WASHINGTON (AP) -- The Obama administration is considering requiring all cars and trucks sold in the U.S. to have brakes that can override gas pedals to prevent sudden acceleration problems like those that led to reports of deaths and the recall of millions of Toyotas, Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood told Congress on Tuesday. "We're looking at it," LaHood told the Senate Commerce Committee. "We think it is a good safety device." The panel's chairman suggested "strong legislative action" was needed, including brake overrides, which would require a relatively inexpensive software upgrade.
Nebraska Senator Mike Johanns (R) says the US should look into banning Japanese car imports until all the safety issues have been worked out.
Johanns, who as USA Today notes used to be the Agriculture Secretary during the beef import ban, likened such a move to restricting tainted meat from foreign countries.
http://www.businessinsider.com/senat...imports-2010-3
Washington to the rescue:
Using microchips to replace something that your foot and one wire attached to the throttle has done reliably for over 100 years is just stupid.
We need to bring these scoundrels to justice.
Wrong! Don't have the failsafe for a software drive-by-wire system in software! It needs a hardware override.The panel's chairman suggested "strong legislative action" was needed, including brake overrides, which would require a relatively inexpensive software upgrade.
Wrong! Don't have the failsafe for a software drive-by-wire system in software! It needs a hardware override.
It needs a hardware override.
You already have several overrides. You've got neutral. You've got off. You've got brakes.
With the brake override, you'll have 4.
Why do we need a big clunky 5th one?
You already have several overrides. You've got neutral. You've got off. You've got brakes.
With the brake override, you'll have 4.
Why do we need a big clunky 5th one?
They have been using the same drive-by-wire system since 2000 on camrys with no problems. This is most likely a bad batch. What ever happened to just shifting into neutral? Just because the accelerator doesn't work doesn't mean you can't shift into neutral and brake.
The transmission no longer have mechanical linkages. I have read a few times that these vehicles won't got to nuetral under acceleration. I don't know that for fact tho. If you had to hold the stop button for several seconds and the trans. wouldn't go to nuetral than I can understand why people panicked.
i wouldn't count off because you know somebody is going to turn it off too far and lock the steering wheel....
my mom has an 08 camry, and i can shift into neutral under acceleration. TBH I had problems with the accelerator in her car when I was baby sitting it over winter break, and all I had to do was shift to neutral and brake. I am a toyota fanboy and I am a little biased towards toyo, but the point is I just think this is a bad batch of drive-by-wire systems, and some people are blowing this way out of proportion. She got hers back from the dealer recall and hasn't had any problems since.
The same argument has been posted for every major technological invention since, oh, maybe the wheel. Or maybe the hand-axe.
So you can shift to nuetral. Good to know. Then I don't think a seperate kill is necessary but I'm sticking with an update that makes pushing the start/stop button several times rapidly an immediate kill.
i agree, pushing the start/stop a couple times should kill it....but people will be too busy freaking the fuck out to remember to do that...just like they forget to shift to neutral.
If people are too freaked out to hit the brakes then they should not drive. You don't need Neutral or kill the engine, braking under full throttle is only a little more difficult on a huge (450+ HP) engine. On an average 300HP car, it takes an extra couple of feet.
If people are too freaked out to hit the brakes then they should not drive.
That brakes have been shown and proved to quickly fade to useless in a short period of time. You only get one, maybe two shots to stop the car and then your brakes are gone and completely non functioning.
If you've ever overheated your brakes it's pretty wild, almost zero stopping power.
To me, it sounds like a lot of these people are forgetting to hit the brakes. Or not doing it when the realize something is fucked up till the last second.
To me, it sounds like a lot of these people are forgetting to hit the brakes. Or not doing it when the realize something is fucked up till the last second.