Corvette on "automatic contro" - WTH???
 

Woman pinned under Corvette after automatic starter misfires | New York Post

“Maybe [the parking attendants] didn’t put the emergency brakes on,” he speculated. “[The attendants] had it on auto control.”

When I saw the headline I assumed it was a manual trans and someone had installed a remote starter. After reading the story, I have no idea what happened.

Manual trans.
Parking attendant parked it, left it in gear.
Guy accidentally hits the remote start on his keyfob.
Carnage.
Cars with remote start are a menace and must be regulated.

A remote start in a manual car is an accident waiting to happen as witnessed in the article.

Mr Cool Corvette Guy is in hot water. Don't blame the parking attendants.

I'm pretty sure you have to depress the clutch to start any newish manual trans car

Was this supposed to be in green?
The only way that I can see this having happened is if it was installed by a hack, either the owner or a crappy shop.
Exactly, I'm pretty sure that if remote start is available in any car with a manual trans (or automatic for that matter) the car MUST be in neutral (Neutral or Park for automatics).

I don't think an auto start can be "safely" put in a manual. Key difference is that the brake has to be applied in an auto before you can move from neutral- not the case in a manual. you have to push the clutch in on many/most to start, but the auto starter would bypass that to make the car start. Be very surprised if any auto maker offers auto start on a manual, anyone know of one?

Exactly. If there was an auto start, it was aftermarket installed.

I have an after market remote start in my manual WRX. For it to work the car must be in neutral em brake on. Subaru does have a remote start in there premium model. I believe there is a relay that bypasses the clutch and starts the car. To drive it you have to depress the clutch and insert and turn the key. Nothing better than a remote start in the winter.

Won't someone think of the children?

Most properly installed autostarts on manual cars have a safety feature. With car running you put e brake on, push the start button, exit the vehicle. When the door shuts the engine turns off. If nothing interrupts the cycle before the next autostart request the engine is allowed to start. If the door is opened before the next request it cancels the ability to start. Someone took short cuts on the install in this case.

This was a badly installed aftermarket system. I am familiar enough with the validation work that OEM systems go through to say this with certainty. I am not sure the parking attendants would ultimately have legal culpability - that would probably go to the owner and/or installer in some measure.

LOL, its probably been, what, 30 years since you could start a car in gear without depressing the clutch?

If a guy has a car that requires any art of special procedure to work or be safe, why ever leave it in the hands of a parking attendant?

On my 911 I replaced the hood shocks with a latching telescopic prop rod.
In line at a DE event tech line, I always have to warn them not to close the hood and I have to get out and unclick the latch so they don't bend by hood by accident.

Fortunately not as a bad an outcome as running someone over, but none the less, I'm going back to disposable factory hood shocks because I now know that I can't leave this in the hands of someone else.

Same with the 356. Quite a few cars ended up with bent hoods thanks to unknowing gas station attendants, etc. over the years.

unless you bypass the clutch safety switch.

My 2001 Saab 9-3 could start in gear without depressing clutch. Nothing aftermarket on the car. Also, can't remove the key w/o having it in reverse, so it was always in gear when you got in the car.

Of course, the car didn't have a remote start because of this.

My 2007 Focus diesel manual will start in gear, aas will my 2003 Renault Clio manual.
My wifes Smart ForFour automated manual transmission will only start after depressing the parking brake at which point the car automatically shifts into neutral.

Won't most manuals start in gear? You have to put the clutch pedal down, but I can't think many if any actually know what gear the shifter is in, or am I out of touch with the newer fancy manuals?

Really??? If its in first gear and you turn the starter motor over, will both cars lurch forward?

Motion,

When my pedal cluster roll pin sheared on my 911, I started it in 1st gear. I think the clutch pedal interlock is a fairly recent safety feature.

Pretty sure my 924S was the same way, but that car was only a year away from being 30 now.

Yep, UK manual cars only from about 2009 onwards need the clutch depressing to enable the starter. My 07 Ford and 03 Renault will fire up in gear without touching the clutch( not a recommended driving procedure, especially when tightly parked.!!)

My 85 911 will start right up in gear. The car was designed back in the days when people knew how to drive and the driver was responsible for the the vehicle.

I saw the other day that by 2020 all new cars will have to have automatic braking so all the idiot drivers using a cell phone and oblivious to the rest of the world will have fewer rear end crashes. All cars have tire pressure monitoring systems because so many moronic clueless drivers drive around with 12 PSI in the tires. I see a car with low tires almost every day (not my cars.) Much like backup sensors or cameras are going to be mandatory.

My 86 El Camino does have a Park/neutral switch so it will only start in park or neutral. But I don't have to step on the brakes to start it like most all modern automatics. I can stand outside the car at crank it up by reaching in and twisting the key.

My wife's 2008 Infinity requires the brake pedal to be depressed before it will start. I really don't have a problem with that. It is a cheap switch to add and it does make sense.

hmmm, with a responsible driver nothing wrong with being able to crank the starter in gear. Clutch cable used to break in my 70s fiat every year or so, I could start in gear and drive it home.

However, only a complete moron would put a remote starter on a manual without a neutral sensing switch/disable. I have started my car by accident, keys is pocket.