How to avoid stepping on the gas pedal by mistake?

Keep your nerves alert and practice not keeping your foot on the gas pedal for too long so you don't get startled when you need to brake suddenly.

Accidentally stepping on the gas pedal is a topic that is discussed a lot in the car user community not only in Vietnam but all over the world. The reason that many people think is due to inexperience, lack of experience or when the nerves are not alert due to sleepiness, using beer, alcohol, or stimulants.

Stepping on the gas pedal by mistake is the cause of many tragic accidents.

However, older drivers and safety driving experts from many car companies only half agree with this opinion. Drivers are at high risk of accidentally stepping on the gas pedal when they are not alert or using stimulants, but older drivers are just as likely to accidentally step on the gas pedal as younger drivers. That is, just because you have a lot of experience, it does not mean you will not accidentally step on the gas pedal.

Actual statistics show that, inIn Japan in 2009, 6,700 accidents, 37 deaths, and more than 9,500 injuries were attributed to drivers pressing the accelerator instead of the brake. The number is even higher in the US, with about 16,000 accidents per year, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, according to the Timescolonist.

So what are the situations that most easily lead to mistakenly pressing the gas pedal?

That is when the driver falls into an unexpected situation in a narrow space.Steve Wallace, mA former driving instructor turned auto writer in the US said he has seen thousands of such incidents. When the driver suddenly feels out of control of the pedals, the narrow space makes the nerves tense up and panic even more.

For example, when the driver is trying to accelerate quickly to overtake another vehicle, but the space is limited by oncoming vehicles, the median strip on the left and other vehicles on the right. Or another case when the driver is inching through a traffic jam, slowing down the car, idling to roll, and backing into a parking space. These situations all have the highest risk of accidentally stepping on the accelerator.

What causes drivers to mistakenly step on the gas pedal?

For drivers who are speeding and want to accelerate quickly to overtake, medical experts say that is when the right foot falls into a state of numbness. Normally, when the road does not require much braking, the driver will be lazy and just leave his foot on the gas, not changing to give the foot a feeling, that is when the foot becomes numb. When surprised, the simplest reaction at this time is to continue to press the brake pedal without being able to lift or turn the foot to the brake pedal.

On the contrary, for drivers who are driving slowly or idling, it is due to a type of neurological misconception. Because the foot is on the brake, if the car suddenly rolls faster, the nerves tend to understand that "switching to another pedal will help the car stop". This inference is formed from the conditioned habit that when the car is running, switching from the accelerator to the brake will stop the car, without clearly identifying which foot is the brake and which foot is the accelerator.

The above reflexes and causes are more likely to occur for new drivers because they are not used to driving and can easily panic. However, that does not mean that this does not happen to experienced drivers. In fact, many experienced drivers still encounter this risk, LATimes reported.

How to avoid stepping on the gas pedal by mistake?

Safe driving expert for companies as well as forExperienced drivers shared with VnExpress that there are two decisive conditions: keeping the nerves always alert and practicing the habit of "never resting the right foot".

Need to flexibly change the position of the right foot between the accelerator and brake to avoid numbness.

Every time you sit behind the wheel, the driver must be in the best health condition, not sick, tired or have pain in parts such as legs, arms, shoulders or back. At the same time, absolutely do not use alcohol, beer, stimulants that cause the nervous system to be over-excited and lack precision.

Once you are in good health, the next step is to practice using your feet flexibly. That is, do not leave your foot on the brake pedal or the gas pedal for too long. Changing the position of your foot so that it does not become numb will help your brain make more accurate decisions. It is as simple as driving for a long time on the highway, instead of keeping your foot on the gas, sometimes the driver should take his foot off and rotate his heel back and forth to get the feeling of his foot.

Regarding foot placement skills when driving, Porsche experts say that V-positioning your feet will provide the most comfortable and safe way to operate. However, you need to be careful in cases of sudden braking. Some drivers have the habit of turning their heels to brake, but this gesture can be dangerous in cases where the brake and accelerator pedals are parallel and close together. At that time, the foot is mostly on the brake but still has a small part of the accelerator, causing the brake to lose its effect.

To overcome this problem with cars that have the brake and accelerator pedals parallel and close together, you need to get into the habit of lifting your foot completely and pressing it straight when braking suddenly. The geometric arrangement between the driver's seat and the accelerator pedal helps the driver always press the brake pedal if the right foot is pressed straight and hard.

Finally, an important point is to always drive within the allowed speed limit. In fact, most drivers believe that they can drive faster than the maximum allowed speed and still "feel safe". However, according to experts, the maximum speed on a certain road section is calculated based on many factors to ensure enough space and terrain to help the driver react quickly and accurately when an incident occurs. Feelings cannot be accurate because they also depend on driving experience, vehicle safety and many other factors on the road.

According to VNE