New Accelerator Pedal by Continental Warns of Hazardous Situations

www.atzonline.com ^ | 08/12/2008 | Author(s): Bettina Merkelbach

[Red Badger]

Could do double duty as a foot massager..............

[Wonder Warthog]

I will refuse to by any vehicle with this “feature”. Cars are already too much “nanny state” designed, with countless “features” REQUIRING the owner to do certain things in a specific way (like forcing one to put transmission in neutral and foot on brake before it will start).

[Abathar]

I would never buy a car with this on it, ever.

[Red Badger]

...REQUIRING the owner to do certain things in a specific way (like forcing one to put transmission in neutral and foot on brake before it will start).

IIRC, my '74 Pinto required that............

[nikos1121]

I don’t know if I’d want this activated on some country road when I’m trying to pass a grain truck...

[cripplecreek]

Oh goody. What’s next, a car that pulls over and refuses to run once you’ve exceeded your daily carbon allowance?

[nikos1121]

I think if I'm headed for a head on colision with no recourse...the Laws of Physics tell you that the object traveling the fastest will have the least damage...therefore I would want a device in my car that in this instance helps me step on the gas..--Robby Knieval

[TheZMan]

Just like I disconnect the kill switch on my riding mower, this too will be lacking power the first time it argues with me.

[Red Badger]

...the Laws of Physics tell you that the object traveling the fastest will have the least damage...

I don't quite follow.............

[Red Badger]

No, it’ll notify the taxing authorities and they’ll empty your bank account...............

[Las Vegas Ron]

True, but only if the two share equal mass

[Piquaboy]

Just another device to screw up and require you to go back to the dealer.

[Las Vegas Ron]

actually, I should have said “are of” equal mass to be clear

[IYAS9YAS]

My '67 Nova had a neutral safety switch for the automatic (nothing for my '66 with a 4-speed). The car couldn't be started unless the transmission was in park or neutral.

We switched the shifter from the column to the floor. When we did, we left the original column, with the original collar there and just removed the shift lever.

The neutral safety switch was still wired to the original shift collar. You could move the collar so the pointer moved out of park or neutral and the car wouldn't start. It took us a while to realize this when I bumped the collar out of place one day, but then we discovered a nice little anti-theft device.

[Dr. Bogus Pachysandra]

Ya mean that I won’t be able to tailgate slow drivers during rush hour? No thanks!

[nikos1121]

Like two Rams butting heads.

[Petronski]

I love the warning system idea—like the stick shaker on a commercial passenger jet—but the eco-warning feature is a deal breaker.

Better to put an LED “instantaneous MPG” readout in the cab, maybe even on a heads-up display. Let the driver know which behaviors are wasteful but without being an annoyance about it.

[farlander]

Yea that’s a head scratcher. Even if it’s ‘equal mass’, a 2-ton brick wall will fare much better than the car.

[nikos1121]

Yeah you’re right. The Japanese should factor that into the equation before impact. Problem is, who are they going to get to test this out to see if my theory is true?

[SengirV]

Great, so when I try to achieve highway speed to merge, I’ll be fighting the pedal? You know, because of all the CO2 I’ll be spewing in accelerating. Yeah, that doesn’t sound dangerous at all.