Wrong shoes?

sevenhills

A keen gardener was saved by his lunch when a camper van plunged through a wall and fell onto the greenhouse where he had been working.

Mr Gray 70, told BBC Scotland: "I was wearing wider shoes than usual, I must have hit the accelerator and it surged forward.

Sounds like a lame excuse, were these shoes 4 mm wider? It would not cause you to hit the wrong pedal.

My sister had a similar thing when an elderly neighbour got the wrong pedal and drove into her garden wall, this driver was partially disabled.

How does this happen, even indicating is something that is almost automatic.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-north-east-orkney-shetland-60335724

shiraz99

He must have been wearing clown shoes to do that 😁

Merlin139

Its a bit like forgetting you are driving an automatic and finding the clutch when trying to change down gears and you are doing 50 miles an hour!

You stop very very quickly!

sevenhills

Merlin139 said:

Its a bit like forgetting you are driving an automatic and finding the clutch when trying to change down gears and you are doing 50 miles an hour!

You stop very very quickly!

I rarely drive automatics, but I have never experienced that. Maybe insurance companies charge more for drivers that change from auto/manual?

Belenus

Merlin139 said:

Its a bit like forgetting you are driving an automatic and finding the clutch when trying to change down gears and you are doing 50 miles an hour!

You stop very very quickly!

You do indeed. 

My wife and I have only ever owned manual cars. We have occasionally driven hired automatics but never regularly.

Seven years ago when we were considering a new car we test drove a few automatics. During one test drive my wife managed the best emergency stop of her life when going for what she thought was the clutch pedal. 

Fortunately it was from only about 30 mph and the driver behind managed not to hit us.

DB1904

Belenus said:

Merlin139 said:

Its a bit like forgetting you are driving an automatic and finding the clutch when trying to change down gears and you are doing 50 miles an hour!

You stop very very quickly!

You do indeed. 

My wife and I have only ever owned manual cars. We have occasionally driven hired automatics but never regularly.

Seven years ago when we were considering a new car we test drove a few automatics. During one test drive my wife managed the best emergency stop of her life when going for what she thought was the clutch pedal. 

Fortunately it was from only about 30 mph and the driver behind managed not to hit us.

Even worse in a merc when only the handbrake is applied locking up the rear wheels. 

coffeehound

sevenhills said:

Merlin139 said:

Its a bit like forgetting you are driving an automatic and finding the clutch when trying to change down gears and you are doing 50 miles an hour!

You stop very very quickly!

I rarely drive automatics, but I have never experienced that. Maybe insurance companies charge more for drivers that change from auto/manual?

Yes - wonder if this camper was an automatic?

born_again

Sounds like a lame excuse.
As his foot would still have been pressing on the brake pedal even with wider shoes... 

sevenhills

Merlin139 said:

Its a bit like forgetting you are driving an automatic and finding the clutch when trying to change down gears and you are doing 50 miles an hour!

You stop very very quickly!

When driving a manual the right foot is for the brake and accelerator, the same as when driving an automatic.

Car_54

sevenhills said:

Merlin139 said:

Its a bit like forgetting you are driving an automatic and finding the clutch when trying to change down gears and you are doing 50 miles an hour!

You stop very very quickly!

When driving a manual the right foot is for the brake and accelerator, the same as when driving an automatic.

Well that's one theory.

Lots of auto drivers use left-foot braking.

Car_54

DB1904 said:

Belenus said:

Merlin139 said:

Its a bit like forgetting you are driving an automatic and finding the clutch when trying to change down gears and you are doing 50 miles an hour!

You stop very very quickly!

You do indeed. 

My wife and I have only ever owned manual cars. We have occasionally driven hired automatics but never regularly.

Seven years ago when we were considering a new car we test drove a few automatics. During one test drive my wife managed the best emergency stop of her life when going for what she thought was the clutch pedal. 

Fortunately it was from only about 30 mph and the driver behind managed not to hit us.

Even worse in a merc when only the handbrake is applied locking up the rear wheels. 

I think you mean the pedal operated parking brake, not the "hand" brake!