The cruise control suddenly malfunctioned on the highway, the brakes failed, and he ran 490 kilometers at a speed of 115 kilometers per hour. The police reported! Car owner: Tried various methods but nothing worked. After the car stopped, I was trembling and speechless. On December 17, a car on the Lanhai Expressway had a cruise control failure and the brakes failed. The car drove at a speed of 115 kilometers per hour for 490 kilometers until it ran out of fuel. The traffic police cleared the way and the road management team successfully rescued the car.
The out-of-control vehicle was a Gan A sedan driven by Mr. Ma. On the afternoon of the 17th, Mr. Ma was on the expressway from Lanzhou to the south, preparing to return to Linxia Kangle. On the way, he found that the cruise control at 115 kilometers had a malfunction, the brakes failed, and he could not slow down. He could only drive along the Lanhai Expressway in the direction of Sichuan. While the vehicle was moving, the highway traffic police and the road administration department activated the emergency plan to carry out emergency rescue. The out-of-control car traveled approximately 490 kilometers and ran out of fuel. The danger was finally averted under the "escort formation" of the traffic police and road administration.
On the morning of the 19th, the reporter contacted the driver involved, Ma Shihua, who recounted his four-and-a-half-hour highly stressful experience of successfully averting the accident.
Mr. Ma said that he is 23 years old, has been driving for 4 years, and works as a delivery person in Lanzhou. His hometown is Kangle County, Linxia, Gansu Province. On the afternoon of the 17th, he set off from Lanzhou to return to Kangle. He drove on the expressway for a while and then set the speed at 115 kilometers per hour. After a while, the traffic volume was relatively heavy. He felt something was wrong when he stepped on the brakes and could not slow down. The cruise control could not be turned off at that time. He began to panic. A female friend in the car was frightened and cried. He had no choice but to call the police for help. He dialed 122 at around 5:30 p.m. Later, he contacted the 4S store, and the technician asked him to try various methods, but it still didn't work.
Image source: Video screenshot
"You have to rely on yourself!" Mr. Ma said. Although his scalp was numb at the time, he still controlled his emotions and remained calm. He turned on his double flashers and kept pressing the horn. Sometimes he could not overtake other vehicles, so he had to overtake through the emergency lane. There were several overtakings that were particularly dangerous, but there was no other way but to overtake. After a minute or twenty, when we arrived at the intersection of Lintao Expressway, the traffic police began to help clear the way, and notified the highway traffic police ahead to close the entrance to the expressway.
Image source: Video screenshot
Mr. Ma said that after being escorted by more than 10 police cars and road management vehicles, his nervousness eased a bit. During the process, he tried many methods, but the speed could not be reduced. "I have always hoped to run out of gas quickly. I saw that I could still run hundreds of kilometers, but I was still very panicked. I was afraid that there would be curves ahead. Fortunately, it was basically a straight road with only one curve with a larger arc. I don't know how to get through it now. Until I was almost out of gas, I was worried that the wheels would lock up. It was not until the speed slowly dropped to 100, 80, 60, 30... that my anxious heart slowly calmed down."
Image source: Video screenshot
"After the car stopped, I was so excited that I was shaking and speechless, but I was helped into the rescue vehicle." Mr. Ma said that the entire 490 kilometers, running at a speed of 115, was able to save the day. He didn't know what words to use to express his support for the police and road staff.
Image source: Video screenshot
Mr. Ma said that the faulty car had been towed back to the 4S store in Lanzhou after the incident. He hoped to return the car for a refund or exchange it for a new one. He planned to go to the store to negotiate on the afternoon of the 19th.
On the 19th, the Longnan Public Security Bureau reported that at 19:25 on December 17, 2025, the Seventh Highway Brigade of the Longnan Public Security Traffic Control Detachment received a call from the Minxian Expressway Traffic Police: a black car had brake failure due to a cruise control failure and was speeding through the Longnan Expressway jurisdiction at a speed of 115 kilometers per hour. Emergency treatment was required.
After receiving the alarm, Longnan Public Security Highway Traffic Control Brigade No. 1, No. 6 and No. 7 quickly coordinated to implement temporary traffic control on the road section where the out-of-control vehicle was passing and to clear away irrelevant vehicles; police cars were arranged to open a safe passage in a formation of "forward warning, protection on both sides, and follow-up and control at the rear". At the same time, a dedicated person continued to talk on the phone to guide the driver's operation. With the cooperation of multiple joint service units, at 22:02 that day, the out-of-control vehicle ran out of fuel in the Qiangjiawan Tunnel section under the jurisdiction of the Highway 1 Brigade and came to a safe stop. This dangerous situation spanning nearly 490 kilometers was finally successfully resolved.
After the vehicle stopped, the driver, Ma, was in shock and his body was limp. He calmed down after being comforted by the police. It is understood that in the afternoon of that day, Ma drove a small car (carrying 1 passenger) from the Lanzhou South Toll Station on the expressway back to Kangle County. After turning on the 115 km/h cruise control, he drove to the Qidaoliang section and found that the brakes failed. He first sought help from the Dingxi Traffic Police for escort. After entering the Longnan Expressway section, the Longnan Expressway Traffic Police escorted the vehicle until the vehicle stopped.