Some things, like remakes of old movies come back into our lives. In driving, some things that were one though to be gone also come back. This is the case of Unintended Acceleration.
Unintended acceleration is like someone took control of your car and made believe you were on a dragstrip - full throttle. The causes range from stuck throttle, driver pedal misapplication, too thick floor mats -whatever - the problem is that it seems to be happening more than 10 years ago. Whatever gremlins are the cause, you have to know how to deal with it.
First - Read your owners manual and understand how to turn your car off and how to put it in Neutral. Today's cars, with push buttons to start and computer controlled transmissions may not operate in the ways you are used to.
Second - if you ever get in the position where the engine and car is racing, here is what you do:
1. Step on the brakes
2. Shift into neutral
3. Pull over and turn off the engine.
Things you do every day - but in the panic of the situation, it all goes out the window.
Practice in a parking lot. Drive forward and put the car in neutral. In most cars this means pushing the shift lever one notch toward park. Do not grab the lever, you may put it in park or reverse. Just push the lever with an open hand. Normally the engine will drop down to idle. If the throttle is stuck, the engine will rev up to about 6,000 rpm, where today's engines are mostly computer controlled not to rev any higher.
This used to be taught in drivers education. It should be taught in driver's education. It should be in every owner's manual.
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