post by: K Frame on March 11, 2006, 08:06:14 AM
You can move the key to the extraction point, and then forward again to the accessory position.
I know, it's tough to think like that during something like this, but dammit, even having a locked steering wheel but no more engine power pulling you foward is, in some instances (straight section of road), a lot better than trying to ride the rocket.
Post by: Firethorn on March 11, 2006, 08:42:01 AM
And I agree, if I'm looking at 0/70/135, I'm turning the engine off and stomping on the brake, even if it locks the steering wheel. I'll just look for a straight section of road.
Post by: Sylvilagus Aquaticus on March 11, 2006, 10:16:26 AM
Regards,
Rabbit.
Post by: jefnvk on March 11, 2006, 10:33:08 AM
Everytime my accelerator stuck in my old truck, kicking it a couple of times fixed it.
And does Britain normally measure distances and speeds in miles?
Post by: 280plus on March 11, 2006, 11:18:54 AM
Post by: Iain on March 11, 2006, 12:09:15 PM
Post by: Guest on March 11, 2006, 12:11:23 PM
I always wondered why cars dont come with a simple kill switch to solve this sort of problem right off the bat.
Post by: Gewehr98 on March 11, 2006, 12:40:59 PM
Post by: Art Eatman on March 11, 2006, 12:59:59 PM
I read about these folks who come from the shallow end of the gene pool, and the milk of my human kindness gets sorta curdled...
, Art
Post by: jefnvk on March 11, 2006, 01:16:38 PM
Post by: InfidelSerf on March 11, 2006, 03:45:52 PM
I'm in the switch to neutral and kill the engine crowd.
I find it hard to believe that all those parameters failed...
until I saw his picture. call me a stereotyping bigot, but I believe it just might be possible with that dufus
Post by: Iain on March 11, 2006, 04:28:53 PM
Post by: Phyphor on March 11, 2006, 04:50:05 PM
Quote from: 280plus
Yea, I was in "HOLY CRAP!!" mode. I do know that at the time, I needed the steering the most...
Least you still remembered you had a friggin' clutch pedal.If this dumbass had done like you would have, he'da got stopped a lot faster (and somebody coulda popped the hood and pulled the plug wires to kill that sucker, )
The story sounds fishy to me...
Post by: Phyphor on March 11, 2006, 04:52:14 PM
In my Comet (Automatic) - Throw that SOB into 'N', keeps the power steering live, coast, get it stopped, hop out, pull coil wire, call for help.
In a stick: Pop it into neutral. If somehow the 'gears jam', I should still have a working clutch pedal....
Post by: Guest on March 11, 2006, 04:54:14 PM
See? It really really happens.
I will neither confirm or deny I used that "reason" to get out of tickets, after coming to a halt , jumping out, raising hood and fiddlin' with the accelerator linkage...
IIRC there was TSB on some vehicles with a glitch like this, I forget. IIRC the suggestion was to shut key off as Art and others mentioned. Oh and then come see the dealer.
My most memorable "rectal massage moments" have been brakes. First time I made to work fine, going out to lunch fine...leave to come home during rush hour and my pedal went to the floor...no resistance, just straight down.
I was like Art, real busy with the emergency brake...I made it to my mechanics place and parked it.
Second time...I was test driving a 1 y/o "Pre-Owned Vehicle" the dealer had done a "multi point inspection" on.
My passenger was a Catholic Sister considering this Chrysler front wheel drive mini-van.
Freeway traffic with construction and orange barrels.
Her running that Rosary and doing her "Hails" - me running that emergency brake and going around orange barrels downhill, thru ramps, ...and doing my "Hells".
She did not buy that van, took me at at my word when I said I hated Chrysler products. She had a sense of humor, "giving them Hails/ Hells works, still think mine had a bit more weight in the situation though".
Someone donated a Volvo Station wagon for the meals on wheels. Funny how stuff works out...
I felt like half a Blues Bro standing there with Sister in Habit waiting for the dealer to show up...she kept teasing about a Misson and If did not behave would rap my knuckles...
I was down to less than a half a pack of smokes...
Post by: doczinn on March 11, 2006, 09:14:55 PM
Not after you've stopped, but probably around 50 or so, just low enough to stall it without killing it.
Or just turn the key off, then back to "Acc" or "run" without turning it all the way to "start." Then you've got steering.
Post by: brimic on March 12, 2006, 03:12:13 AM
Post by: mfree on March 12, 2006, 05:12:42 AM
I *did* do a moronic thing once though and drive around a car with failing/faulty brakes. I was poor, and working multiple jobs to afford to place my tail in a classroom at the time. Both rear wheel cylinders were damaged (one stuck piston each , so the other piston overextended), and an oil leak at the "front" of the engine (passenger side) liberally doused both the belt and the passenger side brake rotor in oil.
I was blissfully headed down the interstate one day when I rounded a bend and noticed traffic was stopped. The tail guy in line was rather surprised to see this little natty blue car zip past him on the shoulder with one wheel stopped and smoking (no squealing, surprisingly). Got 3 cars deep before I stopped, I just turned the hazards on and waited for traffic to clear up.
Brakes were fixed the next day, I ramen-ed up to afford it. Some things you don't scrimp on
I suppose too I'm lucky that the 4 wheel brake job I did in my driveway only ended up costing me $200, parts were cheap.
Post by: Art Eatman on March 13, 2006, 04:11:32 AM
, Art
Post by: 280plus on March 13, 2006, 04:20:24 AM
BTW, I've been thinking. In my old 1971 Rustang the ACC position was beyond "off" and back the other way. The old cars were like that IIRC. You youngers wouldn't know that. There was no leaving it halfway between "on" and lock so I could steer with a dead engine. I was in deep doo doo. I was expecting my beautiful souped up 351C 4bbl to blow up but it was a better option over death or serious injury. I suppose...
It managed to pull through unscathed.
The throttle sticking had nothing to do with it being a Fix Or Repair Daily but was entirely due to my failings as a young mechanic. But I learned an unforgettable lesson that day.
Post by: Brian Williams on March 13, 2006, 04:11:19 PM
I also had a 68 GMC pick-up with a 305 V6 (a 350 minus 2 cylinders) that had some amazing back fire capabilities, I was driving past my local Pizza Hut and the lowest delivery boy was changing the sign, I gassed the engine and turned off the key, and that let up on the gas pedal and turned on the key again, it would belch out the best backfires. It also had dual exhaust which happened to be about 15 feet from this poor schmuck when it popped, he threw the plastic letters up in the air and went ducking and jiving back behind the sign, My kids told everyone that their Daddy shot up the Pizza-hut guy, even the pastor of our church, took a while to live that down.
Post by: Balog on March 14, 2006, 02:03:17 AM
Post by: mfree on March 14, 2006, 04:09:47 AM
I had a 1979 Lincoln Mark V. It had a "new wonder" technological thingy, as lincolns usually do (well, did)... hydraulically assisted brakes.
So, this meant two things:
1. If you pressed the brake pedal really hard, the power steering pump would squeal. With the V-belt a little loose, it'd sound just like the tires screeching, which made for a few wide eyes and hellish looks at stop signs or in traffic *evil grin*
2. If the engine stalled, not only did you not have power steering on this 4500 pound land yacht, but the brake pedal would go rock hard because you aren't just working the brakes, you're working the slave servo, *and* this car had massive 4 wheel disc brakes. You made *darn* sure when tuning that you didn't get the idle too low. With power off and car moving you could actually feel the brake pedal start to flex before the brakes would catch.
Post by: 280plus on March 14, 2006, 07:39:17 AM
Post by: jefnvk on March 14, 2006, 12:50:00 PM
Quote from: Art Eatman
Heavy trucks don't steer worth a dam without power steering, but cars? A bit stubborn, yeah, but I don't know of any passenger car that's not steerable without the power steering working. Hard to parallel park, sure, but on a road? We're not talking an anorexic 15-year-old, here.
, Art
I used to shut the Cavalier off on a long two mile downhill stretch we have up here. Never had a problem steering around some pretty sharp corners.
, ArtPost by: Guest on March 14, 2006, 10:14:22 PM
I had the throttle stick open on my '85 Toyota Cressida (it really needed to be lubed). It was my fault for mashing it to the floor in the first place to get around another car (after 200,000 city miles, the durable but straight six had lost some compression). So it was stuck wide open. Big deal. I just shifted into neutral, turned the engine off, and coasted into a parking lot. No reason to panic or find out how fast that 16 year-old car could go.
Post by: mfree on March 15, 2006, 04:32:57 AM
Did you miss the *evil grin* part? It was almost always deliberate
And 280plus, it was the 400. But it also had a ~550cfm 2 barrel carb rejetted, and an RV cam installed straight up. Even with the 2.47:1 rear axle I could lay stripe, a very similar motor for a claimer dynoed at 180hp@2200rpm and 550lb-ft@1850 (!) RPM.
I miss it dearly (apologies for thread drift, btw) but I don't miss 8mpg in the summer and 4mpg in the winter.
Post by: 280plus on March 15, 2006, 06:15:23 AM
Sigh, guess it's time to once again ressurect the memory of my two door 1970 Galaxie 500 with the 400M motor. It liked 110 best, that was it's crusing speed.
I miss mine dearly too. The ex got it and turned it into trash.
I once had a dream of putting 351C 4V heads on a 400. All the angles are wrong.
With what I know now, I guess it COULD be done with some fancy mill work.
Hmmmm...
Naw, there's probably something else that would foul it all up. The centers on the pistons for example.
Oh well,,,
Post by: 280plus on March 15, 2006, 06:22:08 AM