You know, I’ve been wondering all along if this wasn’t just old people hitting the wrong pedal.
UPDATE: Although there was definitely something wrong with the gas pedals.
Sudden Acceleration
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Well, yeah Susie, but I’m in that 60’s age group and I drive a VW. Heh, no rapid acceleration to report. So, the thesis must be that old folks who hit the gas instead of the brake are the old folks who only drive Toyota’s?
About ten or 15 years ago, the auto industry (along with the government) did an in-depth study of rapid acceleration reports. They couldn’t find even one instance of mechanical problems, and finally concluded that older drivers with poor reflexes hit the wrong pedal but were afraid to admit driver error.
That’s why no one took the early Toyota reports that seriously. They assumed those findings would hold up here, as well.
I’d just consider the source: Megan McArdle.
Yeah, I know. Except I remember reading the original study when it came out.