I wondered what would happen if I accidentally pressed P while moving. A couple times while not quite stopped at the mailbox, I did this and it stopped abruptly! What if I was REALLY moving . . . tried this in the long driveway. Found that above about 2 mph nothing happens . . . button doesn't light, car keeps going. If I'm down around 2 mph, then it stops. Conclusion is that I don't have to worry about pressing it while going 70. FYI Don
In my generation (gen 3), above the speed where it goes to park, I think it just beeps and goes to neutral.
I have not done that with my Prius, but in older vehicles, the parking pawl vibrates without locking into place. This is probably enabled by bevels on the holes in the locking mechanism. Newer vehicles, I assume, will prevent this happening while the car is moving at a speed which would damage the mechanism.
Q's that don't need answering: 1. What sound will my car make of driven over a curb at 60mph? 2. What would happen if I put diesel in my Prius? 3. What will happen if I put my car in park while driving on the highway
In a Prius where the P button is nothing but an electrical input to a computer that decides what to do, of course it's very simple. The computer knows how fast you're going, and won't do it when it doesn't make sense. In Prius gen 1 and (I think) Prius c, where the shift lever really moves a mechanical cable to the parking pawl, I imagine it is as in other cars.
