Overblown Press coverage of Toyota 'incidents'
Posted: Tue Mar 09, 2010 5:50 pm
Mar 9, 2010: PANIC! PANIC! PANIC! That is the message emanating from NHTSA and piled on from the press. Toyota's Gone Wild!
This incident seems too well timed to offset the points scored by Toyota with their Mar 8, 2010 webcast refuting critics. Incidents of 'sudden acceleration' are rare (and normally associated with driver error), and with Toyotas they are still rare (50 some major incidents, maybe 1000 reports out of 8.5 million vehicles?) and what's the chance that another incident would happen so soon after the Toyota webcast and also in San Diego, near the scene of where the 'tipping point incident occurred?
Some initial background material on Sikes is like a Hollywood script;"He was too prepared to go straight to the media. He called 911 (NOT using a hands free unit, using both hands to dial and then realizing that perhaps he should more importantly be trying to control the vehicle, he put the phone on the seat?(so he couldn't hear the instructions to press on brake, turn off engine, etc.) He's a 61-year old real estate executive and longtime lottery player who won $55,000 and was selected in 2006 to appear on a California Lottery TV game show"
Let the press delve a little deeper before pressing the PANIC button and writing about mysterious unintended acceleration OR write that 'this incident ended without any issues AS ALL SHOULD!! Step on the brake, shift into nuetral, turn the vehicle OFF.
Feds to probe cause of runaway Prius in California EL CAJON, Calif. (AP) -- A Toyota Prius that sped out of control on a California freeway was towed to a dealership Tuesday while federal and company inspectors converged on the car to determine whether a stuck gas pedal was to blame.
"I pushed the gas pedal to pass a car and it did something kind of funny. ... It jumped and it just stuck there," he said.
A patrol car pulled alongside the Prius and the officer told Sikes over a loudspeaker to push the brake pedal to the floor and apply the emergency brake. The braking, coupled with a steep rise on the freeway, slowed the car to about 50 mph. (NOTE: FEAR FACTOR INJECTED INTO STORY since vehicles will slow to a stop from highway speed with braking alone...) Sikes then shut off the engine and the car coasted to a stop. CHP Officer Todd Neibert then moved his vehicle in front of the Prius to block it as a precaution.
See the story Feds to probe cause of runaway Prius in California
Also see his 5 minutes of fame on CNN with interview and realize that with all the media attention, his message will evolve.
Questions not asked: So you say your car went into sudden acceleration and rather than turn it off, step on brake, or put in neutral, YOU PICKED UP YOU HAND HELD PHONE, DIALED 911, AND DROVE WITH ONE HAND (no hands when dialing!) rather than deal with the situation? (which was probably his foot on the wrong pedal!)
This incident seems too well timed to offset the points scored by Toyota with their Mar 8, 2010 webcast refuting critics. Incidents of 'sudden acceleration' are rare (and normally associated with driver error), and with Toyotas they are still rare (50 some major incidents, maybe 1000 reports out of 8.5 million vehicles?) and what's the chance that another incident would happen so soon after the Toyota webcast and also in San Diego, near the scene of where the 'tipping point incident occurred?
Some initial background material on Sikes is like a Hollywood script;"He was too prepared to go straight to the media. He called 911 (NOT using a hands free unit, using both hands to dial and then realizing that perhaps he should more importantly be trying to control the vehicle, he put the phone on the seat?(so he couldn't hear the instructions to press on brake, turn off engine, etc.) He's a 61-year old real estate executive and longtime lottery player who won $55,000 and was selected in 2006 to appear on a California Lottery TV game show"
Let the press delve a little deeper before pressing the PANIC button and writing about mysterious unintended acceleration OR write that 'this incident ended without any issues AS ALL SHOULD!! Step on the brake, shift into nuetral, turn the vehicle OFF.
Feds to probe cause of runaway Prius in California EL CAJON, Calif. (AP) -- A Toyota Prius that sped out of control on a California freeway was towed to a dealership Tuesday while federal and company inspectors converged on the car to determine whether a stuck gas pedal was to blame.
"I pushed the gas pedal to pass a car and it did something kind of funny. ... It jumped and it just stuck there," he said.
A patrol car pulled alongside the Prius and the officer told Sikes over a loudspeaker to push the brake pedal to the floor and apply the emergency brake. The braking, coupled with a steep rise on the freeway, slowed the car to about 50 mph. (NOTE: FEAR FACTOR INJECTED INTO STORY since vehicles will slow to a stop from highway speed with braking alone...) Sikes then shut off the engine and the car coasted to a stop. CHP Officer Todd Neibert then moved his vehicle in front of the Prius to block it as a precaution.
See the story Feds to probe cause of runaway Prius in California
Also see his 5 minutes of fame on CNN with interview and realize that with all the media attention, his message will evolve.
Questions not asked: So you say your car went into sudden acceleration and rather than turn it off, step on brake, or put in neutral, YOU PICKED UP YOU HAND HELD PHONE, DIALED 911, AND DROVE WITH ONE HAND (no hands when dialing!) rather than deal with the situation? (which was probably his foot on the wrong pedal!)