# Assholes drive cars too. **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [October 5, 2004, 6:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/assholes-drive-cars-too/267686 "2004-10-05T18:06:45Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 5
**Author:** ![Skywatcher](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/skywatcher/32/254_2.png) [@Skywatcher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skywatcher)\ **Post date:** [October 19, 2004, 8:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/assholes-drive-cars-too/267686/81 "2004-10-19T20:28:45Z")
I don’t know about **blowero** but I’ve been taking painkillers lately. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![blowero](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/41988e/32.png) [@blowero](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/blowero)\ **Post date:** [October 19, 2004, 8:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/assholes-drive-cars-too/267686/82 "2004-10-19T20:49:38Z")
> [@alice\_in\_wonderland](#): > > What I want to know (accepting that I haven’t read ANY of the attached stories) is that if the guy was having a joy ride, why on earth would he _PHONE THE POLICE TO TELL THEM ABOUT IT_. I can totally see if he was arrested because he was caught on film and then came up with some lame story, but phoning the police at the time of the chase makes me think that there really was _something_ going on with the car, even if it wasn’t as dire as the man suggested. > > No? Could be any numer of explanations for that. Maybe he thought he was going to get busted for speeding, so he made up a story. There was another case of a woman who bought a crappy car and wanted to get out of her lease, so she pretended that the car was out of control, apparently thinking that the company would refund her money. It was written up in the press as an amazing tale of a quick-thinking 9/11 dispatcher saving the woman’s life. Only later did holes start popping up in the woman’s story. Turned out that not only was there nothing wrong with the car, but she had tried the same stunt on another occasion, driving the car around in circles, pretending that she couldn’t stop it. Witnesses said they observed the brake lights go on several times, and the car slowing normally each time the brakes were applied, even though the woman claimed she was unable to slow the car. It soon became obvious that the woman was lying, and she dropped her complaint against the manufacturer. Sadly, people’s stupidity no longer surprises me. Another explanation is that the throttle _did_ get stuck, and the guy simply panicked and was unable to think clearly enough to stop the car. But for the throttle to stick AND all the redundant cruise control shutoff mechanisms to fail AND the brakes to fail AND the transmission to fail, all simultaneously, is beyond unlikely. ---
**Author:** ![alice\_in\_wonderland](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alice_in_wonderland/32/176_2.png) [@alice\_in\_wonderland](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/alice_in_wonderland)\ **Post date:** [October 19, 2004, 9:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/assholes-drive-cars-too/267686/83 "2004-10-19T21:39:13Z")
> [@blowero](#): > > Could be any numer of explanations for that. Sure. I’m just not convinced that “Guy being devious” is the only explanation. I think “Guy being conehead” or “Guy having panic attack” or “Guy unfamiliar with operation of car” are equally possible. Thats all. ---
**Author:** ![Skywatcher](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/skywatcher/32/254_2.png) [@Skywatcher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skywatcher)\ **Post date:** [October 19, 2004, 10:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/assholes-drive-cars-too/267686/84 "2004-10-19T22:06:54Z")
> [@alice\_in\_wonderland](#): > > Sure. I’m just not convinced that “Guy being devious” is the only explanation. I think “Guy being conehead” or “Guy having panic attack” or “Guy unfamiliar with operation of car” are equally possible. > > Thats all. Same here. Thanks, **alice** , for such a concise statement. ---
**Author:** ![enipla](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/54ee81/32.png) [@enipla](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/enipla)\ **Post date:** [October 19, 2004, 10:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/assholes-drive-cars-too/267686/85 "2004-10-19T22:10:53Z")
> [@](#): > > > [@alice\_in\_wonderland](#): > > > > Sure. I’m just not convinced that “Guy being devious” is the only explanation. I think “Guy being conehead” or “Guy having panic attack” or “Guy unfamiliar with operation of car” are equally possible. > > Thats all. > > Sure. I’m just not convinced that “Guy being devious” is the only explanation. I think “Guy being conehead” or “Guy having panic attack” or “Guy unfamiliar with operation of car” are equally possible. > > Thats all. Might be anything. But the guy should not be driving. > [@](#): > > “Guy being devious” Get a ticket. Perhaps loose your licenses for speeding, Willful endangerment of others. Reckless driving. I could go on. I don’t think being devious is a crime. We will see on the next election in the US. > [@](#): > > Guy being conehead The coneheads claimed to be from France (SNL reference). Need a ruling on this one. > [@](#): > > Guy having panic attack If he is having a panic attack while driving a car than he may, or should have his license revoked until he gets that under control. Next. > [@](#): > > Guy unfamiliar with operation of car . Not even an argument here. My dog is unfamiliar with the operation of a car. As a responsible person, I don’t let my dog drive. ---
**Author:** ![Skywatcher](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/skywatcher/32/254_2.png) [@Skywatcher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skywatcher)\ **Post date:** [October 19, 2004, 10:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/assholes-drive-cars-too/267686/86 "2004-10-19T22:17:58Z")
> [@enipla](#): > > Might be anything. But the guy should not be driving. Quite possibly. I found a report that he recently got his license back after it had been suspended for four years due to a DUI. ---
**Author:** ![enipla](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/54ee81/32.png) [@enipla](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/enipla)\ **Post date:** [October 19, 2004, 10:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/assholes-drive-cars-too/267686/87 "2004-10-19T22:18:07Z")
29 years old. 120 miles. 125 miles an hour. He new how to drive. And. WOW. He new how to stop before the toll booth. Amazing stuff. ---
**Author:** ![Dog80](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/6bbea6/32.png) [@Dog80](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dog80)\ **Post date:** [October 19, 2004, 10:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/assholes-drive-cars-too/267686/88 "2004-10-19T22:25:03Z")
> [@enipla](#): > > Not even an argument here. My dog is unfamiliar with the operation of a car. As a responsible person, I don’t let my dog drive. I don’t know about your dog, but this one looks familiar with driving: [http://www.netlabs.net/hp/lew/rudy/images/ry\_vette013\_900.jpg](http://www.netlabs.net/hp/lew/rudy/images/ry_vette013_900.jpg) And here’s his Driver’s License: [http://www.netlabs.net/hp/lew/rudy/images/rudylicense.jpg](http://www.netlabs.net/hp/lew/rudy/images/rudylicense.jpg) ---
**Author:** ![blowero](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/41988e/32.png) [@blowero](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/blowero)\ **Post date:** [October 20, 2004, 8:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/assholes-drive-cars-too/267686/89 "2004-10-20T08:22:26Z")
> [@alice\_in\_wonderland](#): > > Sure. I’m just not convinced that “Guy being devious” is the only explanation. I think “Guy being conehead” or “Guy having panic attack” or “Guy unfamiliar with operation of car” are equally possible. > > Thats all. Right - which all add up to _driver error_, which is far and above the most likely explanation here. Oh, and I notice our friend Lute is now subtly trying to pretend he was agreeing that it was driver error all along. I don’t blame him for jumping off his sinking ship. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Asteroide](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/87869e/32.png) [@Asteroide](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Asteroide)\ **Post date:** [October 20, 2004, 3:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/assholes-drive-cars-too/267686/90 "2004-10-20T15:01:06Z")
> **[LCI - Vous êtes au cœur de l'info](https://www.lci.fr/)** > > Les Infos : l'information au quotidien en continu et en vidéo. L'actualité nationale, internationale, politique, économique, high-tech, cinéma, people, insolite, sciences et tous les JT de TF1 et LCI. According to this article - the driver wasn’t picked up on radar, the only reason the cops got involved was because he called on his cell phone. - as a result of his conversation with the cops, the highway was cleared, the tollbooth barriers were opened, emergency people were on standby etc. - He says the car finally stopped when he was able to cut the engine by removing the keycard and holding the stop button as instructed by police. - He stopped 20km before reaching the tollbooth (not in reaction to upcoming tollbooth). - Renault say they’re starting a judicial procedure to determine what really happened, but take pains to point out that they’re not suing the driver (whatever all that means - any French lawyers on board ?) My personal input - I drove one of these Renault automatics for a week a while back, and sometimes felt more like a passenger than a driver - you could always feel that your pedal preesure was being heavily mediated, and the the car had the last word ! The headlights went on automatically when ambient light was low (kind of a pain in a parking garage). The cardkey thing was difficult to use, always seemed like you had to try several times to get it right. OTOH, I’m kind of a luddite, and only really happy with a cantankerous stick-shift with no power steering. This story was pretty big over here on the day when it happened, and got pretty serious TV play, but there was always a healthy flavor of skepticism in the coverage… ---
**Author:** ![Skywatcher](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/skywatcher/32/254_2.png) [@Skywatcher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skywatcher)\ **Post date:** [October 20, 2004, 3:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/assholes-drive-cars-too/267686/91 "2004-10-20T15:42:17Z")
> [@blowero](#): > > Oh, and I notice our friend Lute is now subtly trying to pretend he was agreeing that it was driver error all along. If you had been paying attention to what I was saying instead of finding more points to argue about, you would have noticed that I’ve been agreeing since at least post #35. ---
**Author:** ![Skywatcher](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/skywatcher/32/254_2.png) [@Skywatcher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skywatcher)\ **Post date:** [October 20, 2004, 4:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/assholes-drive-cars-too/267686/92 "2004-10-20T16:02:44Z")
> [@Asteroide](#): > > [LCI - Vous êtes au cœur de l'info](http://news.tf1.fr/news/france/0,,3178043,00.html) > > According to this article > > - the driver wasn’t picked up on radar, the only reason the cops got involved was because he called on his cell phone. > > - as a result of his conversation with the cops, the highway was cleared, the tollbooth barriers were opened, emergency people were on standby etc. > > - He says the car finally stopped when he was able to cut the engine by removing the keycard and holding the stop button as instructed by police. > > - He stopped 20km before reaching the tollbooth (not in reaction to upcoming tollbooth). > > - Renault say they’re starting a judicial procedure to determine what really happened, but take pains to point out that they’re not suing the driver (whatever all that means - any French lawyers on board ?) You really shouldn’t have bothered. **blowero** will just dismiss this as more bad reporting. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![Dog80](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/6bbea6/32.png) [@Dog80](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dog80)\ **Post date:** [October 20, 2004, 4:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/assholes-drive-cars-too/267686/93 "2004-10-20T16:11:38Z")
> [@Asteroide](#): > > - you could always feel that your pedal preesure was being heavily mediated, and the the car had the last word ! Heck! :smack: I forgot that the car is most probably equipped with [Drive-by-wire](http://www.edmunds.com/news/innovations/articles/43033/article.html) throttle. In drive-by-wire systems, there is no throttle cable. The throttle butterfly is opened and closed by a small electric motor that is controlled by the car’s ECU and of course by the input from the gas pedal. In passenger cars, this system is used mainly for lowering the emissions. People usually complain that throttle response is delayed slightly. In sports/racing applications, it is used for making gear changes smoother, by synchronising the engine’s RPM with gearbox RPM. Now, there could something go terribly wrong with the Drive By Wire system and leave the throttle wide open, but this still doesn’t explain why the driver didn’t put the car into neutral or just use the brakes. ---
**Author:** ![Skywatcher](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/skywatcher/32/254_2.png) [@Skywatcher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skywatcher)\ **Post date:** [October 20, 2004, 4:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/assholes-drive-cars-too/267686/94 "2004-10-20T16:51:03Z")
> [@Dog80](#): > > In sports/racing applications, it is used for making gear changes smoother, by synchronising the engine’s RPM with gearbox RPM. If this also applies to the Vel Satis, it could be the reason why the driver didn’t put the car into neutral. ---
**Author:** ![Skywatcher](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/skywatcher/32/254_2.png) [@Skywatcher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skywatcher)\ **Post date:** [October 20, 2004, 4:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/assholes-drive-cars-too/267686/95 "2004-10-20T16:54:16Z")
There’s something else I thought of but hadn’t mentioned: I wonder if Monsieur Dequiedt had an aftermarket ECU installed. ---
**Author:** ![blowero](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/41988e/32.png) [@blowero](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/blowero)\ **Post date:** [October 20, 2004, 6:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/assholes-drive-cars-too/267686/96 "2004-10-20T18:26:04Z")
> [@Lute Skywatcher](#): > > If you had been paying attention to what I was saying instead of finding more points to argue about, you would have noticed that I’ve been agreeing since at least post #35. Suuuure you have… :dubious: > [@](#): > > You really shouldn’t have bothered. blowero will just dismiss this as more bad reporting. Yeah, you’re right - that’s why I posted a tedious list of many different articles, pointed out their contradictions, said “Can you see why I’m having trouble believing anyone here?”, and then _demanded_ a response. Oh wait, that was YOU. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![blowero](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/41988e/32.png) [@blowero](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/blowero)\ **Post date:** [October 20, 2004, 6:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/assholes-drive-cars-too/267686/97 "2004-10-20T18:41:30Z")
Doncha love it, though? Lute: “The problem here is that we only know what’s been reported but with so many articles on the subject giving different details, there’s no way to know exactly went on…Can you see why I’m having trouble believing anyone here?” Blowero: [ignores Lute’s immaterial point] Lute: “I meant to ask if you’d care to comment on the rest of the post which sent us off on this tangent.” Blowero: “Not really. What kind of comment were you looking for? That bad reporters exist?” (Here’s where it gets good) Lute: “Three out of five say nothing about him stomping on the brakes, just the two that quoted from La Parisien. You’d rather dismiss them as bad reporting instead of taking them into consideration.” (Now we’ve gone from “there’s not way to know exactly what went on”, to sputtering about how we _must_ believe the articles. 😕 ) Lute: “You really shouldn’t have bothered. blowero will just dismiss this as more bad reporting.” And now the transformation is complete. You’ve gone from being _adamant_ that we can know nothing from reading the articles, to complaining that _I’ve_ “dismissed” them. It’s like arguing with the Rain Man. ---
**Author:** ![Skywatcher](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/skywatcher/32/254_2.png) [@Skywatcher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skywatcher)\ **Post date:** [October 20, 2004, 7:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/assholes-drive-cars-too/267686/98 "2004-10-20T19:05:34Z")
> [@blowero](#): > > > [@Lute Skywatcher](#): > > > > If you had been paying attention to what I was saying instead of finding more points to argue about, you would have noticed that I’ve been agreeing since at least post #35. > > Suuuure you have… What do you call this then? > [@Lute Skywatcher in post #35](#): > > > [@blowero](#): > > > > Sorry, Lute - I’m still skeptical. > > No problem. So am I, I’m just saying that it’s possible that Monsieur Dequiedt isn’t just a speed demon looking for an excuse. Or maybe he’s just a good actor. How is that different from “I’m just not convinced that ‘Guy being devious’ is the only explanation. I think ‘Guy being conehead’ or ‘Guy having panic attack’ or ‘Guy unfamiliar with operation of car’ are equally possible.”? > [@](#): > > - (Now we’ve gone from “there’s not way to know exactly what went on”, to sputtering about how we _must_ believe the articles. 😕 ) Earth to **blowero** , the only thing I’ve gone to is how we _must not_ take the AP and La Parisien at face value _because_ of all those articles muddling the issue. > [@](#): > > \*Lute: “You really shouldn’t have bothered. blowero will just dismiss this as more bad reporting.” > > And now the transformation is complete. You’ve gone from being adamant that we can know nothing from reading the articles, to complaining that I’ve “dismissed” them.\* Whoosh! 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Dog80](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/6bbea6/32.png) [@Dog80](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dog80)\ **Post date:** [October 20, 2004, 8:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/assholes-drive-cars-too/267686/99 "2004-10-20T20:16:28Z")
> [@Lute Skywatcher](#): > > > [@Dog80](#): > > > > In sports/racing applications, it is used for making gear changes smoother, by synchronising the engine’s RPM with gearbox RPM. > > If this also applies to the Vel Satis, it could be the reason why the driver didn’t put the car into neutral. No. The Vel Satis has a plain old boring auto tranny. The racing application I was talking about is for manual sequential gearboxes. The drive-by-wire system matches engine and gearbox RPM so you do not need to depress the clutch for shifting up. When downshifting, you need to depress the clutch. Now, the drive-by-wire will automatically blip the throttle, so there’s no need to heel-and-toe into the curve. ---
**Author:** ![Skywatcher](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/skywatcher/32/254_2.png) [@Skywatcher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skywatcher)\ **Post date:** [October 20, 2004, 8:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/assholes-drive-cars-too/267686/100 "2004-10-20T20:20:05Z")
Okay, **Dog** , thanks for the clarification. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/assholes-drive-cars-too/267686.md?page=4) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/assholes-drive-cars-too/267686.md?page=6)