All the hoopla about Toyota cars seems to be just the latest hot-button issue for the media and Congress to use to make the American people think that they are doing their job.
I hope this doesn’t offend anyone as a sexist statement, but I can’t help but notice that a large majority of the people claiming to have speeding, out-of-control cars have been women. I know that my wife and daughter will not use the cruise control in any of our cars because they are scared that they will push the wrong button at the wrong time and they don’t like the feeling of the car speeding along on its own when they are at the wheel.
I have had instances when I have pushed the wrong cruise control button and scared myself for a moment. But the idea that someone could drive six miles with their gas pedal stuck at 100 mph without having the presence of mind to turn off the key or to put the car in neutral seems to indicate total panic. Is it possible that they pushed the cruise control button on inadvertently and then tried to turn it off but kept pushing the acceleration button instead? Could that be what caused the car to speed up and total panic to set in?
I have driven Toyotas for the last 20 years because I got tired of buying Detroit products that should have been recalled. Defects never seemed to prick Detroit executives’ consciences to do recalls until they were forced to. I think that is a good portion of the problems that Detroit has at this time. Before this supposed Toyota problem was blown completely out of proportion, I seem to recall, Toyota voluntarily did the recall.
Tom Robert
Freeland
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