Skip to main content

Driver survives terrifying 125-mile ordeal in speeding car with no brakes

speeding carIf you’re a car owner, it’s fair to say you expect certain simple things with your driving experience. You expect your engine to start when you turn the ignition key, even on the coldest of mornings; you expect the wheels to turn when you step on the gas; but above all else, you expect the vehicle to slow down when you apply pressure to the brake pedal.

Unfortunately for Frenchman Frank Lecerf, when he pressed the brake pedal of his Renault Laguna recently, the car sped up, leaving him hurtling along a highway at 125mph (200km/h) wondering what on earth he was going to do.

The poor guy had only intended to pop to his local supermarket to pick up a few groceries, but ended up careering along nearly 125 miles of French highway, crossing the border into Belgium and ploughing into a ditch when he finally ran out of gas.

Early on in his ordeal, Lecerf was smart enough to take one of his hands off the wheel for a moment to call the police to explain his predicament. They responded by sending out a convoy of cop cars to escort him on his terrifying journey into the unknown.

At first, the car, which had been specially adapted for disabled drivers, reportedly jammed at 60mph. But each time Lecerf tried to brake, the vehicle’s speed increased, until finally hitting 125mph.

Motorists on the highway were forced to swerve out of the path of the speeding convoy, while three toll stations along the way were ordered to raise their barriers in readiness for Lecerf’s fleeting visit.

Around an hour after the harrowing ordeal began, with the car’s gas tank almost dry and Lecerf no longer in the same country where the nightmare began, the exhausted driver steered his car into a ditch in Alveringem, Belgium. Lecerf was unhurt, though reportedly suffered two epileptic seizures, presumably shortly after the incident.

“My life flashed before me,” 36-year-old Lecerf told French newspaper Le Courrier Picard, adding, not surprisingly, “I just wanted it to stop.”

While the Frenchman’s lawyer has already said he’s planning to file a legal complaint over “endangerment of a person’s life”, car maker Renault has stated it’s waiting for the results of an investigation into the incident.

[via Guardian] [Image: Blazel Lyjack / Shutterstock]

Topics
Trevor Mogg
Contributing Editor
Not so many moons ago, Trevor moved from one tea-loving island nation that drives on the left (Britain) to another (Japan)…
Mercedes-Benz G580 first drive: old-school off-roader goes electric
2025 Mercedes-Benz G580 from three quarter view.

American car buyers mostly know Mercedes-Benz as a luxury brand. But for decades, the automaker has also produced the tough, rugged G-Class (also known as the Geländewagen or G-Wagen), an SUV not afraid to get its leather upholstery muddy. And now, this iconic Mercedes is going electric.

The 2025 Mercedes-Benz G580 with EQ Technology — the final name of the SUV previously known as the EQG — isn’t the first electric off-roader. The Rivian R1S and R1T and GMC Hummer EV have proven that electric powertrains and off-roading are a great combination. But the electric G-Wagen is different because it’s based on an internal-combustion model — and a very traditional one at that.

Read more
Best dash cam deals: Protect your ride from just $39
Rexing V1 dash cam

It's hard to undersell how important having some dash cam in your car is these days, especially with how hard it can be to process an insurance claim. That's why it's a really good investment to go for one of the best dash cams your budget can afford since it can really help protect your car in the long run. To that end, we've gone out and found our favorite dash cam deals across various budgets so that you can pick the one that works the best for your needs. While you're at it, you may want to consider checking out these security camera deals for a little bit of extra protection when your car is parked.
70mai Smart Dash Cam 1S -- $40, was $50

The 70mai Smart Dash Cam 1S is the cheapest option in this list, but it doesn't feel like it because it's packed with features. The dash cam, which supports microSD memory cards of up to 64GB, records footage at 1080p Full HD resolution with night vision capabilities thanks to its Sony IMX307 image processor and f/2.2 aperture. With its built-in G sensor, the dash cam will detect an accident and lock footage to prevent overwrites. You can use voice commands to ask the dash cam to take photos or to start recording videos, and you can use its accompanying app to watch real-time footage and to download files to your phone.

Read more
Best electric car charger deals: $100 off home charging stations
The handle of the Grizzl-E EV charger plugged into a vehicle.

With electric vehicles taking the market by storm, it's hard for many EV charging stations to keep up with demand, and for those who don't want to rely on that anyway, car chargers are the way to go. Luckily, there is a lot of variety out there, depending on the budget and charge speed that you're looking for, although they can be quite expensive, especially if you want to charge your EV very quickly. That's why we've gone out and collected some of our favorite electric car charger deals that we think will give you the best bang for your buck.
Seguma 16Amp Level 1/2 EV Charger -- $115, was $160

If you need a more basic charger, this Level one and two charger from Seguma is a solid option and can deliver 16 amps and 3.84kW, which is pretty substantial. It also comes with a NEMA 6-20 plug and a standardized J1772 connector, which should work on most EV vehicles out there except for Tesla, which has its own connector. There are also some intelligent charging features, which include things such as protection against things like under and over voltage, leakage, and lighting, and it has an automatic cut-off when your EV is fully charged.

Read more