More Evidence of Driver Errors in Toyota Runaways

Here's something you won't hear Katie Couric or other network TV announcers admit while they are sensationalizing Toyota's sudden acceleration problems: Examination of the brake pads shows the driver of the runaway Toyota Prius in San Diego, not only refused to shift into neutral, he also failed to push hard on his brakes. 

Like the ditzy woman who told a Congressional committee in front of TV cameras that her car stopped "when God intervened" his problem looks like four parts driver error, one part stuck accelerator. 

From the WSJ: 

"A federal safety investigation of the Toyota Prius that was involved in a dramatic incident on a California highway last week found a particular pattern of wear on the car's brakes that raises questions about the driver's version of the event, three people familiar with the investigation said...

"But the investigation of the vehicle, carried out jointly by safety officials from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration and Toyota engineers, didn't find signs the brakes had been applied at full force at high speeds over a sustained period of time, the three people familiar with the investigation said.

"The brakes were discolored and showed wear, but the pattern of friction suggested the driver had intermittently applied moderate pressure on the brakes, these people said, adding the investigation didn't find indicators of the heavy pressure described by Mr. Sikes. ...

"During the 911 call, the operator urged Mr. Sikes to shift the car into neutral. (But he refused.)"

To paraphrase skeptical articles in European press: There hasn't been a single fatal accident in Germany associated with Toyota's stuck accelerators, because when German drivers encounter stuck gas pedals, they put on the brakes, stop the car and take it to the dealer for repair. When American drivers realize their gas pedal is stuck, they get on their cell phones and call 911, the local TV station, and their lawyers.