I Smell a Rat
OK… so supposedly this car with a 78-horsepower four-cylinder engine (the electric motor works at low RMPs, not highway speed) overpowered its own brakes and wouldn’t stop; brakes that were made to stop a car with a curb weight of 2900 pounds. Somehow these brakes failed for twenty minutes to slow the vehicle, but eventually were effective thanks to “a slight uphill grade.” I find that hard to believe, but I’ve only driven a Prius once and it wasn’t on the freeway. From my own experience, I’m thinking it must have taken damn near the whole twenty minutes for the lumbering beast to accelerate to 90mph. The Prius is not known to be a fast car.
Can someone tell me (to show me ‘net linkage would be great) what kept this man from shifting his car into neutral? Apparently he had the presence of mind to call 911 and also attempted to free the pedal with his hand… Oh, and the whole thing about “not feeling safe” regarding shutting the engine off; why would one feel any more safe about bending down to grab the gas pedal at 90mph?
I lived in San Diego a number of years, and I’m familiar with that particular freeway. If I were going to pick a freeway on which to drive fast, I would definitely pick 8 over 15 or 5. Oh, and coincidentally, if this gentleman had been traveling on either of those freeways, 90mph would have been highly unlikely. In fact, when I lived in San Diego, I had not one, but two hotrodded V8 Mustangs (an ‘01 GT convertible and a ‘66 coupe) and I used to absolutely LOVE speeding down Interstate 8. Managing a car at 90mph on that stretch of road is quite do-able. I always joke that if I were to flee the state in a high-speed car chase, that’s the road I’d pick. A road like that would also be fun in something like a Corvette:
Wait. Is that a “Corvette Owners Club” jacket he’s wearing? Hmm… You’d think someone who owns a Corvette would be less nervous about 90mph vs. someone who just drives a Prius…
I’m digressing here… Anyway, for anyone not familiar with the technical aspects of driving an automobile, Toyota has release video instructions for how to shift into neutral, apply the brakes, and shut off your car in case of an emergency (I’ll give you a spoiler: move the shifter lever until it’s in the “N” position).
Maybe this guy really didn’t think about the gearshift. Maybe he didn’t know about the “three second rule” on the “start” button. Maybe. In my opinion, Mr Sikes seems just a little too comfortable in front of the mics and cameras. Oh, and check out his website! Hmm… Suddenly I’m reminded of “Balloon Boy.”
Wonder how many of them vote
I don’t like higher tuition so I’m going to block traffic on the 880 Freeway by running across the other freeways… Maybe I’ll even get hurt jumping from the freeway to avoid custody. No. Nevermind. I’m a rational human being.
What is it about people in California (especially the Bay Area) thinking that a great solution to their grievances can be achieved by obstructing the civil liberties of other people? Oh, and if you’re going to do something illegal in means of a protest, you should be prepared to get arrested vs. jumping off a freeway and showing up in the ER (I’m hoping daddy has paid their insurance premium).
Blocking people in traffic doesn’t “raise awareness” or “wake people up,” it just pisses them off. When it happens with great regularity (I’m talking to YOU, San Francisco Bay Area), people often do the opposite of what you want… which is not caring about your cause because they see you as an annoyance.
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