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A Car With A Mind Of Its Own
mindriot writes "When Hicham Dequiedt, driving on a highway between Vierzon and Riom in central France in his Renault Vel Satis this Sunday, was overtaking a truck, his car began accelerating to 120 mph on its own, apparently due to a defect in the cruise control system. Stomping on the brakes proved pointless and, having a magnetic card for a car key, he could not cut the ignition. After calling the police from his cell phone who then attempted to clear the streets of any danger to him, in what he described as the most fearful event of his life, he raced down the highway for another hour before finally managing to stop the car. Read about the incident here or, in more detail, in this article by the German 'Spiegel' (translation). The case is still under investigation. Are we putting too much trust in the increasing number of electronic systems that our lives depend upon?"
In A.D. 2004
Trouble was beginning.
Driver: What happen?
Car: How are you gentlemen !!
Car: All your brakes belong to us.
Car: You are on the way to destruction.
Driver: What you say !!
Car: You have no chance to slow down make your time.
Car: HA HA HA
Driver: Take off every 'cell phone'
Driver: Move cars off road.
Driver: For great justice.
Once upon a midnight dreary, while I pondered, weak and weary
...
It was worse than a nightmare: A normal route on the motorway
Over many a quaint and curious volume of forgotten lore-
To be stopped suddenly will the car ever faster, is no more
While I nodded, nearly napping, suddenly there came a tapping
Well one hour long hunted a French driver with speed 200 over the runway, in the Slalom around the other cars
As of some one gently rapping, rapping at my chamber door
Debt is to have defective electronics, the manufacturer examines the incident
"'T is some visitor," I muttered, "tapping at my chamber door-
Only this and nothing more."
The Tempomat of its Renault Vel Satis was defective -
A cause for the Horrortrip
Ah, distinctly I remember it was in the bleak December;
The pressestelle of the manufacturer Renault confirmed the incident;
which occurred on Sunday
And each separate dying ember wrought its ghost upon the floor
- nevermore - nevermore
But what about .. uhm .. say Neutral .. ? or don't european cars have that?
I've thought about this, but couldn't he have jammed it in neutral? Or was that controlled by computer as well? How about the parking brake? There has to be some "cntl-alt-delete" equivanlent to 'override' a computer, otherwise it's just 2001: A Space Oddessy all over again!
Dave: Stop the car Hal!
Hal: I'm sorry, I can't do that Dave.
CZB*()#$@
free ipod and free gmail!
Yes, hello, 911?
... I'm sure I'll have it resolved by the time I reach my home.
It seems my car *refuses* to stop at red lights. Whenever I approach one turning red, the car mysteriously speeds up through the intersection.
Do be a peach and clear the way for me until I can get this under control
The little guy just ain't getting it, is he?
"Don't know about French cars, but all card sold in the US have Emergency Brakes that are mechanical brakes. You pull the handle and a cable activates the brakes."
They're called 'parking brakes' on the continent, because they tend to lock the back wheels solid if you pull them on in an emergency. Meaning we use them for parking rather than skating around in doughnuts on busy urban streets.
Oddly Draconis
Too cynical to live, too stubborn to die.
He was driving a Renault?
People -- there is a reason the least often uttered phrase in the world is Quality French Engineering
How does the Slashdot Effect happen given that no slashdotters ever RTFA?
The problem is he was trying to pass...in a Renault.
sarchasm: The gulf between the author of sarcastic wit and the person who doesn't get it.
You: Hello, police? Oh my god, my cruise control is stuck at full throttle! Help!
Police: Stay calm, sir. Can you shift to neutral?
You: No, and I can't shut it off! Help!
Police: We'll send officers to clear the road, sir. Remain calm, keep on the freeway.
You: Thanks, I'll call back if I need more help. [click]
You: YEEEEEEEHAAAAAWWWWW!!!!!!!! I'm goin' 120 MPH and the cops are clearing the road for me! How sweet is that?!?!?!
John
Brakes, Brakes Burning bright
on the highway, in the night
what awful error made system die
and made the poor driver cry
On what distant tollboth lies
The crappy break that you did buy?
What disaster did you sire?
And with what rod did you make fire?
"goodbye and hello, as always" ~Prince Corwin, from Zelazny's Amber series
Oblig: I can't let you do that, Dave.
But you need to be *very* careful about this at 120 mph.
GreyPoopon
--
Why is it I can write insightful comments but can't come up with a clever signature?
There are many great ideas that people came up with on how the driver could have slowed the car. But nobody has listed the obvious one yet.
He should have kicked his way through the floor boards to the engine compartment. At which point he would have seen 6 wires, 2 of them being blue, 1 brown, 1 orange and 2 red. He would then have taken the brown, orange and 1 of the reds and spliced them together with a bit of electrical tape. But making sure that he was at all times grounded and that the blue wires did not come in contact with the red ones (Then you would have a whole new set of problems).
Once these wires are connected together, it is all downhill from there. You just have to use a screwdriver to crack open the steering column where you will find 4 more wires (blue, green, yellow/blue, red). Take the connected wires that you finished with earlier, use a 3 foot spare wire to run a bridge to the steering column connecting to the green and blue wire. Once this is all done, just push your horn 3 times in rapid succession and the car will slow right down.
Still makes me laugh that this guy never thought of this. Silly French people.
"If at first you don't succeed, destroy all evidence that you tried"
>> anybody who'd buy an auto trans where a manual was availible would steal sheep
If I drove a manual for my daily commute I'd be registered disabled, permanently limping and in constant pain - due to the wear and tear on my left knee.
By driving an automatic I get to avoid all that (well, except the constant pain).
Of course, your sheep are still not safe..
Police: Half a ton of dynamite should do the trick..
You: OMG, it's the freak who tried to blow up the whale!
"It's too bad that stupidity isn't painful." - Anton LaVey
.. It was just running from the volkswagen behind it.
---- "Excuse me. Where's the children's gun section?"
"A car must obey the orders given to it by human beings, except where such orders would conflict with the First Law."
The problem with Slashdot memes is that YOU INSENSITIVE CLOD!