If you find yourself in a car of any brand where the engine is accelerating without command, put the car in neutral (your engine will be fine, as the engine computer has several "rev limiters" built-in)
I had an accelerator cable stick on me in a Dodge Caravan, years ago. I can't help but to think back to that every time I read how some Toyota owners have ended up in accidents as a result of this issue. In my experience, it wasn't that hard to address the problem safely.
In my case, the problem was really the result of poor maintenance on my part -- the accelerator cable passes above the battery, and I'd let the battery leak so badly, a mound of crystalized acid built up and was rubbing against the cable. To make matters worse, I was driving the POS 120 miles a day.
Finally, one day on the highway, I pressed the gas, let off, and the damn thing kept accelerating. The cable had stuck. While I'd imagine downshifting comes naturally if you've driven a manual, I've never driven anything other than an automatic in my life. Fortunately, my father had taught me to downshift when descending steep grades, rather than ride the breaks. As a result, I had the presence of mind to downshift, and pull off at the next off-ramp.
In retrospect, I probably should have immediately brought the thing to a complete stop on the shoulder and had it towed, but I actually managed to navigate several blocks and stop lights shifting between first and neutral. Parked it at a Chevron that had an attached garage.
I suppose my purpose in relating this is twofold: first it provides real world confirmation of your advice. Secondly, I suppose it serves as a reason for anyone teaching someone to drive to also teach them about the concept of "engine breaking". That extra bit of knowledge probably saved me from ending up in a high speed collision.
