The Traffic Accident Reconstruction Origin -ARnews-

Re: Excessive acceleration of 4 wheel drive vehicles on level ground.

Wade Bartlett (wbartlett@ttlc.net)
Thu, 12 Dec 1996 00:42:54 -0500 (EST)

Regardless of the gear selection in the differential case, the transmission and
throttle are still the big deciders here. Though a 4X4 has more potential
acceleration capacity (as all of its weight is on driven wheels), the engine
will probably bog if the tires get a good bite. No matter what surface your on, you
still have to get the transmission into DRIVE before any wheels go anywhere.
The unexplained acceleration issue for this case is virtually the same as
it is for a standard 4X2 vehicle: Are there possible transient things which could
have caused this (cruise, high-idle, electric glitch, etc)? Are there mechanical
problems? If not, the operator's actions MUST be suspect, despite their assertions
about inocence. People's memory during high-stress times can get scrambled....

I'd be interested in hearing any dissenting oppinions on this one.

Good luck.

Wade Bartlett

Wade Bartlett
wbartlett@ttlc.net

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