I remember years ago setting in a lecture by an Instructor from the North Western Traffic Institute. The lecture was on “Are the operators of motor vehicles capable and trained to respond to emergency situations they will confront as a driver”. His premises was that eighty (80) percent of the drivers operating a motor vehicle at any given time on or highways and streets would be unable to make the proper decision and respond accordingly in an emergency situation to prevent property damage or injury. This was way before the Cell Phone and Texting entered the driver’s area. I at the time mentally questioned his assessment of the driving ability of the American Public, but as I have grown older and driven many more miles I think I am now in his corner. As a retired senior I get to enjoy conservation and a leisure breakfast now with a group of my peers on a weekly basis. I asked several of whom drive Toyota’s what action they would take if their vehicle suffered from the sudden acceleration problem some people are reporting, bear in mind please these were not “Young” people, none of the people asked had a clue. Several replied they would call a son, daughter, or other family member or dial 911. None considered turning the engine off or shifting into neutral as a proper way of handling the situation. I personally think Toyota needs to find the Instructor from The North Western Traffic Institute, if he is still alive and hire him to start educating the driving public and the problem with cars traveling down the highway at a high rate of speed will stop happening and Toyota will save a ton of money.
Loved Ones - Toyota
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Bird
Rest in Peace
When was that? I went to the "Long Course" for the 1971-72 school year. And I figure the 80% would be conservative.:laughing: I would have guessed at least 85%.:laughing:
dave1949
Super Star Member
Or Toyota could fix the problem with their cars
I think you are missing the issue being presented. Aside from Toyota's current issues, which are still up for debate, there will always be some example of an auto requiring emergency control action taken by a driver. To think otherwise is to believe it is possible to make perfect autos 100% of the time - that just isn't a realistic assumption.
I agree with the instructor's estimate. My own observation is when I drive the interstates, I regularly see drivers doing all sorts of oddball things. I sure don't believe these folks will be transformed into NASCAR drivers when trouble finds them.
Dave.
dcyrilc
Elite Member
Even suposidly professional drivers can do dumb things. This guy decided to make a u-turn in the middle of the road at the crest of a hill instead of going around the block.
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wedge40
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dcyrilc
Elite Member
I prefer to think of it as voluntary self-selective extinction.
Your missing the issue here. It is not realistic or possible to train millions of people to react when something goes wrong. I'm not saying its a bad idea but its just not going to happen. I know its not possible to make perfect autos nor is it possible for people to react correctly everytime in a panic situation. I have seen NASCAR drivers do some stupid stuff on the track, even they are not perfect.
People not knowing what to do in a emergency is not something new, this was going on before the Toyota problems. Now everyone thinks they can fix it from the computer keyboard.
The bottom line I was trying to make was we wouldn't be having this discussion and wouldn't hearing about it on the news and tv if Toyota had fixed the problem years ago when they found out they had a problem.
The problem is the cars, giving solutions(training) to a problem that doesn't fix the original problem is a political band-aid.
dave1949
Super Star Member
I have no idea why you believe I am saying the great majority of drivers can be perfectly trained for an emergency. Actually, I am saying just about the opposite, I don't believe it can be done. Bird was talking about people's driving skills, not Toyota's manufacturing and design skills.
There have been recalls on autos forever. If it wasn't Toyota it would be someone else being discussed. There will be more recalls in the future.
In the current Toyota discussion, there are a lot of unknowns involved and attempts to recreate most of the problems are not succeeding. I am not defending Toyota or anyone else. For all I know they are hiding relevant information. I sure hope they know more than the media and general public.
The problem is the cars and the drivers, but it isn't a problem that can be 100% solved. Surely both can be improved. When we use our auto we tend to forget that we are willingly climbing into a machine and entering traffic conditions that can kill us. It's not a lot different than jumping out of a perfectly good airplane with a parachute. That's the deal with the Devil we make every time we drive.
I do believe it is easier to make an almost perfect machine than it is to almost perfect people's skills and deal with people's emotions. Since you can't make perfect machines or people, better hold on to your band-aids
Dave.
dcyrilc
Elite Member
I've never understood anyones desire to do that. When the Marine Corps asked me if I wanted to go to jump school, I asked them why they think I would want to jump out of a perfectly good airplane.