I understand that older folks and newfangled technology don’t always mix well, but come on now.
Mollieanne (65) and Brian Smith (68) are still coming to terms with the early November incident when confusion about operating their Mazda 3 hatchback led them to believe there was no way to get out.
The pair were stuck after a series of ”Murphy’s Law” events, including leaving the car’s manual in the house, leaving the transponder outside the car and a combination of stress, night-time, and what they called a lack of information from a car salesperson.
After becoming trapped about 7pm on November 5, their attempts to escape included sounding the horn and trying to smash a window with a car jack.
Mrs Smith said it was Guy Fawkes night, and no-one would have noticed the horn due to fireworks.
When they were freed by neighbours about 7.45am the next day, she was unconscious and her husband was struggling to breathe.
She said they were told by emergency services if they had spent another half hour in the car and they could have died.
Afterwards, Mrs Smith spent three days in Dunstan Hospital.
Honking the horn…trying to smash out a window…sounds like they did everything but use the button/push pull thingie/flickydoo switch you can find in one of about 2 places on every car under the sun…including their own, obviously.
I love that they’re blaming the salesman for this, as if somehow, after how many years of cars being a thing, it’s his job to teach idiots how to use a fucking door. Seriously, I’m a blind dude who isn’t allowed to drive a vehicle and I know how this works, for Christ’s sake.
Mazda New Zealand general manager Glenn Harris said the report of the couple being trapped in the car in that manner was an industry first.
That’s encouraging, I guess.
“It’s not a design flaw with the car …” he continued before launching into a corporate sounding statement about better training and empathizing with the couple and probably some other stuff I tuned out while imagining a voice that may or may not be his saying “Holy shit, morons!” I can’t really blame him though, since living people make better repeat customers than dead ones. Though on the other hand, are these really the sorts of people we need out driving around?
