Idiot BMW Driver Calls 911 to Tell Police He Can't Stop Speeding

Matt Posky
by Matt Posky

Earlier this week, the driver of a 2003 BMW X5 called 911 to inform the operator that he was speeding and wouldn’t be able to stop. The motorist, one Joseph Cooper, explained to the operator “my gas pedal is stuck” as his SUV barreled down a Florida interstate at around 100 miles an hour. Officers were dispatched to the highly mobile scene on Monday at 1:00 p.m. and ultimately decided to halt Cooper’s progress using stop sticks.

BMW is calling bullshit on his runaway vehicle claims, and we’re inclined to agree. There were loads of things the driver could have done to stop the vehicle but, based on portions of his call with 911, he was either unwilling or incapable of performing those tasks.

According to ABC News, a BMW spokesperson categorized the scenario as “implausible,” adding that the company “would be happy to work with the Florida State Police to investigate the cause of this incident.”

We wouldn’t be surprised if Cooper had simply placed the vehicle on cruise control and simply couldn’t figure out how to stop it. His call with emergency dispatch is beyond infuriating and brings into doubt his ability to function behind the wheel. Early in the call, which occurred around 12:46 in the afternoon, the operator suggest he place the car into neutral. Cooper responds with “Yeah but, Ma’am, I’m in a BMW and, if I swing that over, it’s going to drop down a gear. I really don’t want that to happen. It could spin me out.”

She then asks if he has tried the emergency brake. “Ma’am, I’m not pulling that at no hundred miles an hour,” he responded. “Ma’m, I’m sorry.”

While it’s unknown if Cooper even bothered to attempt using the foot brake, his emergency/parking brake could have at least slowed him down some. While yanking upward on the handbrake with all of his might probably would have been a bad idea, a more gradual application could have helped him bleed off some of that momentum. That’s especially true if he’d bothered to kill the engine — which seems like the most logical thing to do in a runaway scenario.

A lot of drivers don’t realize this, but there is a little nub or button near the steering wheel that can be used to turn off or, in some cases, start a vehicle’s engine. It’s called an ignition and is essential in the continued operation of a motor. I don’t want to get too technical here, but that motor is actually what provides forward locomotion in most instances. Without it, a vehicle will ultimately stop moving.

Alright, so we’ve established that Joseph Cooper is either an imbecile, in a perfect storm of technological mishaps, or is terrified that stopping the vehicle might damage his SUV. He’s also just confessed to almost hitting someone and still has to be stopped. What’s the safest manner in which this can be done?

According to Florida authorities, blowing out the vehicle’s tires as it travelled in excess of 95 mph was the clear solution. However, the police report actually states that Cooper swerved to avoid the first set of stop sticks. Fortunately, a second attempt took out his two right tires — slowing him to around 60 mph. A third attempt got the rest of them.

From there, Cooper’s X5 continued on until there was no rubber left. “The vehicle was traveling on all 4 rims with no tire,” the highway patrol report read.

Officers were eventually able to pit the BMW on the side of the road after it had traveled roughly 40 miles as a runaway vehicle. Lt. Alvaro Feola of the Florida Highway Patrol said Cooper made the right choices in a dangerous situation. “He did call 911, he wore a seat belt, he kept the dispatch aware of the mile markers,” Feola told ABC News.

In our estimation, that’s about all Cooper did that was right. The manufacturer also weighed in, carefully indicating this was likely a instance of extreme driver error and not a technical fault.

From BMW:

“All BMW vehicles, including the 2003 X5 described in this incident, employ an electronic accelerator pedal which uses software logic to override the accelerator whenever the brake pedal is pressed while driving. This fail-safe software means that if the vehicle detects that both pedals are depressed, the on-board electronics will reduce engine power so that the driver may stop safely.

Furthermore, the accelerator pedal in BMW vehicles is hinged at the bottom, and mounts to the floor. Therefore an object or floor mat cannot slide under the accelerator pedal and jam it. Original BMW floor mats are custom-fitted for each vehicle, and are installed with anchors to keep them properly located in the front footwells of each vehicle.

The vehicle could also have been stopped by two additional means: By placing the transmission in neutral and coasting to a stop and/or by shutting off the ignition without removing the key. This is accomplished by turning the key counterclockwise. The engine would have shut off and the driver could have safely coasted the vehicle to a stop.”

We know it’s hard to know how to respond calmly in an emergency situation, but that last line is universally applicable. If you find yourself in a runaway situation, please turn on your hazards and shut down your engine. We’re sure Mr. Cooper mistakenly assumed he’d do some kind of catastrophic damage to the motor by doing so. But, when the alternative is having your tires blown out until you’re moving slow enough for cops to gently nudge you off the road, he probably wishes he had opted for the former.

Matt Posky
Matt Posky

A staunch consumer advocate tracking industry trends and regulation. Before joining TTAC, Matt spent a decade working for marketing and research firms based in NYC. Clients included several of the world’s largest automakers, global tire brands, and aftermarket part suppliers. Dissatisfied with the corporate world and resentful of having to wear suits everyday, he pivoted to writing about cars. Since then, that man has become an ardent supporter of the right-to-repair movement, been interviewed on the auto industry by national radio broadcasts, driven more rental cars than anyone ever should, participated in amateur rallying events, and received the requisite minimum training as sanctioned by the SCCA. Handy with a wrench, Matt grew up surrounded by Detroit auto workers and managed to get a pizza delivery job before he was legally eligible. He later found himself driving box trucks through Manhattan, guaranteeing future sympathy for actual truckers. He continues to conduct research pertaining to the automotive sector as an independent contractor and has since moved back to his native Michigan, closer to where the cars are born. A contrarian, Matt claims to prefer understeer — stating that front and all-wheel drive vehicles cater best to his driving style.

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  • Turf3 Turf3 on Feb 15, 2018

    OK, let's talk about what actually happened. I am willing to bet that the accelerator pedal was totally fine right up till the moment he blew past a Smokey at 100+ mph and watched the trooper pull out after him. Once he had claimed he was going so fast because of a "stuck pedal" or whatever other BS he claimed, he had to continue behaving like that; hence the refusal to do anything that would actually stop the car (like, say, just mashing hard on the brake pedal). There was never anything the least bit wrong with the car. The driver? Plenty wrong.

  • Jim123 Jim123 on Feb 16, 2018

    This Daily Mail article from the UK posted his photos from his Facebook page. Face tattoos makes thos guy’s story totally credible. http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-5390995/BMW-went-40mile-insterstate-gas-pedal-got-stuck.html#article-5390995

    • See 1 previous
    • Dynasty Dynasty on Feb 20, 2018

      @slygti He totally looks like an upstanding citizen. All credible people get tattoos on their face and neck.

  • Dave Holzman A design award for the Prius?!!! Yes, the Prius is a great looking car, but the visibility is terrible from what I've read, notably Consumer Reports. Bad visibility is a dangerous, and very annoying design flaw.
  • Wjtinfwb I've owned multiple Mustang's, none perfect, all an absolute riot. My '85 GT with a big Holley 4 barrel and factory tube header manifolds was a screaming deal in its day and loved to rev. I replaced it with an '88 5.0 Convertible and added a Supercharger. Speed for days, handling... present. Brakes, ummm. But I couldn't kill it and it embarrassed a lot of much more expensive machinery. A '13 Boss 302 in Gotta Have It Green was a subtle as a sledgehammer, open up the exhaust cut outs and every day was Days of Thunder. I miss them all. They've gotten too expensive and too plush, I think, wish they'd go back to a LX version, ditch all the digital crap, cloth interior and just the Handling package as an add on. Keep it under 40k and give todays kids an alternative to a Civic or WRX.
  • Jpolicke In a communist dictatorship, there isn't much export activity that the government isn't aware of. That being the case, if the PRC wanted to, they could cut the flow of fentanyl down to a trickle. Since that isn't happening, I therefore assume Xi Jinping doesn't want it cut. China needs to feel the consequences for knowingly poisoning other countries' citizens.
  • El scotto Oh, ye nattering nabobs of negativism! Think of countries like restaurants. Our neighbors to the north and south are almost as good and the service is fantastic. They're awfully close to being as good as the US. Oh the Europeans are interesting and quaint but you really only go there a few times a year. Gents, the US is simply the hottest restaurant in town. Have to stand in line to get in? Of course. Can you hand out bribes to get in quicker? Of course. Suppliers and employees? Only the best on a constant basis.Did I mention there is a dress code? We strictly enforce it. Don't like it? Suck it.
  • 1995 SC At least you can still get one. There isn't much for Ford folks to be happy about nowadays, but the existence of the Mustang and the fact that the lessons from back in the 90s when Ford tried to kill it and replace it with the then flavor of the day seem to have been learned (the only lessons they seem to remember) are a win not only for Ford folks but for car people in general. One day my Super Coupe will pop its headgaskets (I know it will...I read it on the Internet). I hope I will still be physically up to dropping the supercharged Terminator Cobra motor into it. in all seriousness, The Mustang is a.win for car guys.
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