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(CBC) A California Highway Patrol officer helped bring a runaway Toyota Prius travelling 151 kilometres an hour to a safe stop on Monday after the car’s accelerator became stuck on a San Diego County freeway.

Prius driver James Sikes called 911 at about 1:30 p.m., after he accelerated to pass another vehicle on Interstate 8 and found that he could not control his car, the CHP said.
James Sikes says he was passing another car on a California freeway when the accelerator pedal on his Toyota Prius got stuck.

“I pushed the gas pedal to pass a car and it did something kind of funny … it jumped and it just stuck there,” the 61-year-old driver said at a news conference.

“As it was going, I was trying the brakes … it wasn’t stopping, it wasn’t doing anything and it just kept speeding up,” Sikes said, adding he was pressing the pedal so hard that he could smell the brakes burning.

A patrol car pulled alongside the Prius and officers told Sikes over a loudspeaker to push the brake pedal to the floor and apply the emergency brake.

“They also got it going on a steep upgrade,” said officer Jesse Udovich. “Between those three things, they got it to slow down.”

After the car decelerated to about 80 kilometres an hour, Sikes turned off the engine and coasted to a halt.

The officer then manoeuvered his car in front of the Prius as a precautionary block, Udovich said

So what’s wrong with the above scenario?

1. First, every emergency responder should know about the current problem with Toyotas and what to do. Obviously neither the 911 operator or the CHP officer did.
2. What the heck was wrong with that driver – hey buddy pull over to the curb lane and put your flashers on and the car in neutral – then apply your brakes
3. Why didn’t the operator give the above advice?
4. Why didn’t the CHP officer give that advice
5. Why didn’t the driver simply turn the ignition off? (yes I know he would lose power assist to the brakes and steering but both would still work)

Instead they go about stopping him in the most rounds about and silly way. They should all sue the schools that graduated them for graduating them.

Update: Mike over at Newsy.com sent me this to add some more background to this item. Thanks Mike!

UXBRIDGE, Canada, Mar 9, 2010 (Tierramérica) – Climate change science has come under full-scale attack in a last-ditch effort to delay or prevent action by the U.S. government against global warming, experts warn.

U.S. Senator James Inhofe, Republican from Oklahoma and climate change denier, in late February released a list of leading climate scientists he wants prosecuted as criminals for misleading the government. Those scientists are receiving hate mail and death threats.

“I have hundreds” of threatening emails, Stephen Schneider, a climatologist at Stanford University in California, told Tierramérica.

He believes scientists will be killed over this. “I’m not going to let it worry me… but you know it’s going to happen,” said Schneider, one of the most respected climate scientists in the world. “They shoot abortion doctors here.”

This backlash against the evidence of climate change and the scientists themselves is not just a U.S. phenomenon. It is happening in Canada, Australia, Britain, and, to a lesser extent, in other European countries.

A human-portable hydroelectric generator that weighs about 30 pounds and generates 500 watts of power may soon be a new option for off-grid power.

Developed by Bourne Energy of Mailbu, California, the Backpack Power Plant can create clean, quiet power from any stream deeper than 4 feet

Utah Continues Reckless Efforts to Lock Up Pregnant Women

Under a new bill, pregnant women who “know” that their cancer medications or other prescription medications could risk harm or cause pregnancy loss could still be arrested.

What does this mean? Under this bill, pregnant women who “know” that their cancer medications or other prescription medications could risk harm or cause pregnancy loss could still be arrested. Pregnant women who stay with abusive husbands who they “know” to be angry about the pregnancy could still be arrested under this law. Pregnant women who continue working in jobs they “know” pose hazards to their pregnancies could still be arrested under the law. And even pregnant women who “know” from reading the side of their cigarette packages that smoking is hazardous to their pregnancies could be arrested under this law.

The devil gets her due