Many Sudden Acceleration Claims but No Confirmed Cases
Various Hypotheses Including Mechanical Defects and Driver Inexperience
Response Tips: Press Brake Firmly and Shift to Neutral
Engage Side Brake and Finally Turn Off the Engine
On the night of the 1st, near Seoul City Hall, a passenger car drove the wrong way through an intersection and struck pedestrians, resulting in 9 deaths. On the morning of the 2nd, someone placed chrysanthemums at the accident site and posted a note of condolence. Photo by Heo Younghan younghan@
Interest in sudden unintended acceleration (SUA) in vehicles has increased following the accident at City Hall Station. Although the number of accidents claiming sudden unintended acceleration is rising, none have been officially recognized as such. It is important to understand the causes, coping methods, and warning signs of sudden unintended acceleration.
According to a recent summary by the neighborhood car-sharing platform "TownCar" on the 3rd, the exact cause of sudden unintended acceleration is not clearly identified, but representative hypotheses include mechanical defects in the vehicle, vacuum booster device issues, and driver errors or mistakes. The key is to thoroughly maintain vehicle parts regularly and to properly learn how to respond to sudden unintended acceleration. To prevent sudden unintended acceleration accidents, the first step is to regularly inspect and maintain the engine, brakes, and other vehicle components. In particular, moisture and dust should be managed to prevent malfunctions in electronic control systems. Drivers should learn correct driving and vehicle operation methods to avoid mistakes in urgent situations like sudden unintended acceleration.
The most important thing when sudden unintended acceleration occurs is to quickly assess the situation. You should quickly determine whether you are mistakenly pressing the accelerator pedal instead of the brake pedal, and if it is indeed sudden unintended acceleration, check if there are objects nearby such as walls or guardrails that can be used to control the vehicle's speed by collision.
The procedure consists of four steps: ▲Press the brake pedal firmly once ▲Shift the gear to neutral ▲Engage the parking brake ▲Turn off the engine. The first step is to press the brake pedal deeply and firmly at once. During sudden unintended acceleration, the brake may not respond well, so it is important to press down hard with your left foot on top of your right foot that is on the brake pedal to reduce the engine power as much as possible. Pressing the brake pedal multiple times in succession may cause a lack of vacuum pressure in the engine, potentially leading to loss of control.
If the vehicle cannot be controlled by braking, shift the gear to neutral (N). When the gear is in neutral, power transmission to the wheels is cut off, preventing further acceleration. Be cautious not to shift to park (P) because it makes steering difficult and may cause the vehicle to lose balance, spin, or move unstably.
On May 27th afternoon, a reenactment test of the 'Automatic Emergency Braking' (AEB) function was conducted in the parking lot of Gangneung Church in Gangneung City, Gangwon Province, related to the suspected sudden acceleration accident of Lee Do-hyun (12 years old at the time of death) in December 2022.
After the vehicle speed decreases, engage the parking brake. If the parking brake is applied suddenly while the vehicle is still moving fast, it may cause loss of balance, so it is important to pull it gradually to reduce speed. If the vehicle speed does not decrease even after these steps, you should forcefully slow down the vehicle by pushing it sideways against a guardrail or wall.
Once the vehicle has come to a complete stop and safety on the road is secured, the final step in responding to sudden unintended acceleration is to turn off the engine. Since steering becomes impossible after the engine is completely turned off, make sure the vehicle is safely stopped before turning off the engine.
Recently, the Korea Transportation Safety Authority also stated that the most effective way to respond to sudden unintended acceleration is to shift the gear to neutral (N) and then engage the electronic parking brake (EPB). The EPB replaces traditional mechanical parking brakes such as lever-type side brakes or pedal-type foot brakes with an electronic button. The EPB must be kept engaged continuously to remain active.
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