This is an article from the New York Times relating that most unintended accleration issues are unfortunately due to driver error, not mechanical. Panic reactions are hard to over come.
http://www.nytimes.com/2010/03/11/opinion/11schmidt.html?ref=opinion
In this opinion article by Richard A. Schmidt, who served as an expert for Audi and testified in court on many occasions regarding the unintended acceleration cases in the 1980s, explains that his research of more than 150 cases for Audi showed that in most cases the driver who intended to push the brake pushed the accelerator instead. He further goes on to explain how the current Toyota situation is very similar to that of the cases against Audi in the 1980s and that ultimately, the US governments suggested fix of smart pedals will ultimately provide clearer evidence of driver error.
Quotes from the story:
Smart pedals might help prevent more such accidents if the cause of unintended acceleration turns out to be some vehicle defect. The trouble, unbelievable as it may seem, is that sudden acceleration is very often caused by drivers who press the gas pedal when they intend to press the brake.
In 1989, the National Highway Transportation Safety Administration concluded that the incidents of unintended acceleration by the Audi 5000 were mostly caused by this kind of pedal error not some electro-mechanical defect in the vehicle.
