# Crash in Niagara Falls (Wed November 22, 2023) \[Rainbow Bridge car explosion\] **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Tags:** breaking-news\ **Created:** [November 22, 2023, 7:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/crash-in-niagara-falls-wed-november-22-2023-rainbow-bridge-car-explosion/993546 "2023-11-22T19:23:53Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 8
**Author:** ![Sam\_Stone](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ecccb3/32.png) [@Sam\_Stone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sam_Stone)\ **Post date:** [November 26, 2023, 8:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/crash-in-niagara-falls-wed-november-22-2023-rainbow-bridge-car-explosion/993546/141 "2023-11-26T20:42:53Z")
Maybe. Every couple is different. Domestic disputes can be violent and crazy. ---
**Author:** ![LSLGuy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lslguy/32/5813_2.png) [@LSLGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LSLGuy)\ **Post date:** [November 26, 2023, 9:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/crash-in-niagara-falls-wed-november-22-2023-rainbow-bridge-car-explosion/993546/142 "2023-11-26T21:39:50Z")
> [@Bob\_Blaylock](#): > > Pushing the accelerator pedal directly, and unconditionally opens the throttle. Releasing the pedal, closes the throttle. I know you know this, but that’s almost true. Push the pedal down and you pull a cable that mechanically opens the throttle. Not much can go wrong there, and if the cable jams, the throttle stays closed. OTOH, take you foot off the pedal and a spring _should_ pull the throttle closed and push the cable backwards to move the pedal upwards. Should. I had a car that broke the spring once. You could add pedal, but nothing changed when you took your foot off the gas. I also had one (yes, it had been customized) where at full throttle the linkage could stick. Stand on the gas and the next thing you knew it was stuck at full throttle. Oops. Sold that car and heard later that the new buyer blew up the engine a week later; it stuck at WOT and he cleverly depressed the clutch & stopped the runaway but did not think to turn off the key until _after_ the big kablooey 20 or 30 seconds later. ---
**Author:** ![Sam\_Stone](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ecccb3/32.png) [@Sam\_Stone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sam_Stone)\ **Post date:** [November 26, 2023, 10:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/crash-in-niagara-falls-wed-november-22-2023-rainbow-bridge-car-explosion/993546/143 "2023-11-26T22:05:58Z")
The Bentley Flying Spur uses a drive-by-wire throttle. No direct linkage, it’s all computer controlled. If there was sudden acceleration, it would likely be a software issue, or maybe a stuck actuator. ---
**Author:** ![Voyager](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/voyager/32/133_2.png) [@Voyager](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Voyager)\ **Post date:** [November 26, 2023, 11:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/crash-in-niagara-falls-wed-november-22-2023-rainbow-bridge-car-explosion/993546/144 "2023-11-26T23:01:11Z")
> [@Gatopescado](#): > > My first thought is they were fuckin’ _HIGH AS FUCK!_ I suspect the casino surveillance footage will help here. Toyota fixed the mat problem basically stapling it to the floor. (You can remove it.) I had a Prius this was done to. But there were many cases of it, not so much for Bentley. As for liability, I’m sure some lawyer will try to sue the government for putting the customs hut in the wrong place. ---
**Author:** ![Procrustus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/procrustus/32/2994_2.png) [@Procrustus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Procrustus)\ **Post date:** [November 26, 2023, 11:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/crash-in-niagara-falls-wed-november-22-2023-rainbow-bridge-car-explosion/993546/145 "2023-11-26T23:17:22Z")
> [@Voyager](#): > > As for liability, I’m sure some lawyer will try to sue the government for putting the customs hut in the wrong place. That would be a foolish waste of the lawyer’s time and money. Lawyers don’t typically file frivolous lawsuits. (Exceptions exist, of course). ---
**Author:** ![phs3](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/8491ac/32.png) [@phs3](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/phs3)\ **Post date:** [November 27, 2023, 6:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/crash-in-niagara-falls-wed-november-22-2023-rainbow-bridge-car-explosion/993546/146 "2023-11-27T06:12:15Z")
Am I the only one SMH about a non-celebrity who drives a Bentley and is a KISS fan? Not saying that there’s anything wrong with that, just that back when the band was in its prime, the two demographics were poles apart. Times have changed. ---
**Author:** ![markn\_1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f9ae1b/32.png) [@markn\_1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/markn_1)\ **Post date:** [November 27, 2023, 6:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/crash-in-niagara-falls-wed-november-22-2023-rainbow-bridge-car-explosion/993546/147 "2023-11-27T06:25:40Z")
Out on the road today I saw a Deadhead sticker on a Cadillac. ---
**Author:** ![Voyager](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/voyager/32/133_2.png) [@Voyager](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Voyager)\ **Post date:** [November 27, 2023, 7:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/crash-in-niagara-falls-wed-november-22-2023-rainbow-bridge-car-explosion/993546/148 "2023-11-27T07:18:34Z")
> [@Procrustus](#): > > That would be a foolish waste of the lawyer’s time and money. Lawyers don’t typically file frivolous lawsuits. (Exceptions exist, of course). A: It was a joke. (A lawyer joke, to be specific.) B: I believe there have been highly visible frivolous lawsuits in the recent past. Don’t want to say more in a breaking news thread. ---
**Author:** ![Machine\_Elf](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/82dd89/32.png) [@Machine\_Elf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Machine_Elf)\ **Post date:** [November 27, 2023, 1:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/crash-in-niagara-falls-wed-november-22-2023-rainbow-bridge-car-explosion/993546/149 "2023-11-27T13:11:35Z")
> [@Bob\_Blaylock](#): > > More modern cars are drifting more toward fly-by-wire-type controls. Electronic throttle control (ETC) has been around for at least a couple of decades. It helps with emissions by slowing down throttle transients (how fast the throttle plate changes positions when you change the position of the accelerator pedal) just enough so that fuel injection can keep up, and has other advantages for the manufacturer as well. And ever since the US began mandating electronic stability control (ESC) in all new cars starting in 2009, I’m not aware of any new cars sold here that _don’t_ use ETC, as it’s just about impossible to implement ESC without it. ---
**Author:** ![Capn\_Carl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/838e76/32.png) [@Capn\_Carl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Capn_Carl)\ **Post date:** [November 27, 2023, 3:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/crash-in-niagara-falls-wed-november-22-2023-rainbow-bridge-car-explosion/993546/150 "2023-11-27T15:42:14Z")
True, but modern cars have excellent braking systems. There’s much more stopping power than there is torque from the engine. And they can handle a lot of use before they fail. Heck, I had a 1968 Plymouth with crappy stock brakes that could overpower its 400hp engine. ---
**Author:** ![Northern\_Piper](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/northern_piper/32/5304_2.png) [@Northern\_Piper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Northern_Piper)\ **Post date:** [November 27, 2023, 4:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/crash-in-niagara-falls-wed-november-22-2023-rainbow-bridge-car-explosion/993546/151 "2023-11-27T16:04:40Z")
> [@phs3](#): > > Am I the only one SMH about a non-celebrity who drives a Bentley and is a KISS fan? Not saying that there’s anything wrong with that, just that back when the band was in its prime, the two demographics were poles apart. Times have changed. When KISS was in its prime, its audience was teenagers and people in their 20s. That was 30 years ago. Their fans are now in their 50s and some have no doubt done well in their careers and can buy top-end cars. ---
**Author:** ![Capn\_Carl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/838e76/32.png) [@Capn\_Carl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Capn_Carl)\ **Post date:** [November 27, 2023, 4:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/crash-in-niagara-falls-wed-november-22-2023-rainbow-bridge-car-explosion/993546/152 "2023-11-27T16:12:21Z")
In the unintended acceleration case against Toyota, as I recall it: —the Prius suddenly accelerated and continued to do so until it crashed, killing all 4 occupants. —the plaintiffs were able to prove that the floor mat could have prevented the accelerator pedal from returning. —Toyota downloaded data from the car, which showed that _something_ was holding the pedal to the floor. —the same data showed the brake pedal was not depressed at any time between acceleration and impact. ---
**Author:** ![Chingon](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chingon/32/17645_2.png) [@Chingon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chingon)\ **Post date:** [November 27, 2023, 4:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/crash-in-niagara-falls-wed-november-22-2023-rainbow-bridge-car-explosion/993546/153 "2023-11-27T16:30:54Z")
> [@Northern\_Piper](#): > > When KISS was in its prime, its audience was teenagers and people in their 20s. That was 30 years ago. Uh, that was 45-50+ years ago. 30 years ago was 1993. ---
**Author:** ![phs3](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/8491ac/32.png) [@phs3](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/phs3)\ **Post date:** [November 27, 2023, 4:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/crash-in-niagara-falls-wed-november-22-2023-rainbow-bridge-car-explosion/993546/154 "2023-11-27T16:43:14Z")
Right, I have a calendar, and was alive and conscious in the 1970s. That was my point: it’s hard for those of us who **WERE** alive and conscious then to reconcile “_KISS fan_” with “_old and wealthy_”. Just cognitive dissonance (AKA, in this context, “We done got old”). ---
**Author:** ![TroutMan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/troutman/32/6721_2.png) [@TroutMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TroutMan)\ **Post date:** [November 27, 2023, 4:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/crash-in-niagara-falls-wed-november-22-2023-rainbow-bridge-car-explosion/993546/155 "2023-11-27T16:53:45Z")
> [@Chingon](#): > > 30 years ago was 1993. LA LA LA LA!! I can’t hear you! ---
**Author:** ![LSLGuy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lslguy/32/5813_2.png) [@LSLGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LSLGuy)\ **Post date:** [November 27, 2023, 8:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/crash-in-niagara-falls-wed-november-22-2023-rainbow-bridge-car-explosion/993546/156 "2023-11-27T20:59:02Z")
> [@phs3](#): > > Am I the only one SMH about You might be the only one who knows what SMH means. ---
**Author:** ![Baal\_Houtham](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/baal_houtham/32/13604_2.png) [@Baal\_Houtham](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Baal_Houtham)\ **Post date:** [November 27, 2023, 9:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/crash-in-niagara-falls-wed-november-22-2023-rainbow-bridge-car-explosion/993546/157 "2023-11-27T21:10:10Z")
I know Shaking My Head (it’s extremely common on Reddit). But wot’s WOT? (As in the position of a stuck accelerator?) ---
**Author:** ![Just\_Asking\_Questions](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ba9def/32.png) [@Just\_Asking\_Questions](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Just_Asking_Questions)\ **Post date:** [November 27, 2023, 9:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/crash-in-niagara-falls-wed-november-22-2023-rainbow-bridge-car-explosion/993546/158 "2023-11-27T21:14:59Z")
> [@Baal\_Houtham](#): > > But wot’s WOT? Wot’s…uh the deal?\* Wide Open Throttle Which is itself a cool band name. \*musical reference for old people ---
**Author:** ![phs3](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/8491ac/32.png) [@phs3](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/phs3)\ **Post date:** [November 27, 2023, 9:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/crash-in-niagara-falls-wed-november-22-2023-rainbow-bridge-car-explosion/993546/159 "2023-11-27T21:51:27Z")
If only there was some way to search the global knowledge store to learn things like the answer to “what does smh mean”… ---
**Author:** ![74westy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/74westy/32/3950_2.png) [@74westy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/74westy)\ **Post date:** [November 27, 2023, 10:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/crash-in-niagara-falls-wed-november-22-2023-rainbow-bridge-car-explosion/993546/160 "2023-11-27T22:11:24Z")
It means Sydney Morning Herald? [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/crash-in-niagara-falls-wed-november-22-2023-rainbow-bridge-car-explosion/993546.md?page=7) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/crash-in-niagara-falls-wed-november-22-2023-rainbow-bridge-car-explosion/993546.md?page=9)