In Control

A disabled French driver had a terrifying experience when the accelerator pedal on his specially- adapted vehicle failed. The man was making a trip to the supermarket when the accelerator jammed at a speed of 100km/h. But when he tried to brake, the car accelerated instead of slowing down. The driver used his cellphone to call the emergency services and several police cars came rushing to his assistance. The police cars escorted him as he roared along a major highway in Northern France, with t
April 23, 2013 Read time: 2 mins
A disabled French driver had a  terrifying experience when the  accelerator pedal on his specially- adapted vehicle failed. The man  was making a trip to the  supermarket when the accelerator  jammed at a speed of 100km/h.  But when he tried to brake, the car  accelerated instead of slowing  down. The driver used his  cellphone to call the emergency  services and several police cars  came rushing to his assistance. The  police cars escorted him as he  roared along a major highway in  Northern France, with three toll  stations raising barriers to let him  through until his vehicle eventually  ran out of fuel 200km later, in  neighbouring Belgium. The driver  is taking legal action against the  vehicle manufacturer, saying that  he had experienced a problem  with the accelerator on a previous  occasion and repair work was  supposed to have dealt with the  issue. He also said that he has had  two epileptic attacks as a result of his traumatic experience.

Related Content

  • Efficient asset management to trim maintenance budgets
    January 22, 2014
    Transport infrastructure is taken for granted in many, if not most, developed countries. This has resulted in a shortage of investment in maintenance, posing potential long term cost issues. In many developing nations transport networks are expanding fast, but insufficient thought is also being given to how these will be maintained.
    Read More
  • Road safety concern for Europe
    May 19, 2015
    A quick look at corporate results for some of the major construction equipment manufacturers paints a somewhat confusing picture of current demand. Caterpillar, the world’s largest manufacturer of off-highway machines and for so long a bell-wether for the construction sector, recently released results showing a drop in profits. CNH and Volvo CE too have been similarly afflicted with a lower than expected financial performance, perhaps a major factor in Volvo CE's decision to pull out of a joint venture part
    Read More
  • Highway 407 Revisited – smart tollroad extension
    June 7, 2016
    In the late 1990s, World Highways published a supplement on construction of Canada’s Highway 407, the world’s first all-electronic toll road. But how successful has it been? David Arminas reports from Toronto The head office for 407 ETR Concession Company is a low-rise building next to exit 59, just north of Toronto, Canada’s economic powerhouse. The building may be non-descript but inside is the advanced technical heart of Highway 407 ETR – Express Toll Route. It houses the latest toll monitoring techno
    Read More
  • Where's my car?
    December 4, 2015
    Forgetting where you parked your car can be an embarrassing moment, or several days, as one man in the UK found to his cost. The man ran the Manchester City Marathon in five hours and 11 minutes and then spent several hours looking for his Saab 93 Sport.
    Read More

Highlighted Content