Pedal Misapplication (PM) is a driver error in which a driver presses one pedal when intending to press another. The purpose of this research is to identify PM crashes and analyze their characteristics. As PM is typically not coded, data sources that contain descriptive crash narratives:​ the National Motor Vehicle Crash Causation Survey (NMVCCS) database and the North Carolina (NC) state crash database, were selected. Using a keyword search algorithm, 33 PM crashes were identified in NMVCCS, representing 1,944 annual crashes in the US or 0.22% of the sample. From the NC state crash database, 3,274 PM crashes were identified, representing 0.18% of all police-reported NC crashes. These cases represent scenarios where the narrative indicated PM, which is a subset of all PM crashes.

These PM crashes were typically rear-end or road departure crashes in moderate- to low-speed commercial/residential areas. Within the sample, female drivers and elderly drivers were more often involved in a PM crash, which generally featured slightly lower injury severities and often involved inattention or fatigue. Anecdotally, PM crash narratives contained repeated evidence of unexpected events, driver inexperience, distraction, shoe-malfunction, extreme stress, and medical conditions/emergencies. These patterns are critical for understanding PM crashes, which are challenging to identify.