Mandatory Brake-Override Proposed For All Cars

Hugh Pickens writes "The LA Times reports that the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration wants to require automakers to include a brake-throttle override system in all their cars and light trucks to help drivers regain control when a vehicle accelerates suddenly when the throttle becomes stuck or jammed. 'America's drivers should feel confident that any time they get behind the wheel they can easily maintain control of their vehicles — especially in the event of an emergency,' says Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood. The move came after a fiery 2009 Lexus crash after a floor mat was improperly installed and may have trapped the accelerator pedal, causing the vehicle to race down California Highway 125 outside San Diego at more than 100 miles per hour, crashing and bursting into flames, killing an off-duty California Highway Patrol Officer and three members of his family. That crash led to a recall of 3.8 million Toyota and Lexus vehicles to fix the floor mat problem, and Toyota issued millions more recall notices to fix sticking gas pedals and other issues. Now Toyota has made a brake-override system standard, implementing it in all vehicles the company sold by the end of 2010, and most other automakers offer such a system on many of their vehicles or are adding it. Other automakers would have about two years to comply with the proposal (PDF). 'We learned as part of the comprehensive NASA and NHTSA studies of high-speed unintended acceleration that brake-override systems could help drivers avoid crashes,' says NHTSA Administrator David Strickland."

Wait, wtf, NASA again?!?

[crazyjj]

Do they do everything *EXCEPT* a space program now?

Innacurate article title...

[yurtinus]

Probably should have reworded: "Expensive, high-tech system mandated to overcome floor mat design flaw" just to highlight the ridiculousness...

Re:Just turn off the car?

[Anonymous Coward]

you need to be a child riding a schoolbus to be smart enough to turn the keys to "off"

Re:That's what brakes are for

[Anne_Nonymous]

Then you use the Emergency Floormat Removal Pedal (assuming it's not jammed by anything else).

Re:Wrong override

[ColdWetDog]

Or just keep teenagers and old women [thedetroitbureau.com] off the roads. And old guys. And soccer moms.

In fact, everybody except us fantastic ex Formula 1 Slashdotters. We know how to drive.

Re:Just turn off the car?

[camperdave]

For most people, to even touch the clutch requires popping the hood or crawling under the car (assuming they could even find the clutch). Nobody is going to be doing that at highway speeds, nor in anywhere near the half a second time frame.

Re:Wait, wtf, NASA again?!?

[Obfuscant]

Not sure what this says about the "Highway Patrol Officer"'s abilities as a driver. If he couldn't manage either of those then this new system won't save him.

He was distracted by all the bright shiny things dangling off a ring near his right hand. They were making tinking sounds and reflecting sunlight, and he ignored the fact that turning the one sticking into the steering column two clicks to the left would have shut the engine off and saved all their lives..

Either that, or he was too busy trying to pull his Taser out of his off-duty weapons bag so he could shock the vehicle into submission.

I'm assuming there has to be more to that story.