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AIBU?

To go to the press?

197 replies

29herzie · 10/02/2016 13:39

So, WIBU to take the following to the papers or does anyone have a better suggestion?

We hired a car a few weeks ago on holiday. It turned out that it had an electric parking brake (no handbrake). DH discovered that the only way to know if this button hand been pressed (and if the brake was on) was a tiny red light on the dashboard. DH is colourblind and couldn't see the light in the sun. The car then rolled off down the hill, luckily without my DCs in the back and ended up 'only' demolishing a fence. We were in the Alps and so could have been much worse.

We are currently still waiting on the outcome of the dispute with the car hire company about this, but I also contacted the car manufacturer. I believe there is a design flaw that they need to address. They have just come back to me to say that it's nothing to do with them and we need to make our needs known to a hire company in future. I am not happy with this and feel that they should be thinking about making sure their cars are safe to drive, DH can't be the only driver who is red/green colourblind?

What do you think?

OP posts:

Report

TeaStory · 10/02/2016 13:56

If he couldn't see the light, why didn't you check it?

ZiggyFartdust · 10/02/2016 13:58

It doesn't lack an indicator. I have the same on my car, its very clear. And you can switch the dashboard lights to brighter so you can see in the sun.

Sounds like your husband was driving a car he was unsuited to, and unsafe in.

AlwaysHopeful1 · 10/02/2016 13:58

You still have said why you want to go to the press?

HandsomeGroomGiveHerRoom · 10/02/2016 13:58

I agree with Nerr, but I do think that it's not a great design.

PaulAnkaTheDog · 10/02/2016 13:58

Nah OP, your partner was at fault. Not the rental company or the car manufacturer.

BunnyTyler · 10/02/2016 13:58

So, he knew the indication was red (which he struggles with), and the sun was shining on the indication so he couldn't properly make it out.

Why did he not press the 'engage brake' button a few times to make absolutely sure it was on?!

FoxesSitOnBoxes · 10/02/2016 13:59

Yes but he also knows where the light is on the dashboard. If he can see the red traffic light is on then he can see if the dashboard light is on.
Don't be so patronising OP

LittleLionMansMummy · 10/02/2016 13:59

But who do you mean by 'press'? If you're talking national tabloids/ broadsheets/ broadcasts then my point is they'll only be bothered in the circumstances I've described. Unless you have something more specific/ targeted in mind?

ZiggyFartdust · 10/02/2016 13:59

And if you knew the only way to know if the brake was on was a light you couldn't see, why on earth would you leave the car without getting someone else to look at it? Or, you know, wait and see if the car rolled away?

Come on OP, this is nonsense.

SavoyCabbage · 10/02/2016 14:00

I don't think it's the car's fault. It can be tricky driving an unfamiliar car in an unfamiliar place.

The light on my electric handbrake is on the actual handbrake. I can hear it come on and off so I don't look at the light.

BunnyTyler · 10/02/2016 14:01

If he was unsure of the brake state, he could also have simply left it in gear - which would have also stopped it from rolling away.

ConfusedDotty · 10/02/2016 14:01

What does he do at traffic lights? Worrying.

ghostyslovesheep · 10/02/2016 14:01

I'm sorry but if you are unsure if the break is on you should assume it is and leave the car - I would imagine sitting in it and feeling it roll back might be an obvious indication the break was off

29herzie · 10/02/2016 14:01

He left the car on a flat bit ( must have been slightly sloping) he pressed the button but couldn't see any indicator come on so tried again. He got out thinking it was on and left it. There was a delay before the car started to move... It the rolled off the flat bit and onto a steep bit.

I wasn't in the car.

OP posts:

ghostyslovesheep · 10/02/2016 14:02

shouldn't!

BunnyTyler · 10/02/2016 14:02

Mine too Savoy, you can hear the brake engaging when you select it.

99percentchocolate · 10/02/2016 14:03

Our car has this feature and I can see why he may have problems if unfamiliar with it - on ours the light comes on green for a temporary stop (eg at lights) and then goes red when you've stopped. I can see how that would cause a problem for someone red/green colour blind. However, there is also a parking brake which goes from off to orange when on. If he wasn't sure, he should have pulled that (assuming there was one). The car should have automatically engaged the parking brake when he switched off the engine too - did he leave the engine running op?

Pigeonpost · 10/02/2016 14:04

Eh? No, don't go to the press. I can't understand why your DH wouldn't have double and triple checked that the handbrake was on before stopping on the mountain. If he couldn't see tell whether the light was on or not then he shouldn't have been driving without someone (ie you) who could check.

JohnLuther · 10/02/2016 14:04

So he turned it on, thought it was off and pressed the button again? He's an idiot, surely he knew that the brake can't have been on whilst parking?

ZiggyFartdust · 10/02/2016 14:04

So he got out of the car knowing that the brake could have been on or off. And he didn't leave it in gear even.
You could go to the Daily Mail and do one of those "I did something stupid but its someone else fault" stories, I suppose.

99percentchocolate · 10/02/2016 14:04

X posts.
If he wasn't sure op, he shouldn't have left the car. I think that would put him at fault in the eyes of the insurer

MyKingdomForBrie · 10/02/2016 14:04

So he turned the brake on then off again. He didn't see the light the first time and clearly didn't see it the second time so he should not have left the car. I think he was actually negligent.

29herzie · 10/02/2016 14:05

Thank you savoy. This car did not have a sound or another indicator of any sort. This was the problem.

OP posts:

LurkingHusband · 10/02/2016 14:06

30 years ago, when I was involved in very early design of computer screens, I was told there is a design standard somewhere which mandates that colour change alone must not be used to signify critical situations.

So Air Traffic Control screens don't just change colour, but beep.

Not sure if this helps exactly, but it does demonstrate that the problem of colour-blindness and controls is hardly new.

As has been suggested, traffic signals use position and colour (as do railway signals) to signify meaning. So a big raspberry to any posters who asked about that.

LurkingHusband · 10/02/2016 14:08

As an aside, parking on any slope you should always leave the front wheels turned. ..

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