Speed Kills

[OwlHoot]

Probably would have activated the steering lock.

Not if you don't take the key out

I reckon in his panic he was flooring the accelerator thinking it was the brake. Wouldn't be the first time that has happened. Some old dear trashed a dozen cars in a car park the other month doing the same thing.

[vwdan]

Unfortunately many modern cars are completely drive by wire. I would imagine the brakes are electronic.

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I've never come across a normal car that's brake by wire - certainly not an Octavia. ABS and so on sit inbetween and are pretty much fail safe.

[sasguru]

Not if you don't take the key out

I reckon in his panic he was flooring the accelerator thinking it was the brake. Wouldn't be the first time that has happened. Some old dear trashed a dozen cars in a car park the other month doing the same thing.

I think there's an ECHO in here

[BlasterBates]

Murder is no fun. Hacking the driverless cars to take you into an unmanned automated car park and leaving you there for the night is... need to order some micro controller boards...

Reminds me of Lemmy's story about Ritchie Blackmore, who slipped his road manager a "Micky Finn" and left him naked in a hire car on a ferry to Iceland.

Apparently if he found anyone asleep he would shave off their eyebrows.

[sal]

Him slamming his foot on the accelerator instead of the breaks for 8min could explain most/all of what happened. the question is why would he do that?

He might have been high, a lot of the "legal" highs out there are completely messing up your mind. No evidence of brakes use point that he was doing something wrong for 8 min, it's not like the old dear that accidently slammed the accelerator for a couple of seconds and trashed some cars.

'It shows 70mph but I'm going much faster'

the speedometer in most cars is "mechanical" counting the wheels revolutions (that's why you have to be mindful when using non-standard tire sizes for your make/model as t affects the speedometer readings) So it's highly unlikely that he was going much faster than 70 while the speedometer was showing 70.

To sum it up, either the breaks, the gearbox, the speedometer, the ignition key, accelerator pedal/cruise control all failed spectacularly at the same time, or there was something wrong with the driver.

[VectraMan]

the speedometer in most cars is "mechanical" counting the wheels revolutions (that's why you have to be mindful when using non-standard tire sizes for your make/model as t affects the speedometer readings) So it's highly unlikely that he was going much faster than 70 while the speedometer was showing 70.

Maybe in your day Granddad.

If the same computer is running the dash, cruise control, monitoring the throttle input, gearbox and start/stop button, and it had crashed, then it's all believable. The only bit that isn't is the brakes.

[xoggoth]

There was joke in Viz Letterbocks; if your brakes fail just release the bonnet, the resistance will slow you down. Not quite sure that works with modern cars but actually sounds sensible.

[tomtomagain]

I reckon he deliberately killed himself.

That's what the story read like to me.

[Dylan]

Maybe in your day Granddad.

If the same computer is running the dash, cruise control, monitoring the throttle input, gearbox and start/stop button, and it had crashed, then it's all believable. The only bit that isn't is the brakes.

Throttle pedal has 2 sensors that either move in opposite directions or are scaled differently, eg main 0-100% 0.2v to 4.8v, tracking sensor could be 0.1 to 2.4v for the same 0-100% range, or 4.8v down to 0.2v. Both sensors are evaluated, if the resulting values differ then it is considered a fault (no way of knowing which is the truthful sensor, if either are). If the ECU says the pedal is at 100% then it is as 100%, a bad sensor will kill the throttle.

Your assertion that the ECU had "crashed" is curious given the ECU was still running the engine. Also look up ISO26262...

On all the VAG cars I've driven brake application will also kill the throttle regardless of what is being requested by the throttle pedal.