We live in a day and age where people sue for outrageous things- a burnt lap from a hot coffee at McDonalds, or uncontrollable acceleration of Toyota vehicles. Are Toyota vehicles safe? the answer is probably a "yes".
The story of the California man who had to have his Prius stopped by a police officer's vehicle was bogus, and garbage. Toyota claims this because the timeline of events the driver gave did not match the tape footage, and actions claimed by the driver would have put him into more danger than he was. For example, he claimed that he bent over to pull the accelerator petal, then break. To do so, at 94 MILES AN HOUR, you have to take your eyes off the road, and your posture is not in a good position to drive. Engineers from Toyota, investigators from another engineering firm, and investiators from the NHTSA have analyzed the Prius in multiple tests (some seperate from each other, some together) and they have declared that it is impossible for the car to accelerate on its own.
Toyota did admit that the floor mats were not engineered correctly and could have been causing problems with the Prius's accelerator. Whether Toyota is liable for any damages will probably be done on a case by case basis, in court. I don't think a class action lawsuit will go anywhere; each situation was unique.
The media puts "spin" on everything to attempt to gain more viewers. You really cannot trust the mainstream media to provide Americans with straight forward information. I will name names- ABC News and FOX News. I don't watch the news anymore on TV because of the potential for "spin", and it has gotten so bad that magazines and newspapers contain "the latest scoop". Save that crap for gossip magazines, or has everything become a gossip magnet lately?
I'll still read the local paper. At least it provides information of events happening around our area, with little or no spin. The media has fooled us again- all in the name of viewers and the "story".
From my facebook:
"I've driven a prius on two occasions- once to campus, and a few times while my truck was in the garage. I never had a problem with the vehicle, the floor pad, or the accelerator-in fact it was a joy to drive."
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