San Francisco Bay Area Accidents: Sudden Acceleration Can Always Happen
Having a car take off as if it has a mind of its own is pretty unnerving. It happened to me when I was in college, driving a friend’s old Buick, and the accelerator stuck. I felt panicked at first, then shifted into neutral, which solved the problem. Fortunately, I didn’t hit anything between the onset of the problem and deciding what to do.
Now everyone’s thinking about sudden acceleration, and, I would imagine, what they would do if it happened. Now we are all hearing about this problem on a daily basis because of the massive problems with Toyotas. First we heard that it was caused by sticking floormats, and Toyota had a big floormat recall. Then we heard that it was faulty accelerator pedals, and Toyota announced another recall. Now we are seeing reports that cars that have had “the fix” are still having the problem, and it’s been suggested that the problem lies elsewhere—perhaps with electronics.
Acceleration Problems Have Hit Many Car Manufacturers
This isn’t the first time that this has happened, of course. If you’ve been driving a while, you may recall the major problem Audi had with the model 5000 back in the 1990’s. That acceleration problem was much less dangerous, because it usually occurred from a stop. It resulted in lockouts being installed on virtually all automatic transmission cars thereafter, requiring drivers to press the brake pedal before a solenoid releases the shift lever out of park. Already there is talk of the Toyota problems causing new regulations requiring a safety override that would kick in when the brakes are pressed.
Automobile Electronic Systems Increase Possibilities For Malfunctions
As cars become laden with more electronic substitutes for direct mechanical operation of basic functions, the possibilities for these problems increase. Already, there are “drive by wire” and “brake by wire” systems, where the driver’s actions have no physical connection to the wheels or brakes, only to electronic sensors that signal motors to do the work. Hopefully Toyota owners will be reassured by a definitive solution to this problem. But going forward, drivers of all cars should be prepared with an action plan in the event of sudden acceleration.
Have You Suffered a Personal Injury in the San Francisco Bay Area?
Callaway & Wolf have handled multi-million dollar personal injury cases around the San Francisco, California Bay Area involving vehicle accidents. Contact us for a free consultation to discuss your case.
Boone Callaway is a personal injury & medical malpractice lawyer in San Francisco who has been working with clients in the Bay Area for over 25 years. Mr. Callaway is one of only a few personal injury litigators in San Francisco who is a Super Lawyer, AV Rated and is also a member of ABOTA – American Board of Trial Advocates.
