Old dear hits about 10 cars in supermarket car park

[robinessex]

Just taken me nearly half an hour to exit local Sainsbury car park because an old dear hit the go pedal instead of the whoa pedal, and hit about 10 cars !! I reckon at least 4 are write offs. Two BIB's, two fire engine, ambulance and paramedic.

[TheEnd]

It's a strangely common problem of stamping on the wrong pedal, and then just pressing harder and riding it out.

[StottyEvo]

TheEnd said:

It's a strangely common problem of stamping on the wrong pedal, and then just pressing harder and riding it out.

This in an unnervingly accurate statement

[Liquid Tuna]

TheEnd said:

It's a strangely common problem of stamping on the wrong pedal, and then just pressing harder and riding it out.

Yes, I think they must still think it's the brake (break) pedal (peddle). I had someone drive in to my car in a car park using this method. I was not in the car at the time but saw the whole episode and the lady who dunnit claimed she was definitely using the brake, when clearly the engine could be heard revving its balls off even when she'd come to a standstill.

[Leptons]

Should've gone to Waitrose.

[TheEnd]

I'm thinking that maybe these older people have next to no feeling in their feet?
It can't just be plain reaction time, but the critical thinking of "that must be the wrong pedal" just doesn't seem to happen.

Maybe it does happen to others, but the "pensioner pressing the wrong pedal" is pretty common.

[zeduffman]

It's alright though, she's a safe driver as she has years of experience and only uses the car to pop to the shops.

[Gilhooligan]

Similar thing happened at my local Tesco. I fail to comprehend how anyone can actually press the accelerator thinking its the brake but then continue to press it whilst the car is clearly accelerating uncontrollably.

http://www.edinburghnews.scotsman.com/news/car-par...

[Raman Kandola]

StottyEvo said:

TheEnd said:

It's a strangely common problem of stamping on the wrong pedal, and then just pressing harder and riding it out.

This in an unnervingly accurate statement

Theres actually a specific term in psycology that refers to wehn this happens, cant exactly remember right now but a quick google should reveal all

[Leptons]

zeduffman said:

It's alright though, she's a safe driver as she has years of experience and only uses the car to pop to the shops.

Low risk, cheap insurance.

[V8forweekends]

Gilhooligan said:

Similar thing happened at my local Tesco. I fail to comprehend how anyone can actually press the accelerator thinking its the brake but then continue to press it whilst the car is clearly accelerating uncontrollably.

http://www.edinburghnews.scotsman.com/news/car-par...

This was why the Americans had so many "uncontrolled acceleration" problems .

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sudden_unintended_acc...

[mcdjl]

I must admit I've done (sort of) similar before: pressed on the brake pedal and just not slowed down. It felt like the pedal was jammed so I pressed harder...and harder. Then the lanyard that was attached to my keys and looped around my foot broke and the brake peal hit the floor.
The thought of moving my foot as a plan didn't occur (and wouldn't have helped me) so I can well understand the panic occurring to anyone.

[V8forweekends]

anonymous said:

[redacted]

I knew an old boy who was a real danger - a member of his family grassed him and he took a retest in his 80s.

Everyone who knew him was astounded when he passed.

[ftrigger]

About 10 days ago in my local Sainsbury car park I saw someone in an old fiesta do a 'burnout' followed by T-boning a van's bumper, which came off, and then brake suddenly.
Out they came and it was a very old and confused looking gentleman accompanied by his daughter, she might have been the one to stop the car with the handbrake.
I thought it was lucky there was so little damage.
Supermarket car parks in the middle of the afternoon are dangerous places it seems !

[kaese]

Leptons said:

Should've gone to Waitrose.

Note safe there either!

http://www.yorkpress.co.uk/news/11243688.Waitrose_...

[HTP99]

We share a petrol station forcourt with our used car display, a few years ago an old dear, we think; put her auto Arosa into R instead of D, hit the loud pedal and reversed at speed into the side of a used Beetle this shunted the Beetle sideways into a Modus, on her way there she took out a Galaxy that was just filling up whilst on its way to the port to go back to France, she also damaged a pump.

I was the first on the scene; the rear of the Arosa was a complete mess, I opened the door to a very confused old lady exclaiming, "where is he, where is he, the man that drove into me?" or something along those lines, I can't quite remember.

It was carnage.

Edited by HTP99 on Monday 15th September 16:01

Edited by HTP99 on Monday 15th September 16:02

[Silver940]

Old lady in the town I used to live in did this many years ago ( early nineties ) pulled out of a parking space at the bottom of town and continued accelerating up the high street. She crashed through the cars waiting at the lights, run over the pavement, knocked down loads of people lamp posts etc. Looked like a war zone. As I recall several were killed and quite a few injured.

[m4tti]

Just wait for her to return next week..

[soad]

I wonder if this happens on the petrol station forecourts too?

[toon10]

An old dear at work did the same thing. She got an auto car as it was easier to drive! She wanted to reverse out of a work car parking space but ended up in drive. Her car shot forward, down a bank, through a pedestrian barrier and onto the entrance road. She managed to avoid driving straight over into the overflow car park and taking out someone elses car. Our site services had a big job on to pub ballards and barriers back in place.