OT: Is a stuck car accelerator capable of doing this?

en one.

What part of "too many cars" did you not see?

Harry K

ide quoted text -

As did the late 40s (48?) Nash.

Harry K

My 55 Chevy has a key lockable start switch. I don't know what else to call it? Basically it's like a normal key switch, but if you remove the key when it isn't in the "lock" position, it will stay unlocked and can be started and stopped without the key.

I don't remember the make, may have been a dodge "panel van" (cargo van), maybe from the 50's or early 60's. That also had the start button under the accelerator pedal. We were playing in the junk yard (those WERE the DAYS!!!) looking for something we may be able to start and drive. I hopped in my friends older brothers van, it had been sitting for almost a year and I tried to start it just as a joke. S*it! One pump, then one more pump as I went for the start button and it started right up! I swear it never started that easy when he was driving it!

Kids today don't understand how starting cars was an art form. Even two identical models had their own special way to start it. This one takes

Beep Beep

Yes, same place steering wheel paddle shifters came from.

I had forgotten that. The ignition switch even had little 'ears' to make it ease to turn without the key. I had a 54 (don't recall if that did it) and a 57 and I 'think' it did. Then there were the fords with the switch on the wrong (left hand) side of the wheel. When did they finally recognize that the vast majority of customers were right handed?

Harry k

Did you read the news story? I can buy the wrong pedal situation when someone drives a car from a parking lot into a store window in an incident lasting seconds. But not when it's a car with a California Highway Patrol Officer inside, likely he was the driver, and where the incident went on for minutes, where someone in the car had enough time to call 911. Surely in all that time someone could figure out the driver was pressing the wrong pedal. Also, almost every case of the wrong pedal I've read about they have been elderly.

Actually Porsche deliberately put the ignition switch on the left side of the dash for years. Rationale was for "LeMans" style racing starts, the driver could be in the seat, one hand on the shifter selecting first gear while cranking the engine with the other hand.

Studebaker did the same thing, although my '55 has the key in a more normal position (up high on the dash, just to the left of the radio) - not sure if they had any particular rationale in mind, it seemed to change from year to year, but it seemed that more often than not it ended up on the left side (all Hawks had the key on the left, for instance.)

nate