Break-away/crushable brake pedals.

[rpn453]

I'd take a break-away brake pedal over airbags in my recent accident. I hope these are a standard item now in all vehicles. I know my new Mazda 3 Sport GT has them, and Subaru uses them too. Don't know about other cars though.

I was hit head-on by some clown on the highway in February, with both vehicles travelling about 100km/hr, and woke up a couple hours later with the jaws prying the dash off me and a terrible pain in my right leg. That would be the feeling of my shattered tibia and fibula sticking out the front of my leg. I have a steel plate now; this is good because it made a cast unnecessary. There was nothing I could do. The guy just didn't "negotiate the curve". Maybe I shouldn't have put the brakes on, but it was instinct since turning wasn't an option (I would have been T-boned on the drivers side for sure if I turned). I probably only slowed myself 5km/hr before I got hit. I'm still waiting for the police report to find out if he was drunk or fell asleep to determine the whole lawsuit status. We have no-fault insurance, so I can only sue for pain and suffering if he was drunk (all expenses and wages lost are covered though).

I had no airbag and I didn't really need one. With an airbag I would have felt better for the few weeks after that I was recovering from all my internal bruising, but I still wouldn't be walking. As it is, I'm another couple of months before I can try walking again.

[ May 24, 2004, 06:35 PM: Message edited by: rpn453 ]

 

[sbc350gearhead]

Man, that is horrible. I feel for ya. But what is a breakaway brake pedal? It really doesn't sound very good. It doesn't run the risk of breaking off at the wrong time, does it?

 

[Dan4510]

Man that stinks.

But I am with sbc350, items designed with two functions in mind usually dont work that well. I would be worried about it breaking off at teh wrong time too.

Dan

 

[rpn453]

quote:

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Originally posted by sbc350gearhead:
Man, that is horrible. I feel for ya. But what is a breakaway brake pedal? It really doesn't sound very good. It doesn't run the risk of breaking off at the wrong time, does it?

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The manufacturers call them break-away or crushable pedals, but the pedal probably just bends heavily instead of breaking.

The tibia is a thick bone and I would imagine it required a huge amount of force to snap it.
Using totally hypothetical numbers: Lets say the average tibia will break at 1000lb and most people can apply up to, say, 250 lbs on the brake pedal. The pedal could then be designed to begin to yield at a force of 500 lbs. It just has to be designed to be weaker than the bones but stronger than the muscles.
Similarly, bolts on large posts near streets are often designed to shear off under a large impact to reduce injury to the drivers.

[ May 24, 2004, 07:06 PM: Message edited by: rpn453 ]

 

[JohnBrowning]

I do not like the sound of that at all! I have been in a bunc of high speed accidents and not once were the pedals an issue. If the floor pan and firewall stay in tact your pedals should not be an isue. Seeing how the dash had to be cut off of your legs it sounds like you firewall and floor pan failed. THe other option would be submarinineing from improperly used seatbelt..

P.S. Before inpact I have trained my self to remove my feet from the pedals and retract them. I still can not getmyself to let go of the steering wheel but maybe next time. I drive my body into the seat as hard as I can trying to get away from that airbag.

I still brace for impact like I was taught in Germany includeing braceing against the wheel with you hands and arms almost locked out.

Last accident I had was almost head on at 55-70MPH and the air bag sprainged my elbows and seperated my sholders. I griped the wheel so tight that when the airbag deployed my elbows buckled and it actualy drew me into the bag while the bag was trying tio drive me back. THe pyrotenic pretensioners did a nice job on my torsoo.

I hoped out after the accident checked my truck out and then got back inside and drove it off of the road. I called a ride to pick me up and I drove myself to work. I was about 1 hour late getting to work.

I guess my point is that with a rigid and solid structure, decent saftey equipment and a little luck you can walk away from a really bad accident. TO date the accidents I was best able to walkaway from have all been in vechiles that had frames. In one acident I was faceing backwards getting flight gear ready. When I turn around I say someone had cut us off while going 70MPH. I did not have time to buckle up. I braced we hit and the car and cut it in half. We still made it to the hangar that night and still went flying.

P.S. I am glad to hear you are going to be ok!! I hope rehab goes well.

 

[Bret Chase]

quote:

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Originally posted by rpn453:


The tibia is a thick bone and I would imagine it required a huge amount of force to snap it.
Using totally hypothetical numbers: Lets say the average tibia will break at 1000lb and most people can apply up to, say, 250 lbs on the brake pedal. The pedal could then be designed to begin to yield at a force of 500 lbs.

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I don't think it could be done.... I know I can generate over 500lbs of force with my legs (weigh 235 and can dead lift around 300lbs) w/o considering adrenaline and panic. tibias and fibulas can be very easy to break if hit in the right way... I broke both in my right leg by slipping on some stairs and sliding about a foot before my shin got trapped between the edge of a stair and my rear-end. I doubt 500lbs of force was even involved. I'd rather have the brake pedal strong as **** and have the foot area of the car strong enough to protect my legs. (just think how rediculously strong the footbox of an F1 car has to be).

-Bret

 

[rpn453]

quote:

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tibias and fibulas can be very easy to break if hit in the right way...

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I think mine broke from a ridiculously large force that was in-line with the bone direction though. It was so bad they rushed me 200km to the nearest major center to perform emergency surgery at 3am, while the guy that hit me (who also broke his leg) got to wait until the next afternoon. It had so many fracture lines the doctor just kind of shook his head and shrugged when I asked how many. My foot was bruised and swollen for a couple of months after the accident, and it's still a little sore if I press on it 5-1/2 months later. My knee still doesn't feel right.
I don't think they'd make a crushable brake pedal if there was any chance it could accidentally break. Can you imagine the lawsuits?

 

[moribundman]

On a lighter note, my Audi has a break-away plastic gas pedal that tends to snap off if you repeatedly floor it beyond the stop. I learned that the hard way. I believe some cars have pedals that retract in case of a frontal collision.

 

[olddognewtrks]

Mercedes-Benz makes their cars with pedals that swing/fold out of the way in severe accidents. (Car and Driver or Motor Trend Magazine had an article on this a few years ago.) We're talking tremendous forces needed to deform the pedal area structure. I don't see anyone with normal human strength ever being able to deform them. The pedals move out of the way so that the EMS guys don't have to cut the pedals away from what's left of your tender feet. Trust me, as a former medic, that sucks.

 

[pezzy669]

My Golf and our Jetta have plastic (maybe some composite) gas and clutch, the brake is still metal however.