Discussion
Incidents of this type often involve elderly drivers, who are caught out by having slow reactions, or having limited experience with automatic gearboxes.
There is a wide variation of older driver ability of course, because some surprisingly old drivers still race very well in amateur motor sport.
Another factor that tends to arise, is where an older person changes from always having driving a manual car, to an automatic car.
An unexpected move backwards might result in more weight being placed on the accelerator foot, making a quick move to the brake pedal even more difficult to accomplish.
Stabbing with the left foot onto a non existent clutch pedal would not help.
In my neighbourhood, an incident of this type occurred many years ago, when a car was being reversed out from a domestic garage.
It shot across a road before hitting a neighbours car, which was rolled over into a front garden. Very spectacular. James Bond stunts in a sleepy housing development. I don't think that motorist ever drove again.
Edited by Jon39 on Friday 10th May 17:51
AstonV said:
Are you serious? Who doesn’t know how to drive an automatic transmission?
It is true.
Probably a difference each side of the Atlantic Ocean, Andy.
Would I be correct to think, that auto transmissions have been in the majority of USA light vehicles for decades?
Not so here in the UK. Manuals have been standard in most everyday cars, until quite recently.
Combine that with an old person, who has never had any interest in cars, buying a two peddler for the first time and not concentrating properly. A low speed manoeuvring collision waiting to happen.
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