Potential Ways to Reduce Deadly U.S. Pedal Misapplication Accidents
Continued from Part 2. Brake Transmission Shift Interlocks (BTSIs): A BTSI device requires the bus or truck driver to press down on the brake pedal in order to shift an automatic transmission vehicle out of “Park” and into an active gear. Comparisons of BTSI equipped vehicles to those without BTSIs reveals a huge reduction in the number of sudden acceleration accidents (from 16.6 down to 1.7 per 100,000 vehicles for the Ford Aerostar, for instance).
Our Galveston truck accident injury attorneys note that installation of BTSI systems in U.S. passenger vehicles is purely voluntary. Due to the additional risk posed by sudden acceleration accidents in heavy vehicles like trucks and buses, the NTSB has recommended that the NHTSA require installation of BTSI systems in all new heavy vehicles.
But BTSI devices are only effective in preventing sudden acceleration accidents in vehicles just starting out of park. Other solutions are needed for vehicles already in motion.
Vehicle pedal design: One interesting new design being tested in Sweden involves replacement of the two separate accelerator and brake pedals with a single pedal. If the driver presses the single pedal forward, the vehicle accelerates. If the driver presses the rear of the pedal down, it slows and stops the vehicle. Drivers tested say the pedal is easier to operate, and almost eliminates pedal misapplication errors.
Where two pedals continue to be the norm, wider spatial separation of the two could reduce the chance of driver pedal misapplication errors. And our Galveston truck accident injury attorneys emphasize that using pedals of different sizes, heights, and mounting would also help.
But until there is consistency in pedal design, the NTSB recommends that those in charge of school bus transportation advise drivers of the dangers of pedal misapplication when changing between buses of different types and to require drivers to refamiliarize themselves each year with all the different types of buses and pedal configurations they might drive.
Positive separation between vehicle and pedestrian spaces: Using bollards or other physical barriers to separate vehicle and passenger areas such as in bus stations and school bus loading zones won’t reduce the number of sudden acceleration pedal application errors. But our Galveston truck accident injury attorneys point out that it will reduce the chances of injury or fatality to pedestrians from these errors by providing strong physical separations between the vehicles and the pedestrians in the event of an accident.
Highway vehicle Electronic Data Recorders (EDRs) on school buses and coach buses as well as heavy trucks: Installation of EDRs on heavy vehicles won’t prevent pedal misapplication accidents. But since they record detailed specifics on vehicle status, direction, braking, acceleration, and other factors in the seconds leading up to a crash, the EDRs could help pinpoint the cause(s) of devastating accidents.
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