I read this article and could not believe that their last option to stop the car was turning it off. How many dumb cops are there in this world?

Another person who shouldn't be driving. You should at least understand some basics about a vehicle and be able to stop it in an emergency, or else you have no business driving.

It's a prius, so no clutch. Some cars have push button start, so killing the engine isn't as straightforward (though any such OEM system I've seen you can either hold the start button in for a few seconds or hit it several times in a row to kill the ignition). Still, this is something you should know before even driving the vehicle.

Please, tell me this is not true! What's wrong with the drivers? And the car designers? Well, I know they can probably sell more cars when they design them to be more "fool proof" and more suitable for complete technical idiots, when the alternative would be to make cars that actually require some common sense of the drivers. And some motoric skills, spatial awareness etc.

What does that mean? Automatic transmission, or just automatic clutch? Do all prius models have that? Anyway, if it's an automatic transmission, you should be able to pull it to neutral. If that's not possible, the whole fucking gear box should be forbidden! If it's just an automatic clutch, it still should be possible to pull it to neutral.

Anyway, it should be possible to turn off the ignition, which of course might cause some problems with the steering and brake power. But again, that is something that every driver should be aware of. If not, use a taxi instead.

So it would'n even have a single stick where you choose drive/neutral? Maybe only drive/reverse? Sure you must be able to start the engine a cold winter morning, let it idle and get a bit warm, while you clean the wind shield and windows from snow and frost. Without fear from getting hit by your car when the engine suddenly decides to rush.

The thing with Priuses is that they're hybrid-drive vehicles. They have both an electric engine and a combustion one, and the decision which one powers the vehicle at any moment is made by a computer, not by the driver. This also includes controlling the clutch, the ignition, and even the gas pedal (which is, to my knowledge, about as mechanic as the gas pedal on a game controller); the driver has no direct influence on any of these.
Consequently, shutting down the power isn't as straightforward as with a conventional vehicle.
Still, I'd imagine hitting the brakes real hard would, at some point, result in stopping the thing.

The Prius has a shifter (park/reverse/neutral/drive), but no clutch. It's an automatic transmission with 3 input/outputs (engine, electric motor, wheels), so as others have said, the gear selection and balance between gas/electric is handled by a computer.

The funniest thing is that Toyota claims that its not an electrical problem?

Ok, that should hold in court.

It's not the first time that's happened, but it's true that some people really don't belong on the road...

In Drivers Ed. we're taught that when you have a runaway car with a stuck accelerator to leave the car in gear, grip the wheel firmly and pump the breaks before turning off the car. Most cars will lose power steering and breaks when the car is turned off... It's too bad most people here are retarded and don't pay attention...

Anyways, I think maybe that guy could be trying to get out of a speeding ticket... What does that license plate look like to you. I read FRUGL DR !!!

[edit] see the plate at 1:42, surprisingly they didn't blur it out...

Now what exact situation is it that they try to prevent to happen by this? I can't think of anything. The only situation where gear is on and someone wants to turn the key is exactly this situation, where the throttle is stuck.

As the incident showed, it is very hard to stop the car by using the brakes, even though the power brake is in use due to the engine running. I bet it is easier to use the brakes without the additional power the running engine supplies. I have a Toyota Avensis STW (some 1.8 litre, I think) and I've used the brakes without engine. After a few pumps the vacuum power is completely used but even after that it's not that hard to stop the car. Or turn the steering wheel. And I would be terrified to drive a car, the breaks and steering of which would completely depend on the running engine. While driving old cars, it has happened to me that I've lost ignition all of a sudden.

The one that turns the brake lights on. It's the same switch that disengages cruise control too.

What are the odds of both the throttle pedal being stuck and the brake light switch breaking at the same time?

With those numbers it still qualifies as a freak accident.