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Yesterday my sister and I were having a short road trip. Talk radio was on and we were chatting, venting our stresses, working out fixes for the economy, you know, the usual. She's on a diet so she wouldn't let me stop for snacks. Drat!
At some point she heard a snippet about the guy with the runaway Prius from the other day. She became a little agitated and snapped at me, "what would you do if your car was accelerating and you couldn't brake to a stop?".
Me. "Um, look for a soft, fluffy dirt bank to run into?"
Sister. "No you wouldn't. You would put the car in neutral. If you disengage the gears the car will decelerate and you will still be able to steer."
Me. "Ok, yeah, that's what I'll do if ever that happens. Thanks for the PSA."
Sister. "That's just common sense, why didn't that guy just put it in neutral instead of endangering himself and lots of other people on the highway? Idiot."
Me. "That's not the scenario that I try to mentally prepare myself for."
Sister "So what do you prepare for?"
Me. "Well, what would you do if there were a bunch of gunmen surrounding your house?"
Sister. "Gunmen? are you a secret agent?"
Me. "Maybe you need to rethink your preparedness plan, I see some holes in it."
19 comments:
LOVE IT! I need to know which sister this was - I'm guessing Lorrie. I would never have thought to put the car in neutral - I dont understand how gears work.
I have often thought about what I might do if we had a home invasion which happens quite often in our city and it's scary since they target older people. I'm afraid I'm not fully prepared for emergencies, maybe I should work on that.
Hmm, I kinda miss those time when me and my sister just talk and talk...I miss it.
BTW sis, I'm your newest follower.
I wish I had a sister.
I wouldn't have thought to put the car in neutral. I know that is the answer but if my car started to accelerate on it's own and I was going really fast I'd be too busy having a full blown panic attack, warranted I might add.
We have a guy here who was convicted of killing a family when his car wouldn't brake. He was doing 90mph on a city street. He claimed all through the trial that he hit the brake, not the gas pedal as they assumed he must have, but the car wouldn't stop. He was driving a Toyota. The case is now going to be reopened, he will probably/hopefully get out of jail. He has lost two years of his life and killed three people. Toyota needs to take care of this and stop giving incentives to people to buy their cars until they are fixed.
Sorry.
OMG, I can't believe it but that sounds almost identical to the conversation I had with my husband the other day. Of course he was playing the part of your sister....lol I for one would probably not think of it I would panic.
If you aren't in the situation you think you might be smart enough to do that but when you're in it and you're freakin out because you can't get your car to stop you aint exactly in your right frame of mind - hindsight and all that.
The absolute ridiculousness of this whole conversation is cracking me up! I love it and I need to hang out with you guys!
Now I don't feel so bad that the only conversations I have with my sister center around whether she's dying of brain cancer because she has a headache or lung cancer because she has a cough. That being said, should she ever accidentally turn it to the news and see the Toyota stuff, a similar conversation may occur.
Not to scare anyone, but I once saw this movie on TV about a car that was stuck in accelerate mode. The woman driving tried to put it in neutral and attempted to use the emergency brake, but neither worked. Granted, it was a movie, but in theory I suppose it could happen, esp. if neutral was controlled by the same malfunctioning computer system, which is what some are saying is really wrong with the Toyotas.
I wish I had a sister too! Some of these Toyota stories are sounding kinda fishy. Maybe some people just want their 15 minutes of fame.
I was listening to the radio the other day and it was amazing on how many people did not know to put their cars in neutral. Or didn't think of it in a panic. I think everyone thinks neutral is just there for car washes.
LOL Love it!!! I would have let you stop for snacks... promise! And as far as the gunmen? I would offer to fix their toilets. That's my plan and I'm sticking to it.
You're right to be concerned. The Nazis and Commies aren't done with America yet. Keep one eye open at all times, sister.
P.S. -- Really nice post, by the way. LMAO!
=) I can hear my dad now... He already has a plan for your exact scenario.
Good fill someone in on and this fill someone in on helped me alot in my college assignement. Gratefulness you for your information.
Buggy not to worry. You should tell your sister to dig a molt around her house with alligators in it. A draw bridge with remote control.
That would fix the terrorist problem.
As for the gas pedals. You might not be able to shift the car into neutral while moving.
Whoever tries it I would appreciate it if you let me know.
Have a good weekend.
@Lin Neutral is for car washes? Really? I just put mine in park. Oh, you're talking about the real car wash where they all dance around singing songs from the 70s with bell bottom pants and afros. Nevermind.
Yep, I believe you and your sister might have the solution to all the world's problems....funny!
Now, according to last night's news, they suspect this man pulled a hoax. Apparently, after testing his vehicle, there were no problems found. What an idiot!
Your sister would think I was such a dumb ass. Common sense told me to panic and begin hyperventilating.
It did not tell me to put the car in neutral.
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