History Main / DeadFootLeadfoot

* In ''CompanyOfHeroes'', this is what happens to all "killed" vehicles that don't blow up outright, instead going "Out of Control" and aimlessly barging forwards before exploding on contact with the first obstacle. This can lead to an amusing sight of reversing vehicles instantly jerking into forward motion at full speed without as much as a slowdown, as if they bounced off something invisible.

* Sorta happens in ''OneThousandWaysToDie''. In case #412 ("Re-Tried"), an old man died behind the wheel of his classic Chevy, during his daily ritual of sitting in the driver's seat and reminiscing about his life. The car went on driverless and hit a bank robber, killing him.

* ''SamuraiJack'' Episode 7: "Jack and the Three Blind Archers". The archers take out a tank with a robot driver, who collapses onto the control causing the tank to rampage and shoot at the other robots.

* In the ''HeyArnold'' movie, this happens to the bus driver near the end.

!!'''As a DeathTrope, all Spoilers will be unmarked ahead. Beware.'''

* This may have happened in the ''Manga/FruitsBasket'' manga, when [[spoiler: Komaki's father had a fatal heart attack while driving and accidentally hit Tohru's mother Kyouko with his car.]]

* ''{{Psych}}'' pulls this once with the victim being gassed to death. Luckily, the car is on a dynamometer and is literally going nowhere fast.

* Variant occurs in the movie ''Film/AgentForHARM'' (featured on ''MST3K'') where Agent Chance shoots the driver, the car continues to drive... into the ocean. A henchmen jumps into the passenger seat but doesn't make any attempt to drive, the dead guy just keeps it going.

* Used in ''MetalSlug 2'' and ''X'' (its remake) during the train level where some enemies in motorboats fire missiles at you. Even if you kill the driver, they just slump over on the controls and the attack persists. It isn't until you destroy the boat you get em off your back.

* A space example of this happens to Racetrack in ''Series/{{Battlestar Galactica|Reimagined}}''.

* Coke, the El Train driver in ''TheFrenchConnection''.

* Variant occurs in the movie ''AgentForHARM'' (featured on ''MST3K'') where Agent Chance shoots the driver, the car continues to drive... into the ocean. A henchmen jumps into the passenger seat but doesn't make any attempt to drive, the dead guy just keeps it going.

* Played with in ''LethalWeapon''. [=McAllister=] and his driver escape in a car through an alley, only for the driver to be shot dead by Murtagh. [=McAllister=] desperately attempts to take the wheel, but is thwarted when the car is hit by a bus and ultimately destroyed by a live grenade in the back seat.
* ''NewPoliceStory'' had a driver that, when killed, not only slammed on the gas but certainly swerved to maximize damage and drama.
* It's not detailed whether he died or not, but in ''{{Salt}}'' Evelyn repeatedly tasers a driver to achieve this same effect.

* In ''Warhammer40K'', the Orks have a table you roll on when a Trukk is destroyed with results ranging from "keeps going for a ways before toppling over" to "zooms off a ways and explodes".

* A tragic real-life example occurred at the 1977 South African [[FormulaOne Grand Prix]] where driver Tom Pryce was killed instantly in a collision with a track marshal and his car continued on driverless for a whole straight before crashing.

* ''CallOfDuty'': ''ModernWarfare2'' has your character briefly steering a car from the passenger seat because the driver was shot and apparently [[RagdollPhysics ragdolled]] onto the accelerator.

Common to action movies and driving games. Sometimes justified if the throttle or accelerator is a hand control, and the driver slumps over it, holding it open or down. Subversions may involve the presence of a [[http://tiny.cc/kj0riw deadman's switch]].

[[AC:ComicBooks]]

Common to action movies and driving games. Sometimes justified in the throttle or accelerator is a hand control, and the driver slumps over it, holding it open or down. Subversions may involve the presence of a [[http://tiny.cc/kj0riw deadman's switch]].

Related to RunawayTrain.

* In Ian Fleming's Literature/JamesBond short story "Risico" (used fairly faithfully for the bulk of the movie ''Film/ForYourEyesOnly''), Bond shoots Kristatos as he's making his getaway after his operation is destroyed... with the Lancia's wheels in the road ruts guiding it and his dead foot on the gas pedal, the car hurtles out of sight into the distance.

* How Detective Rindge dies in ''GhostTrick'', which then causes Lynne's fourth death of the night. Don't worry, you fix it.

* Happens near the beginning of the film version of ''TheFugitive''.

* ''SamuraiJack'' Episode 7: Jack and the Three Blind Archers. The archers take out a tank with a robot driver, who collapses onto the control causing the tank to rampage and shoot at the other robots.