(Shutterstock)

A Missouri woman somehow managed to avoid crashing her car after the accelerator got stuck and forced her to manoeuvre around traffic at speeds of 190 km/h.

Lauri Ulvestaud, 47, was praised by police for her skilled driving in the 35-minute white-knuckle ordeal that forced her to swerve into the grassy median to avoid hitting other cars.

"I could have killed so many people," she told the Kansas City Star on Friday.

Ulvestaud said she tried to slam on the brakes, turn off the engine, change gears and pull up the emergency brake, but nothing worked.

Police praised her skilled driving.

The driver called 911 when she realized her gas pedal was stuck while driving on the highway near Bethany. One cruiser drove in front of her to try and move traffic, while another followed.

The Kia Sorento SUV finally came screeching to a halt on the shoulder when the 911 operator told her to lift the accelerator and push on the brake.

No one was injured.

Kia issued a statement Friday saying it inspected Ulvestaud's SUV and has not been able to identify the issue.