Gas Pedal Syndrome:

   I have noticed for years the frequency of
something I call, "Gas Pedal Syndrome."
What is it?  Well, its a common frequency of
accidents caused by someone thinking they are
hitting the brake pedal but actually stomping
on the gas pedal.

   I am going to start posting all the
articles I find relating to this syndrome and
see what turns up as the common denominator in
all of them.  I have a suspicion, but I think
I will leave it up to the reader to make up
his/her own mind on the subject.  Please read
the articles. You can leave comments, or
directions to stories that relate, or even
stories of your own.  Let me know.

   What kind of test would be able to show the
inclination to this problem?  Is it genetic?
Can a DNA expert in a court of law say:
"here on this sequence we find that the
defendant has the gene for Gas Pedal Syndrome,
therefore he is innocent."

   Once someone has been proven to have Gas Pedal
Syndrome should they still be able to drive?
What kind of legislation would be needed to stop
someone with it from driving?

   The one thing to remember when you open the door
to your car, step inside, situate yourself behind
the wheel and turn on the ignition, given the right
circumstances:

              THIS CAR COULD KILL!

   The thing is that I feel a lot of people forget
the fact that driving a car is a major
responsibility.  Your tooling around in a minimumly
2000 pound hunk of metal with something that can
propel it from 0-60 in how many seconds?  That's
a 1 ton piece of force that if thrown against a
100 pound person its obvious who will win.

   How many stop signs are missed everyday?
How many seconds can be shaved off time getting
to work just by pulling out in front of that car
coming?

   Slow down, think about what your doing and
remember where the brake pedal is.  Practice a
few times before taking off.

William C. Gean, 52, was traveling east on Route 3A about 1:25am when the car hit a pole near the Fore River Bridge in Weymouth, police said.

Police said Gean, who was alone in the vehicle, was pronounced dead at the scene.

Weymouth Police said there is no indication that speeding or alcohol contributed to the accident, but they believe he had been talking on the cell phone with his wife before the car hit the pole.
Boston Globe, Saturday, Nov. 8, 1997 --- P. B2

Troopers said a pickup truck headed the wrong way in the southbound lane and ran head-on into a car, which spun around and collided with the rear of another car. The accident happened at 8:30pm south of Airport Road.

The driver of the truck and the driver and one of the three passengers in the car it hit were killed. The other two passengers in that car were injured. Troopers said the driver of the third car was not injured.

The pickkup truck driver killed was identified as William McIntosh, 49 of Assonet.

Troopers said the driver of the car hit by the truck was Gregory Souza, 19, of Fall River. Killed with him was his passenger, Diana Cruz, 15, of Tiverton, R.I.

Roy Rego, 17, of Tiverton, R.I., suffered head injuries and a broken arm, and was taken to Charlton Mmeorial Hospital, troopers said. The other passenger injured, Nelia Silvia, 16, of Fall River, was flown to the Beth Israel Deaconess Medical center in Boston.

Rego's condition was not available yesterday, because his parents did not give permission for it to be released, according to a hospital official.

Silva was in the intensive care unit at the Boston hospital. No further information was available on Silva's condition.

Seth Viveiros, 23, of Fall River, who was driving the third car, was not injured, troopers said. (A.P.)
Boston Globe, Tuesday, December 16, 1997 --- P. B7

According to St. Joseph County police reports, Casey's mother, Patty Beuley, 27, was driving west on Auten about 1:15 a.m. when she drove through the stop sign and ran into some trees at the end of the road.

Auten dead-ends at the intersection with Portage.
South Bend Tribune, Saturday, Dec. 6, 1997 --- P. A8

According to St. Joseph County Police Department reports, Kovack was southbound on Ironwood, trying to make a left turn onto Cleveland, when he drove into the path of a car driven by Rose Marie Kromkowski, 69, of the 26700 block of Oakleaf Cove. Kromkowski was westbound on Cleveland.

Michael T. Rhodes, 35, of the 600 block of Coronation Gardens, was in the northbound lane of Ironwood stopped at the light when his truck was hit by Kovack's car.

Kovack's car then hit a car driven by Pearline Elizabeth Mays, 63, of the 700 block of Colfax, Benton Harbor. Mays was stopped in traffic in the eastbound lane of Cleveland.

Ed Elm III, 27, of the 200 block of East Eighth Street, Mishawaka, was also in the eastbound lane when his vehicle was struck by Kovack's car.

Elm tried to back up to avoid the accident and his car bumped a vehicle driven by Kara A. Masueci, 22, of Palatine, Ill.

Kromkowski and Elm were both released after treatment at the medical center.
South Bend Tribune H, Wednesday, Dec. 3, 1997 --- P. B2

Police said Donald Richards, 32 of 26741 Ray Drive, was driving south on North Nappanee Street, when a car driven by Marian Robinson pulled out of a restaurant driveway headed east. Police said the impact occurred south of the intersection of Nappanee Street and West Beardsley Avenue at 8:46 a.m.

Robinson, 78, of 28769 C.R. 12, had to be extricated from the passenger's side of her car by the Elkhart Fire Department, due to the extensive damage to the driver's side. She was taken to Elkhart General Hospital where she was admitted to the intensive care unit in serious condition.

Robinson told police she could not remember what happened. Richards told police he could not stop in time to avoid the collision.
The Elkhart Truth, approx, Dec. 1, 1997 ---

The agency said it suspended the more then 25 year old requirement because it lacked clear authority to enforce it.

"In researching the problems the bureau was encountering with drive test scheduling, we discovered that there is no clear-cut authority to mandate drivers in a particular age group to take a drive test," BMV Commissioner Gary A. Gibson said in a statement.

The growing number of older Hoosiers has strained the bureau's ability to administer the tests, leading to waits of up to three months in northwest Indiana and a host of complaints, BMV spokesman Alvin Hayes said.

Ninety-five percent of the older drivers who have taken the test have passed, showing that age is not a good way to predict whether a driver is impaired. Hayes said.

He said the bureau will consult with insurance agencies and advocacy groups for seniors before deciding how to replace the tests. Bringing them back remains an option, he said.

In the meantime, the angency will continue to test individuals whose abilitiy to drive has been called into question, Hayes said.

A recent analysis of accidents by traffic researchers showed that drivers aged 70 and over and teen-agers have the highest accident rates per mile driven. The study also found many older drivers avoid nighttime driving, high-speed roads and other situations which might straining their abilities.

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