an automatic problem

[sudszy]

A TODDLER was killed and a man seriously injured at Sorrento, 100 kilometres south of Melbourne, last night when a car crashed into the verandah where they were sitting, police said.
A police spokeswoman said a family member had driven her car into the driveway and was trying to park on the front lawn.
Police believe the woman hit the accelerator instead of the brake, crashing into the verandah and striking the man and the two-yearold boy. Paramedics said the boy regained consciousness but they were unable to save him. He died at the scene on Morobe Street.
The man, 63, and also believed to be related to the boy, was pinned between the car and a wall.
Once freed, he was treated by paramedics for serious arm and pelvic injuries and taken to the Royal Melbourne Hospital.
Emergency crews were called about 6pm. Police will prepare a report for the Coroner.

News reports of this happen far too often, brake/accelerator mistakes at low speed and people/ objects in close vicinity(shops/pedestrians/garages/living rooms) with the results that someone is killed before the driver realises that increasing the pressure on what they think is the brake pedal is having exactly the opposite effect. Stats show that this more common in the elderly but not just confined to them, the age of the driver above is not specified.

I can hear the screams of regular license testing etc, but really the problem is one of technique and design, having the stop and go pedals right next to each other controlled by the same foot and the driver not able to see them is hardly best practice in this day and age.

As far as I know this is an auto only problem, it doesnt happen in manuals even with aging drivers as they are well rehearsed in applying the clutch to stop the car stalling when hitting the brakes.

Driver training for autos:, left foot braking a priority?, and perhaps moving the pedal so it can only be reached by the left foot. I can hear the screams of people saying people will drive along burning out their brakes, but modern electronics can cope with that: an undesirable tone if it detects pressure on both pedals or similar when the car is moving above a particular speed

[Russ]

God help us all if they ever move the brake pedal to allow for left foot application only, none of us will be safe I know where you're coming from and this is a daily issue, I read a story in our local paper only last week of an elderly lady who had just picked up her car from a service dept. and turned from the driveway onto the main road got to a set of traffic lights about 20 metres along (which had turned red) and she plants her foot on the accelerator and ploughs straight through the intersection clips one car and then collided with a parked car about 50 metres up the road. The worrying part about this was it was a busy intersection and right near a school. Perhaps compulsory reflex testing should be an option on elderly drivers

[SSD-85]

Must we further insulate people from their own stupidity?

Brake is in the middle, Gas is on the right . If this simple concept cannot be comprehended by a person, they shouldnt operate a motor vehicle. Any excuse beyond that is only justifying a lack of the above.

I know that we are not perfect, but if it indeed was a design flaw as proposed by our dear sudszy, then id imagine the error statistic being marginally higher (ie: ALL auto drivers).....

[Grunter]

There are hundreds of thousands of cars on the road each day. Those cars would do over a million trips to various locations each day, then you would assume that they would stop and start easily over 10 million times (I think I'm being conservative here). How often does this type of death happen? Once a day, twice, more?

My point is that there is nothing wrong with the design of pedals related to autos. There is no problem with right foot braking. The problem is human nature. People are prone to making mistakes and in these cases tragic, tragic mistakes. You could do the changes you are suggesting, but then you probably get those that drive both manuals and autos, hitting the clutch instead of the brake (using their left foot) in a panic situation and still have an accident.

Again the car isn't the problem, the driver is.

[SSD-85]

Originally Posted by Grunter

There are hundreds of thousands of cars on the road each day. Those cars would do over a million trips to various locations each day, then you would assume that they would stop and start easily over 10 million times (I think I'm being conservative here). How often does this type of death happen? Once a day, twice, more?

My point is that there is nothing wrong with the design of pedals related to autos. There is no problem with right foot braking. The problem is human nature. People are prone to making mistakes and in these cases tragic, tragic mistakes. You could do the changes you are suggesting, but then you probably get those that drive both manuals and autos, hitting the clutch instead of the brake (using their left foot) in a panic situation and still have an accident.

Again the car isn't the problem, the driver is.

Exactly my point, and you said it far better than I

[pottery beige]

lets break it down without all the bs key board effin crap... this is an absolute tragic accident with a whole heap of people in a world of pain right now.. that is all...

[ltd]

Without knowing the specifics of the crash, it's a bit of a big call.
For example, what type of shoes was she wearing? What type of car was it (Alfa's for example have the pedals very close together) etc etc.

The tragedy is the fact that an innocent 2 year old boy has lost his life, and I can guarantee that nothing we say here is going to assuage that womans guilt, or sense of hatred of herself for what's happened.
I think we need to educate famillies to the fact that when cars are around, children must be kept clear by an adult. Just last week another toddler went under the parents car, and I agree we hear about it all too often. Perhaps reverse cameras with fish eye lenses should become mandatory for people with children; as part of a condition of receiving the Baby Bonus?

[Grunter]

Originally Posted by pottery beige

lets break it down without all the bs key board effin crap... this is an absolute tragic accident with a whole heap of people in a world of pain right now.. that is all...

Very good point. It's a tragic accident and my thoughts go out to all involved.

[GT450]

The driver was the boys mother and the man his grandfather, it was a horrible mistake and unfortunately cannot be reversed , nor can it be attributed to car design. Accidents DO happen, this time tragically. I truly sympathise with the family and hope the grandfather pulls through.
GT450

[GT]

A some have stated - a dreadful and terribly sad accident! Sometimes in life, stuff happens - a moments lapse etc.

I know when I get from the manual GT into the auto Ute I have to concentrate at first as I do get used to the manual and I always make sure I consciously think about what I am doing.

I see little point in keeping this open as there is nothing more to really say.

Poor, poor family who lives will never be the same again and our hearts go out to them.

Gaela