Driver Survives 125mph Car Chase After Gas Pedal Gets Stuck

A French driver found himself on an unexpected 125mph cross-border car chase on Saturday when the gas pedal jammed on his Renault car.

Franck Lecerf was forced to hurtle at high speed across most of northern France’s motorway system before ending up in a ditch in Belgium.

The 36-year-old had originally intended to drive to his local supermarket. However, when his car speed regulator jammed — first at 60mph, and later at 125mph — he was left with no choice but to let his car run out of gas.

During his white-knuckle ride, Mr. Lecerf managed to contact police, who immediately dispatched a fleet of cars to escort the speeding vehicle to safety. The cop cars stayed with the stricken driver across 125 miles of French motorway and over the Belgian border. The car ran out of gas around one hour later, swerving into a ditch in Alveringem in Belgium.

Mr. Lecerf’s terrifying ordeal began on a dual carriageway when his car’s speed dial jammed at 60 mph. With each attempt to brake, instead of slowing down, the car accelerated. Eventually, the speed dial in the car hit 125mph, where it remained lodged. The relieved driver told Le Courrier Picard:

“My life flashed before me. I just wanted it to stop.”

Mr. Lecerf, who suffered two epileptic seizures as a result of the ordeal, has now filed a legal complaint with Renault.

His car, a Renault Laguna 3 which had been specially adapted for disabled drivers, had previously suffered speed jamming failures. Mr. Lecerf told Le Courrier Picard:

“This time, they’ve gone too far.”

Renault has said it would await the results of a police investigation.

[Image via Shutterstock]