[Goose]

You drive with your foot on the gas pedal in part to know that when you must brake, you move your foot off the gas to the brake. You don't drive with your foot on the brake unless knowing you are in a braking area. To brake, you move your foot. You don't ever press down without moving your foot while cruising. You can miss the brake pedal, and fail to brake at first, but that is not accelerating when you should be braking.


I can buy that maybe some older people who have lost feeling or brain sharpness could get confused, but not Tiger Woods at his current age. I don't think we'll ever know what really happened while Woods was driving, but the evidence suggests it was reckless more than an accident.

As it happens, I agree that it is very improbable that the accident was caused by mistakenly pressing the gas pedal. When that happens, it usually is short in duration. It may last long enough to cause an accident, but usually not long enough to go from 45 mph to over 80 mph. However, this type of error is also very common in young new drivers. A friend of mine who I was teaching how to drive a stick shift put us in the bushes that way (22 years old). The "push the pedal" reaction often happens when something unexpected and threatening happens. You feel the need to act immediately and omit a step. It isn't something you think through. It isn't lack of brain sharpness. It is a reaction, as most driving activities are. Not knowing how to react often produces errors when there is no time to consider what to do. That is one reason pilots practice emergency situations all the time. You need to act correctly without thinking about it. Takes too long.

[Goose]

You drive with your foot on the gas pedal in part to know that when you must brake, you move your foot off the gas to the brake. You don't drive with your foot on the brake unless knowing you are in a braking area. To brake, you move your foot. You don't ever press down without moving your foot while cruising. You can miss the brake pedal, and fail to brake at first, but that is not accelerating when you should be braking.


I can buy that maybe some older people who have lost feeling or brain sharpness could get confused, but not Tiger Woods at his current age. I don't think we'll ever know what really happened while Woods was driving, but the evidence suggests it was reckless more than an accident.

As it happens, I agree that it is very improbable that the accident was caused by mistakenly pressing the gas pedal. When that happens, it usually is short in duration. It may last long enough to cause an accident, but usually not long enough to go from 45 mph to over 80 mph. However, this type of error is also very common in young new drivers. A friend of mine who I was teaching how to drive a stick shift put us in the bushes that way (22 years old). The "push the pedal" reaction often happens when something unexpected and threatening happens. You feel the need to act immediately and omit a step. It isn't something you think through. It isn't lack of brain sharpness. It is a reaction, as most driving activities are. Not knowing how to react often produces errors when there is no time to consider what to do. That is one reason pilots practice emergency situations all the time. You need to act correctly without thinking about it. Takes too long.