[SystemSafety] Another runaway car

Bernd Sieker sieker at causalis.com
Thu Feb 14 16:08:34 CET 2013


On 14.02.13 15:24, David Crocker wrote:
 > How does this requirement translate to cars that don't use a
 > conventional key? On my BMW 3-series, the electronic key does not
 > rotate, instead I insert it into a hole in the dashboard. I am fairly
 > sure it is locked in place when the engine is running. I guess the
 > start/stop button should turn the engine off, but I haven't tried
 > pressing it while the car is moving.

My information is from talks with people from different car 
manufacturers during meetings for an EU project some years ago.

As I reacll it was specifically for cars licensed for Germany; it may be 
different for other countries, or it may have been "harmonised" within 
the EU since then, allowing electronic "ignition locks".

Our Peugeots' locks "feel" mechanical and have always worked as expected 
so far, but I really don't know.

In the previous case where a Lexus's accelerator was "jammed", the 
start/stop-button would not turn off the engine when the gear was not in 
neutral, unless it was held down for 5 seconds, much like the "soft" 
power buttons on many PCs.

 >
 > David Crocker, Escher Technologies Ltd.


--

On 14.02.13 15:32, Simon Struck wrote:
> Turning the key into off-position mechanically locks the steering, does
> it? So simply turning the engine of might lead to further problems...

Depends on the car, some have in intermediate position which will turn 
off the engine, but leave most other systems on (radio, lights, etc.) 
and the steering wheel unlocked.

>
> Simon



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