Skip to main content

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

  • Lithuanian speed merchant
    January 14, 2015
    A Lithuanian man sparked an international police pursuit when he stole a BMW X6 car in Bavaria. The car thief hit speeds of 240km/h in the high performance car as he attempted to elude pursuit, with German police using no less than seven patrol vehicles to try and stop the stolen car. The thief headed towards the nearby German border with the Czech Republic, where Czech police had been alerted and then took over the pursuit, enlisting the use of a helicopter. When the stolen car ran out of fuel the driver a
  • Road planing
    May 14, 2014
    In New York, a pilot and his two passengers had a lucky escape when the engine of their light aircraft failed. And road construction workers played a key role in ensuring that there were no casualties in the incident. When the road crew spotted the Piper Cherokee gliding in, dead stick, towards the Major Deegan Expressway they realised what was about to happen and parked their vehicles so as to halt traffic on the busy roadway. The rapid descent meant that the pilot brought the aircraft down hard onto the s
  • Dogged cyclists
    April 16, 2015
    A British man has cycled around the UK, carrying his dog with him on his bicycle. The man cycled some 4,000km over a four-month period, sleeping in a tent along the way. He took his dog along for the trip and as the animal injured its paws running alongside, opted to transport the animal on the bicycle as well.
  • Joy riding
    August 15, 2019
    Our Skidmarks page is highly rated by readers. Your input could help make this page even more entertaining. If you come across any amusing road-related stories or pictures email me at [email protected] JOY RIDING A couple in the US recently took advantage of the self-driving features of a Tesla car for reasons other than transportation. They ignored the suggestions from Tesla to remain alert even when the vehicle was using its self-drive mode and instead engaged in sexual acts, which they recorded on vid