LA Times: Runaway ride kills Toyota love affair

The other point not mentioned is that she was talking on her cell phone and didn't see how fast she was going Nor that she had left the road....that is until her feet got wet.

You do realize that this 'Prius in a creek' is one of the oldies. But since you seem to work for the LA Times you're just getting around to it now.

Ahemmmm..... R E P O S T

 

Old news.

This is some of the slowest herd journalism I've seen. As DeadPhish noted, this is the 'Prius in a creek' discussed earlier -- an ABC News item in November.

What most shocked me in that report was the Consumer Report's video stating that most drivers today have never shifted to Neutral. This has become one of the critical elements I now look for in every runaway car allegation. Did it work, did it fail, or does the driver have any clue about it?

 

Thanks for that added detail -- that's one of the troubling aspects of this story: no corroboration from anyone since it is basically the driver's word against the inspectors.

Do you have a source for the cell phone angle? This story concerned me (despite knowing the L.A. Times' sworn vendetta against Toyota and noting the distinct lack of investigation in this particular piece), and I've searched a bit on the web, but can only find other similar stories that really only push the dramatic elements of the story (there also seems to be a wide variance in some of the reported details). If you could point me toward some less melodramatic accounts, it would be appreciated.

 

This IS an old story. Of course that doesn't mean it's not valid. But I suspect if dug back up, it's just the recent and usual attempt at another fear inducing anti-Toyota headline.

Out of curiousity, one of these two perceptions has to be incorrect. You cannot slam on the brakes, dodge vehicles on a highway, barrel down an offramp, blow through a small town, vear of the road to miss pedesterians, tear through a forrest, before crashing into a creek, without "noticing" it and being on your cellphone.

Even though when reading the description it sounded almost cartoonish. What other thing could of happened? I was waiting for "The Car was levitated by a U.F.O." or "It glanced off a bus full of orphans" to be thrown in.

There's enough immediate reality to deal with in regards to Toyota. Digging up "questionable" descriptions of isolated incident from years ago seems like simple fear mongering.

 

I'd forgotten about that one.

There is no 'Seattle News'. That is on the Seattle Weekly site, but really is just a copy of a hit piece from Paul Knight at the Houston Press, discussed here on PC. Without re-reading the thread, I seem to remember the author failed to disclose a significant conflict of interest.

So even ABC was engaging in 'herd journalism', 7 months late.

 

*** troll alert troll alert ****

 

Gotta love all the fear mongering going on of late.