Sticking accelerator

A stuck accelerator is a driving emergency that will cause your speed to keep increasing.

Step by step

Stay calm...!

This might be easier said than done for some people but you can reassure yourself now that you have control. Your vehicle brakes have immense power - check this by driving you car at about 40 miles per hour (approx. 60kph) and gently (be careful!) pressing the footbrake with your left foot, gradually increasing the pressure to slow the car down.

By doing the exercise above you will not only reassure yourself, but you will also have gained some practical experience of how the car will feel in an accelerator emergency.

All of the following actions will be almost simultaneous, but by rehearsing them in order in your mind you will be fully prepared in the event of an emergency.

Brake firmly

The first thing is to brake firmly to counteract the effects of acceleration. Remember, your brakes have lots of power. The footbrake should be sufficient - avoid temptation to use the handbrake because it might cause a sideways skid.

Press the clutch

Press the clutch down to disconnect the engine from the wheels. When you press the clutch the engine may start to over-rev but in most cars this will be cut by the engine management system. In a worst case scenario you could wreck your engine by over revving - but you would still be alive!

Select neutral in an auto

In a manual car keeping the clutch down will normally be sufficient. In an automatic, move the selector to the neutral position.

Look for an escape route

While braking look out for an escape route - this could be the hard shoulder on a motorway (freeway). If changing lanes avoid sudden steering; swerving the car could lead to loss of control - if at all possible stay in a straight line.

Using the ideas above you will be able to stop in a few seconds.

What else do I need to know?

Avoid the temptation to try to un-stick the accelerator. Even if you can see the pedal the problem is probably somewhere else - in the linkage or engine management system for example.

An alternative, or additional method is to switch off the engine without selecting neutral - but beware - turning off the engine will disable your power steering and reduce the efficiency of servo assisted brakes if the pedal is pumped tow or three times. Another danger is that there is a risk of activating the steering lock, especially in a high adrenalin situation. Switching off the engine will, however, prevent it from damage.

After stopping make sure you know what is happening all around, especially on multi-lane roads, to reduce the risk of further danger.

Stay calm... Stay Safe!