A lot to explain... by Barbora Misakova

Reading about Toyota’s cars reminds me episodes of my favorite TV series – the X files. But this is reality and that is much more terrifying. James Sikes, 61, is a real estate agent who will remember this day forever. While sitting in his 2008 Toyota Prius he found the accelerator is stuck. Before he called 911 he tried to fix it by himself, but pedal didn’t move. Dispatcher Leighann Parks told him to throw the car into neutral, but Sikes didn’t answer as he had to put his phone on the seat to keep his hand on the wheel. Later, when Todd Neibert, the CHP officer caught up with Sikes’ Prius he was giving him instructions over loudspeaker. When t! he officer said Sikes to push the brake pedal to the floor and apply the emergency brakes, Sikes’ Prius slowed from 85 mph to about 55 mph. Then Sikes turned off the ignition what finally stopped the car. He was lucky, as the cars were maneuvering around two trucks going uphill only about 15 miles before a steep downgrade. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration has sent their investigators to examine the car, but they were not the only ones who care what happened. Toyota spokesman Brian Lyons said the automaker is sending three of its own technicians. Toyota Motor Corp. has a lot to lose. From 8.5 million vehicles worldwide, more than 6 million was distributed in the USA. This case blew the fire again and regulators have already linked 52 deaths to crashes allegedly caused by accelerator problems. Toyota will have many things to explain.

related story (sgx16713): http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20100310/ap_on_bi_ge/us_runaway_p...

by Barbora Misakova for SigEx Ventures (http://sigexventures.com)

SigEx Ventures's matrix of properties are quickly becoming leaders in digital telebroadcasting, free content delivery allowing people to easily talk, view, upload and share through free online TV broadcasting, free unlimited global calls, video blogs and SMS. SigEx Ventures invests in projects deploying "free" to add-on royalty revenue models