Vehicle saftey/tampering question

[SwampKat]

Was working a customers vehicle, standing outside the car leaned into to turn the key forward to roll the power windows up. Customer's manual transmission car took off in the shop, hitting me, and dragging me w/ it into the wall.

We were told after the fact by the customer that the her father by-passed the neutral safety switch.

Is there any state or federal law they broke by by-passing/tampering/disabling the safety switch?

 

[troy_mclure]

Nope.

 

[homeslice]

That's scary! Hope you're okay. If anything I'd think the customers insurance would pay for the damages?

 

[RyanW]

Nope, it's not safety nor emissions related, so no laws were broken. I wonder why he bypassed it, unless it was a manual car and they wanted remote start.

 

[W1nds0rF0x]

Was working a customers vehicle, standing outside the car leaned into to turn the key forward to roll the power windows up. Customer's manual transmission car took off in the shop, hitting me, and dragging me w/ it into the wall.

We were told after the fact by the customer that the her father by-passed the neutral safety switch.

Is there any state or federal law they broke by by-passing/tampering/disabling the safety switch?

Not that I know of, but I will say that there is a good reason NOT to twist the key all the way past two clicks and into the "start" notch while you are leaning in from the outside. I've owned a lot of vehicles over the years and a 2012 VW is the first manual transmission car I've owned that refused to start without pressing the clutch. I'm constantly fiddling with and working on my cars and I've never had one start up and plow across the garage and drag me with it. Just saying.

 

[LongGoneDays]

I had a Saturn 5 speed that didn't require the clutch being pushed to start, it was like that after my idiot brother in law's even more idiot brother fixed something on it before I owned it.

I never leave a car in gear unless I'm running into a store and the dogs are in the car, because they could pop the emergency brake too easily.

 

[sirbiggstixx]

my wrangler had a fuse you could take out that didnt require the clutch in to start..

 

[LACamper]

That guy's insurance company is not going to be happy! I don't know how the claim will play out, but I bet that they make him have that fixed ASAP!

 

[Mjolnir]

Hmmm, I ALWAYS leave manual trans cars in gear with the steering wheel turned hard one direction or the other; parking brake on.

 

[W1nds0rF0x]

That guy's insurance company is not going to be happy! I don't know how the claim will play out, but I bet that they make him have that fixed ASAP!

Sorry, but how is his insurance company liable for someone else's negligence? Why would you leave a car in gear rather than using the brake that is intended to hold it? Why would you turn the key so far as to engage the starter when you are intending to goto the "ACC" or "IGN" position? How does someone who is working on cars get this stuff mixed up like that? Maybe Jason can can say if my opinion is out of line here? What exactly would the OP be ranting about if he had done this to, as I pointed out; one of the very many cars *I* have owned that does not require the clutch to be pressed to engage the starter? I had a 1992 Dodge truck. SWB 318 Magnum with a 5 speed and 1st was a double low stump puller. If that truck had been left in 1st gear and the key turned to hit the starter I can guarantee it would have started and probably driven through a wall before it got stopped. Whose fault would it have been in that scenario?? Seriously here....

 

[Ritten]

My Tacoma has a factory switch that allows the engine to be started by-passing the clutch. It comes that way from the factory.

 

[W1nds0rF0x]

My 89 Mustang as well as the 92 Ram were like that. Everytime I try to start the TDI and have to press the clutch I consider disabling it. I just think it may be a hassle to do so because there's some "intelligence" there as when I do it there's a message on the instrument panel that says "CLUTCH" lol It knows what I'm doing wrong....

 

[SwampKat]

After 10yrs of being at the same place doing the same thing, some people get complacent. That is exactly what happened, I got complacent. There is a first time for everything and this was one of those situations.

You may go through life or your career w/o anything happening, w/o thinking something might happen, but when it does you need to rethink proper safety.

but I will say that there is a good reason NOT to twist the key all the way past two clicks and into the "start" notch while you are leaning in from the outside.

Obviously...

 

[W1nds0rF0x]

After 10yrs of being at the same place doing the same thing, some people get complacent. That is exactly what happened, I got complacent. There is a first time for everything and this was one of those situations.

You may go through life or your career w/o anything happening, w/o thinking something might happen, but when it does you need to rethink proper safety.

Agreed. But trying to send a lawyers after him for it is just wrong IMO.

 

[SwampKat]

Agreed. But trying to send a lawyers after him for it is just wrong IMO.

Who ever said anything about sending lawyers after them???

 

[W1nds0rF0x]

Lawyers, cops, feds, whatever. Your OP was trying to figure out some sort of law breakage by the car owner because you started the car in gear. Hopefully you learned with that experience what many people never will, an idiot switch is not a good substitute for proper situational awareness.

 

[W1nds0rF0x]

My Tacoma has a factory switch that allows the engine to be started by-passing the clutch. It comes that way from the factory.

Oh wait, I just realized what you said. You mean turn on the key and then by stomping the clutch the started spins???

 

[derf]

Oh wait, I just realized what you said. You mean turn on the key and then by stomping the clutch the started spins???

No, he means his truck has a remote start option that automatically bypasses the clutch start lockout.

 

[Russo]

if the vehicle didn't come that way from the factory, i would say that he should have been responsible enough to let you know the switch is bypassed... i leave all of my manual cars in neutral with the E-brake engauged for safety reasons

 

[derf]

Was working a customers vehicle, standing outside the car leaned into to turn the key forward to roll the power windows up. Customer's manual transmission car took off in the shop, hitting me, and dragging me w/ it into the wall.

We were told after the fact by the customer that the her father by-passed the neutral safety switch.

Is there any state or federal law they broke by by-passing/tampering/disabling the safety switch?

What you describe sounds to me like negligence on your part. The customer and insurance company might have a case against you. I am not sure about the laws but I'm sure they could apply some "failure to maintain control" or similar statute since you started a car and immediately lost control of it. Being that it was a customer's vehicle, though, surely you have insurance that covers your liability in the workplace, no?

It sounds like you made a mistake and are wanting to pass the blame on to someone else. Take responsibility for your actions. Mistakes sometimes hurt and sometimes cost. At least no one (including you) was seriously injured or killed.