Some smart-alec has turned a car over half-way down Perry Vale. Police are in attendance, traffic snarling up as of 5pm tonight.

Oh dear, doesn't sound good. Any other cars involved?

Not that I could tell. One car on its roof. Gaggle of 'yoofs' hanging around, but I have no idea if they were involved or not. Police hadn't closed the road when I went past, I don't know if that indicates that it's not being treated as a crime scene, or it had just happened and they hadn't got round to it.

Sadly the Nissan had run into the read offside corner of a parked Skoda, riding up it, causing the flip. One with minor injuries. Nothing other than a mistake.
There was another incident down there a few days before, bizarre one.
   
And believe it or not, yet ANOTHER accident originating from Perry Vale a couple of days ago, with a runaway car rolling into the south circular into oncoming traffic. Mini cab from FHC

This post was last modified: 14-06-2015 09:16 PM by Snazy.

How the heck do you hit a parked car??? I am sure it was all innocent of course and that no one was distracted by a mobile etc

And how fast do you have to be going to flip your car by clipping a stationary one? In a Quashqui??

Not very fast surprisingly, once the rear quarter panel is punched in and the wheel exposed, a large unstable car like the Nissan becomes all wobbly.

Im sure many excuses were made, swerving etc.

The driver had apparently blacked out while driving and that is what caused the accident.

I think this is probably easier done than you think. I remember when working in SW London many years ago, an old lady doing something similar by hitting the accelerator instead of the brake.

There goes their licence for a while then I would expect, until medicals are done etc. If that IS the case, thats really a very lucky and minimal accident.

Snazy, something very similar happened to me a few years back, on Canonbie Road.

One New Year's Eve as revellers were arriving to take in the view of the fireworks, we heard a large bang outside and our car alarm going off. Turns out a lady had gone to drive off of the hill, thought her brakes had failed (turns out they hadn't) swerved to slow herself, and went into next-door-but-one's wall, bouncing his car into the middle of the road, drove DOWN THE PAVEMENT passed our neighbour's car, and came to rest in the front of ours. It was a Nissan Micra hence neighbours car was unharmed, as it appears the stationary car in your pic was.

Brilliant start to the New Year that year for us! At least the police were already on their way to help with crowd control, and it provided much entertainment to everyone waiting for the Firework display.

This is unfortunately quite common with automatics. The driver confuses the throttle with the brake, car accelerates so they press harder. Unintentional acceleration is the common term, happens a lot to those of more advanced ages unfortunately.

Assuming by throttle you mean accelerator, I don't see how this would happen any more with automatics than manual cars. In both cases, you use the right leg for both brake and accelerator, and both are in the usual position. There is an empty space where the clutch would normally be, and you can park your left leg there and leave it there, out of trouble!

Auto drivers on the whole use only the right foot and in some instances get confused (a bit like driving a manual when you think it's in first but you have put it in third) and press the accelerator and not the brake hence the car seems to go on and on and get faster coming to a halt only by hitting something solid or when the persons foot gets thrown off the peddle.

Some details here: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sudden_uni...celeration

What makes you say this is 'common', though? Are there statistics? I've been driving an auto for ten years. If I hit either pedal in mistake for the other, I wouldn't KEEP ON pressing it in confusion. Again, why more common in automatics? The action of the right leg is EXACTLY the same as if you were driving a manual.

It may be the case that this is a mistake more common in old age, and older drivers are more likely to drive automatics, in which case the fact that the car is an auto is not a statistical cause.

There are statistics although finding them whilst on a train is not easy. Will see what I can drag up for you later.

Very quick explanation http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/faq/driving-...cs-safely/

This post was last modified: 17-06-2015 04:06 PM by Londondrz.

Okay, I've read that, I'm still not convinced it's at all common. The thrust of the argument is that you get to the brake more slowly if you use the same foot for the brake and the accelerator. It's just the same as if you drive a manual.

The problem is drivers switching to automatics after a decades of driving a manual and not being taught the different methods of controlling the speed. It's not like 'run away' automatic cars are a common problem on our roads. So although I see your point, the problem is not that the car is an automatic, the problem is that people aren't taught how to drive them safely. So it goes back to my point that it's the panic that's the problem, not the layout of the pedals or which foot you habitually use. If we all drove automatics for most of our lives then switched to manuals in old age, we'd probably be having the same conversation in reverse.

Sorry if this is coming over as pedantic. I just couldn't work out why TECHNICALLY this sort of accident would happen in an automatic more than a manual when the pedals are in the same place. As it turns out, it's more to do with driver reaction to a new situation.

This post was last modified: 17-06-2015 04:24 PM by rshdunlop.

If you suddenly accelerate in a manual car you have the option of pressing the clutch in , that option does not exist in an auto.

If you have a look at a number of cases where cars have driven into shops it is usually someone of advanced age driving an auto who has accelerated whilst meaning to brake.

Sorry to any advanced aged drivers, myself included but it comes to us all

A very quick Google brings this (it is an American site but we are cousins.....)
http://www.nola.com/traffic/index.ssf/20...t_mis.html

This post was last modified: 17-06-2015 05:41 PM by Londondrz.

Well my story certainly livened up this thread again!

The lady in question wasn't of advanced age, and hadn't been partaking of any NY merriment (the police on the scene breathalysed her as a matter of priority given the time and date). But she obviously did get confused over something, and the gradient of Canonbie means a little error soon can get out of control.

Which would also make it a good time to mention that speeding down Canonbie is NOT a good idea (talking to you, White Van Man and Boy Racer) - if your own safety isn't worth much, think of others, and also the fact that the speed bumps are so bad that even at 15mph you'll scrape your bumper going over...