Here in San Diego, only few years ago, there was a terrible car accident where an brand new Lexus powered out of control on a freeway. A family of 4 died when the freeway ended at a T intersection and the vehicle collided with terrain.

It appears that the driver, who was a seasoned California Highway Patrol officer, only took one evasive action, he applied full break pressure as the engine was racing.

Because that had such a terrible outcome, no one really questioned the driver's actions. Why didn't he shift the car out of gear, why didn't he shut off the motor… etc.

Don't climb on me if I don't have the facts right with this story, but my point is that sometimes during a panic situation, when there's souls on board, and you don't know what's happening, the body just reacts and common sense doesn't quite kick in.