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Brakes not used in Prius accident

18 March 2010 No Comment

Computer data from the investigation of the Toyota Prius that crashed in suburban New York City showed that the driver was not applying the brakes and the throttle was open.

Police captain, Anthony Marraccini of the Harrison, N.Y. force, investigating the accident was upset with a statement by U.S. officials and said his probe was not over and driver error had not been established.  ”For any agency to release data and to draw conclusions without consulting with the law enforcement agency that brought this to light could be self-serving,” said Marraccini.

A housekeeper driving the Prius on March 9 told police that the car sped up on its own down a driveway, despite her braking, and crashed into a stone wall across the street.

Toyota has recalled more than 8 million cars since last fall over gas pedals that could become stuck or be held down by floor mats and this accident caused an intense investigation.

The wrecked 2005 Pruis was examined on Wednesday outside police headquarters in Harrison.Technicians from Toyota and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration examined the car.

NHTSA said information from the car’s computer systems indicated there was no application of the brakes and the throttle was fully open.

The Prius is equipped with a “black box” which is designed to record the state of the car at the moment of the impact.

Marraccini said, “This is a snapshot.  This is not the total investigation.” The Harrison police have not closed their investigation nor examined all data that was retrieved.  Toyota was also criticized by the captain for stating the evidence was “conclusive.”

“You can’t open it, you can’t read it, you can’t do anything with it,” Marraccini said.

The Associated Press found earlier this month that for years, Toyota has blocked access to data stored in the “black boxes.” This could explain crashes blamed on sudden unintended acceleration.

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