De-icing your car, be careful folks!

Strider590

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-merseyside-11594571


They've released no details, but from the description i'd say she tried to start the car whilst standing outside it, didn't realise it was in reverse gear and got dragged under the door and then the wheels as the engine turned over on the starter motor.

I know some cars won't start unless you depress the clutch pedal, this has always aggravated me, but seeing the above article i've definitely changed my mind!

I think it's only fair to say.... Be careful folks!

maninthestreet

Get an AUDI - you need to press and hold down the clutch pedal to start the car (at least for the A3 you do).

MX5huggy

maninthestreet wrote: »

Get an AUDI - you need to press and hold down the clutch pedal to start the car (at least for the A3 you do).

Save money, a Skoda is the same.

da1seggy

maninthestreet wrote: »

Get an AUDI - you need to press and hold down the clutch pedal to start the car (at least for the A3 you do).

Or stick with your existing car, but remember what gear you left it in when you parked it

maninthestreet

Surely she would have let go of the ignition key as she was knocked down by the car door, and the engine would have stopped turning over at that point??

Inactive

Not enough information to assess what happened.

Strider590

^^ Having forgotten to take my car out of gear many years ago after doing some work on it, I know that when this happens for the first time you don't really understand what's going on for a few seconds. Much like an electric shock, you don't immediately think "oh crap, let go! let go!".

But yeah, she's let go off the key but it's been too late, as the car has already jumped 2 or 3 ft on the starter.

Ok, this is guesswork and speculation... But given the circumstances and the description given, I'm 95% sure of what's happened.

One of the articles states that the accident occurred after the car started..... A car doesn't start on it's own

It's something to bare in mind on those cold mornings though!

Rossy.

somech wrote: »

she ought to get her handbrake looked at;)

That's pretty lame taking the pi$$ out of someone that has been killed

Not really needed was is? Unless you feel good about gloating over someones death

hethmar

I think they said she had been standing behind the car defrosting the rear window.

DaveF327

Sad to read, but a death that could so easily have been prevented if everybody did the basic checks they learned when learning to drive: handbrake fully on and gear in neutral before starting the engine.

Remember it's also against the law to get out of a car with the engine running on a road. This case highlights just one reason behind the law.

andygb

Exactly Dave. The starter motor has a lot of power, and if you ever lose the clutch, you can use it to your advantage. I have driven 30 miles back from the centre of London without a working clutch.
If only the poor deceased lady had checked to see whether or not the vehicle was in gear, this would not have happened.