>>>*Actually, the most common human reaction when totally surprised is to react with instinct, Margie is right on this one. Instinct can often be exactly the wrong thing to do.

One example I know of is on the racetrack. Going into a turn too hard, instinct is to hit the brakes which is exactly wrong, just like suddenly sliding on ice, brakes are wrong. The correct thing to do is to let her roll and steer. Tell someone with a 4WD that is sliding into a ditch to step on the gas gently and steer? Most jam on the brakes.

It's why some highly trained police officers when faced by sudden gunfire cannot hit the broad side of the barn at point blank range. The right thing to do is to calmly aim and fire.

When confronted with a surprise runaway the mind can become confounded, I know because it happened to me in that dragster. Over and over I lifted my foot in the traps, settled the chassis, hit the kill and the parachute.

When I lifted my foot and she kept right on going, for a moment I panicked myself, so I know it can happen.

Panic scrambles the brains, it can overwhelm any training in some people. When the results are a tragedy, it's always a sad situation......*EB