Max Heim wrote:
>
> on 1/25/02 4:17 PM, Rocky Frisco at rock@rocky-frisco.com wrote:
>
> > I remain convinced the "wreck" on DM was faked; I doubt that lovely
> > B even got scratched.
>
> I think you're probably right (I didn't see it)
> >
> > Frankly, anybody in a similar situation who reacted like Dick's
> > character did should have his license put in a microwave on "high."
>
> No kidding, but it's funny that it actually happens fairly frequently. Tests
> have shown that what usually occurs is that a person puts their foot on the
> gas instead of the brake, then, in the face of "runaway acceleration", they
> panic, and just keep putting their foot down harder on the "brake".
> Psychologically, it seems to be easier to believe that the car is
> malfunctioning than to realize that you made a mistake about the pedals (you
> "know" where your foot is, but you are only hypothesizing on the behavior of
> the car based on sensory input). Obviously, switching off would take care of
> the whole problem, regardless, but no one ever seems to think of that at the
> time. Again, the idea of switching off while the car is in motion seems to
> be psychologically inconceivable (could this "taboo" be a result of the
> presence of steering column locks, I wonder? In earlier days it was not
> uncommon for people to shut off the engine on long downhill grades to save
> gas).
I wish everybody on the road had to take "crisis" training: how to
prevent skids and to recover from them when they do happen; how to
deal with a stuck throttle, loss of brakes, loss of steering, etc.
I refused to solo when I was taking flying lessons until an
instructor taught me all about spins, how to cause one and how to
recover.
> I suppose it's not surprising that humans are not mentally well-adapted for
> these situations... most of our instinctive reactions are still based on
> being "up in the trees"...
This is definitely true, especially when we vote. ;)
-Rock http://www.rocky-frisco.com
--
Red Dirt Rangers (Rocky on piano): http://www.reddirtrangers.com
JJ Cale Live (w/Rocky): http://www.rocky-frisco.com/calelive.htm
The Luggage Fan Club: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/luggage-fans
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