Interesting/worrying story from Scotland - ZS with no brakes.

[johnb80]

I'm still calling pedal error.

Agreed, 100%

 

[M44LCY]

I keep coming back to the original article about a runaway car. The police were called, travelled to intercept the faulty car, then brought it to a halt. That would take a bit of time.

If the fail-safe braking system did work, and if the driver was surprised to find that the brakes behaved differently to normal, isn't it reasonable to assume that their first reaction would be to press harder on the brake pedal?

Let me think … if my brakes weren't stopping me in an emergency, would I just think "well, there's no point in pressing the brake pedal again - I'll phone the police". Or would I panic, and stamp on that brake pedal as hard as I could? And if I didn't immediately consider stamping as hard as I could then, surely, during the time I was waiting for the police to arrive, I would at least try everything I could think of … including trying the brakes again.

Finally, is it unreasonable to presume that total brake failure would be a possible scenario included in the police call handler system. If so, the call handler is likely to be given a series of actions to suggest to the driver … possibly something like PRESS THE BRAKE PEDAL AND TELL ME WHAT HAPPENS! No? then wouldn't the traffic officer attending take the driver through a series of actions, only using his car as a mobile safety cushion as a measure of last resort?

Ultimately, we as car owners shouldn’t need to worry about how our brakes work - we only need to know that our cars have brakes and that we use them by pressing a pedal. Just like we know that turning the steering wheel will cause the car to turn - how the car effects the turn is irrelevant to the driver. Detailed understanding of systems can be interesting but largely irrelevant to day-to-day driving.
The probability that this is a true story is impossibly small. On the other hand, just because something is improbable doesn't mean it's impossible!

 

[johnb80]

If the fail-safe braking system did work, and if the driver was surprised to find that the brakes behaved differently to normal, isn't it reasonable to assume that their first reaction would be to press harder on the brake pedal?

Yes but that wouldnt make a good story would it.

Let me think … if my brakes weren't stopping me in an emergency, would I just think "well, there's no point in pressing the brake pedal again - I'll phone the police". Or would I panic, and stamp on that brake pedal as hard as I could? And if I didn't immediately consider stamping as hard as I could then, surely, during the time I was waiting for the police to arrive, I would at least try everything I could think of … including trying the brakes again.

Or even, use the parking brake, that would do it.

Finally, is it unreasonable to presume that total brake failure would be a possible scenario included in the police call handler system. If so, the call handler is likely to be given a series of actions to suggest to the driver … possibly something like PRESS THE BRAKE PEDAL AND TELL ME WHAT HAPPENS! No? then wouldn't the traffic officer attending take the driver through a series of actions, only using his car as a mobile safety cushion as a measure of last resort?

Hmm, I think most people in such an event wouldnt have time to call the police \ partner \ priest theyd be too busy. If I were in that situation and none of the braking systems worked (nigh on impossible), I would be rubbing the wheels against the the kerb or rubbing the side the car along hedgerow / walls etc or finding an empty car park and drive round in circles until the battery ran out.

Ultimately, we as car owners shouldn’t need to worry about how our brakes work - we only need to know that our cars have brakes and that we use them by pressing a pedal. Just like we know that turning the steering wheel will cause the car to turn - how the car effects the turn is irrelevant to the driver. Detailed understanding of systems can be interesting but largely irrelevant to day-to-day driving.

Absolutely

The probability that this is a true story is impossibly small. On the other hand, just because something is improbable doesn't mean it's impossible!

Very true, Brian Morrison had allegedly pulled some other stunts to get publicity I believe too.

 

[M44LCY]

Yes but that wouldnt make a good story would it.


Or even, use the parking brake, that would do it.


Hmm, I think most people in such an event wouldnt have time to call the police \ partner \ priest theyd be too busy. If I were in that situation and none of the braking systems worked (nigh on impossible), I would be rubbing the wheels against the the kerb or rubbing the side the car along hedgerow / walls etc or finding an empty car park and drive round in circles until the battery ran out.


Absolutely


Very true, Brian Morrison had allegedly pulled some other stunts to get publicity I believe too.

Yep - the end sum is that there are countless ways to stop a car, most of which wouldn't involve any more damage than would ramming a police car. As you say, a good yarn which, for an almost infinite number of reasons, is total bunk.

Maybe it inspired the later story of the Jaguar i-pace which apparently had a similar problem. The driver of that car was later arrested on suspicion of dangerous driving and causing a public nuisance.

 

[decrep]

A while ago we had a similar story here, but it wasn't an electric car, it was an ICE stuck in cruise control. The brakes did work initially but not well enough to stall the engine, they soon got too over heated to do much good. The car was heading down the freeway at 100km/hr so the cops had time to do the sacrifice the back end of their car trick, and bring it to a stop before it ran out of road.

 

[Coulomb]

the cops had time to do the sacrifice the back end of their car trick,

Even that sounds fanciful to me. What are the chances of a patrol vehicle being nearby, and able to catch up to the 100 km/h car, before the car came to grief? Yes, police have lights, sirens, and powerful vehicles, but there are severe limits to what that can achieve in a short time.

 

[decrep]

I tried searching for the original story, but I think it's too long ago, and my memory is almost non existent. But I know at the time we both accepted it as real. Our main freeway is fairly long and straight. A cop with lights and sirens on would have no trouble catching a car doing 100. I think they were at the next interchange waiting for it, not sure if the passenger phoned the cops. Must have been something like that, as the car would mainly just be part of the traffic flow, with no obvious problem.

 

[JimD]

There is a standard manoeuvre used by the police to stop vehicles that are trying to evade them (stolen vehicles trying to get away etc).

It's called TPAC and involves a similar method of stopping the car by getting in front and braking. With a vehicle trying to escape they also use other vehicles to box it in from behind and the sides.