Whether it is DBW or mechanical cable, if your accelerator gets stuck, what are you to do?
#1 – Hit the pedal several times.
#2 – Turn off the engine.
#3 – Turn on Hazard lights
Yes, you do lose power steering. But at 90+ mph you can’t turn much anyway without crashing. If you can keep your car on the road at 90+ mph, you should be able to safely coast and steer to the side of the road.
or second option:
#1 – Hit the pedal several times.
#2 – Put the transmission into neutral.
#3 – Turn on Hazard lights.
A blown engine would be much better than running into anything a 90+ mph.
All my mechanical cable vehicles can do both of these options. I would not buy any vehicle that could not do one or both of these. If the manufacturers have disabled the ability to turn off the engine while in drive mode or shift to neutral, then that is a design error.
Its a mater of making a quick decision to possibly damage the vehicle or possibly save your life. Regardless of what vehicle you drive, you have to make that decision before you get behind the wheel and drive.
My wife’s cousin was driving north I-15 late night several years ago with her mother and 4 siblings in an early model Sienna. At freeway speeds, she swerved to miss an object in the highway. The vehicle rolled numerous times and disintegrating around them. Two of the siblings, a boy in a carseat age 3 and a girl age 11 were ejected and died at the scene. The driver and her sister age 16 went to the hospital with multiple injuries for several weeks. Her mom was treated and released from the hospital. Her brother age 9 walked away with very minor injuries. Had she struck the object in the road, she would have damage the vehicle with little or no risk to the her or her passengers. But it takes a split second decision.
You are far more liking to get killed in a car, than by a gun. Cars are the biggest accidental killer of people, not guns. Ban cars, not guns.
