Vietnamese inventor creates device to prevent accidental acceleration.

Based on the reality that many drivers confuse the accelerator and brake pedals when driving, especially with automatic cars, Nguyen Long Uy Bao and his friend in Saigon invented a system to reduce the risk of drivers mistakenly pressing the accelerator instead of the brake. The system was granted patent number 14087 by the Intellectual Property Office on May 18th.

This system, composed of mechanical and electronic components, reacts by directly applying pressure to the brake pedal when the driver accidentally presses the accelerator pedal too hard, helping to minimize the risk of accidents caused by uncontrolled acceleration.

Specifically, the system draws power directly from the battery, without affecting other electrical systems in the vehicle such as power steering or ABS. It consists of sensors that measure the speed of the accelerator pedal, transmitting information to a microprocessor, which then commands an automatic brake lever to pull the brake pedal down to reduce speed, while simultaneously emitting an audible warning and flashing a warning light.

In the event that the driver is idling the accelerator, meaning the pedal pressure exceeds the sensor's detection limit, but suddenly slams the accelerator pedal all the way down, an additional switch is activated. The accelerator pedal then triggers this switch, resulting in an automatic braking response similar to the information from the sensor.

With this system, drivers can actively choose to turn it on or off. Therefore, drivers who prefer a sporty driving style or who need to accelerate hard to overtake other vehicles on the highway will not be affected, as simply turning the system off will return the car to its original design.

Uy Bao said that he installed this technology on a Ford Escape with a 3-liter engine for testing on public roads, and the results were exactly as designed.

A Ford technical expert stated that, for successful application in commercial vehicles, this technology needs to be installed and tested in various terrains and driving conditions, as each situation requires the driver to use the accelerator and brake pedals accordingly. This technology is virtually unadopted by any other car or parts manufacturer.

The anti-acceleration system can be designed to be adjustable, for example, to provide strong braking action like sudden acceleration or just a moderate force to gradually decelerate, alerting the driver. The price for an anti-acceleration system is approximately 4 million VND.