Incident in Seattle this morning - self assessment, 2 observations

[po18guy]

I was taking my wife to a medical appointment in Seattle early this morning. It was not quite daylight. I was driving her newer Subaru and had my pistol in the back seat in a backpack.

I came around a corner (South Lake Union area, not generally a bad area) and a woman stepped out from the far side of a bus shelter into the lane and put her hand out for me to stop. I immediately stopped, honked the horn, and put my hands up in a WTF signal to the woman. The woman was 10' from the front of the Subaru and standing in the road.

She threw something large toward the Subaru. My mind went into defend mode. I watched it hit the windshield and realized it was a plastic bottle full of liquid. The woman seemed to be awaiting my reaction and was reaching behind her waist.

I knew the doors were auto locked on the Subaru. I had a 'you frigging moron' moment with myself as I realized my pistol was behind me and not within my reach. Mistake 1.

I stepped on the gas of the Subaru with the intent to lurch forward and let her know I wasn't screwing around. Nothing happened. I tried again. Nothing happened. I then realized the obstacle-detection features of the Subaru were aware of a person in the road and the Subaru was overriding my input to accelerator pedal. I didn't know how to disable the features. Mistake 2.

I yelled at her while still in the car and pointed at her. I looked around wondering if she had accomplices but didn't see anyone (it was dark though, bushes by the bus shelter).

The woman stepped back behind the bus shelter, I stomped on the accelerator, the Subaru responded, and I got us out of there.

I've replayed the situation many times in my mind today. She may have been nothing more than homeless with mental-health challenges, but it could have gone worse. I thought I would share.

My personal takeaways:

• Things happen VERY fast. Be ready.
• I must be disciplined about keeping my firearm within reach and at the ready.
• Know the vehicle I am driving. Specifically, know how to disable newer obstacle-detection features.

I hope this helps improve awareness and readiness for anyone reading.

I am very glad it came out well. This is a stark learning point and has not only taught several lessons but also prepped you for the next time. Yet, I am sorry that the medical appointment has to be at south Lake Union. I am a prayerful type, so my prayers are that prayers are answered.

 

[solv3nt]

Attached to a butt plug yes. That way if I drop it I'm still "covered."

As long as it's got a flared end. But out of curiosity, how did it get there? Did you have a doozy of a fall and it slipped in?

 

[The Heretic]

I then realized the obstacle-detection features of the Subaru were aware of a person in the road and the Subaru was overriding my input to accelerator pedal.

I don't think I will ever buy a vehicle with that feature, or at least get one that easy/quick to disable.

 

[Mikej]

I was dreading the new car shopping coming up for us. NOW I'm terrified! The ol' '05 CRV is just about to turn over to 135,000 miles. I love the VSV (variable steering assist/can be disabled), and anti lock bakes are a good thing. Mileage isn't great at 20/25. It got much better mileage before they put alcohol in the gas.
WTH are us control freaks supposed to do now? All that shizzzzz is for people that aren't smart enough to even be behind the wheel of a 4,000lb vehicle? And stopping the motor at every red light? WTF! The G-D thing would probably idle for a month on 16 gallons of gas. BIG savings? Until you see the $850.00 bill for the starter replacement.

 

[ATCclears]

I was dreading the new car shopping coming up for us. NOW I'm terrified! The ol' '05 CRV is just about to turn over to 135,000 miles. I love the VSV (variable steering assist/can be disabled), and anti lock bakes are a good thing. Mileage isn't great at 20/25. It got much better mileage before they put alcohol in the gas.
WTH are us control freaks supposed to do now? All that shizzzzz is for people that aren't smart enough to even be behind the wheel of a 4,000lb vehicle? And stopping the motor at every red light? WTF! The G-D thing would probably idle for a month on 16 gallons of gas. BIG savings? Until you see the $850.00 bill for the starter replacement.

Ask how to turn it off on demand, and get them to show you. Confirm with research before purchase. If there is not a single 'disable' button then don't consider it.

 

[Mikej]

Ask how to turn it off on demand, and get them to show you. Confirm with research before purchase. If there is not a single 'disable' button then don't consider it.

Definitely. Another option I'd certainly consider is buying "Pre-Owned". An 8-10 year old car from an old couple with 25K. With records of course.

 

[solv3nt]

I was dreading the new car shopping coming up for us. NOW I'm terrified! The ol' '05 CRV is just about to turn over to 135,000 miles. I love the VSV (variable steering assist/can be disabled), and anti lock bakes are a good thing. Mileage isn't great at 20/25. It got much better mileage before they put alcohol in the gas.
WTH are us control freaks supposed to do now? All that shizzzzz is for people that aren't smart enough to even be behind the wheel of a 4,000lb vehicle? And stopping the motor at every red light? WTF! The G-D thing would probably idle for a month on 16 gallons of gas. BIG savings? Until you see the $850.00 bill for the starter replacement.

Just bought the wife a '23 4Runner specifically to avoid the upcoming new model with a turbo and the stop light shut-off.

 

[Bobbygun]

Wow! Things you wouldn't think of. This thread is an eye opener for a guy who drives a 99 Forester and a 98 Dodge Ram. If the collision avoidance system is in place on those vehicles, she is screaming loudly from the passenger seat. (On the plus side, she does occasionally cook dinner for me.) Makes me think I should check her recently acquired 2015 RAV 4 to see if it has any of those types of bells and whistles. I've only driven it a couple of times. Hopefully it's old enough to not have been blessed with that much newer technology. I do kinda like the backup camera though.

 

[The Heretic]

And stopping the motor at every red light? WTF! The G-D thing would probably idle for a month on 16 gallons of gas. BIG savings? Until you see the $850.00 bill for the starter replacement.

My car has that, but it is easily disabled (one button on the dash). I don't use that - so far the car has 115K on it and no issues with the starter (that said, I rarely drive the car - about 100 miles per month - and the battery gets low because the car sits so much with the computer and alarm draining the battery, that the auto-start/stop rarely works because the battery voltage is low).

I find that the only feature that is a nuisance is the traction control in heavy snow going uphill on my private road; it kills the power to the wheels too easily when it is really slippery.

 

[Mikej]

I find that the only feature that is a nuisance is the traction control in heavy snow going uphill on my private road; it kills the power to the wheels too easily when it is really slippery.

I am able to disable the VSA in the CRV. Cant have any fun in the snow with that on.

 

[parallax]

In 2018 I bought a new Toyota tundra It had that auto braking feature, except it would randomly brake hard with nothing in the path, took it back to Toyota and they said they were having quite a few come back with the same problem. They did a software update that seemed to fix it , then after 5,000 original miles both cylinder heads started leaking oil " a common problem with the 5.7 v-8" Left it at the dealership for 3 weeks so they could rebuild the engine them promptly got rid of it no more " technology " in my driveway .. glad nothing bad happened with you encounter with the mentally unhinged..

 

[liferider]

Is that a permanent off button? Or is it something you have to push everytime you start your vehicle? I'd have a hard time remembering to push it if that's the case....technology isn't all it's cracked up to be IMHO

It's a push every time you start the vehicle thing

 

[parallax]

Unknown yet. I have to test it.

Her Subaru has an auto-engine-stop feature when stopped in traffic (supposedly to save fuel). There is no way to configure that feature to be disabled - every time I drive the Subaru I push the button to disable i

when i go visit my Nana, she has a subaru that does that, when i drive her to town, it drives me crazy, seems like it will wear out the starter eventually..

 

[liferider]

I think you can get a circuit that will bypass the automatic start stop feature, but that is not the same thing that engages the eyesight feature. The eyesight is the feature that allows the vehicle to adjust the speed for automatic cruise control and auto brake control if an object is in front of your vehicle. Or if it thinks you're not slowing down fast enough because a vehicle is slowing or stopping in front of you. It will slam the brakes on for you. I've had that happen, a shocking experience for sure. I hate all the nanny features on these newer vehicles

 

[eustace_stelio]

While the auto stop/crash prevention technology is bothersome it certainly seems it saved OP a big headache.

Running down a woman for throwing something at your car would've went over like a brick to your head. Definitely would've meant waiting hours for police to come out and investigate/interrogate you and then possibly being charged.

And if not charged then definitely getting sued by the ambulance chasing lawyer that finds out a possibly mentally impair person was hit.

 

[solv3nt]

I am able to disable the VSA in the CRV. Cant have any fun in the snow with that on.

You're just not trying hard enough

 

[Certaindeaf]

when i go visit my Nana, she has a subaru that does that, when i drive her to town, it drives me crazy, seems like it will wear out the starter eventually..

And washing the cylinder walls with gasoline and instantly placing under load tens of thousands of times is contrary to long engine life.

 

[bradsteen]

So…. was it ever determined what liquid was in the plastic jug that splattered all over the Subaru, and did it pair well with granola?

Gonna take a wild guess and say either urine or cheap booze.

 

[The Heretic]

And washing the cylinder walls with gasoline and instantly placing under load tens of thousands of times is contrary to long engine life.

Generally newer cars have EFI and they do not wash the cylinder with fuel like a carb would.

When my auto-start/stop is working, I hardly notice it. The engine starts easily unless the battery is low and the engine is cold.

It won't stop the engine if the battery is low, the engine is cold, the heat or AC is on high, or it has stopped then started the engine quite recently without the car moving a certain distance and some other constraints. If I wiggle the steering wheel, let my foot off the brake, or it is in sport mode, or it has been sitting for more than a few minutes and the heat/AC is on high, or a few other things, it will start the engine.

 

[Flopsweat]

When I had to leave my Acura at the dealer for work, they gave me a newer one. I noticed that it jerked every time I had to start from a stop. I finally figured out that the car was shutting down on a stop and I was pushing the accelerator down too quickly (in their opinion).

I never did find the disable sequence, but I wish the dealer had warned me.

The owners' manual for my car with that feature specifically warns against accelerating hard from a stop if the engine shut down automatically. I used to push the button every time I started the car, as I apparently drive like you. Now the car never shuts itself off at stop lights anymore. It may have more to do with me not taking long trips in that car for a while now.