In Maryland, a gang of aspiring carjackers had to beat a hasty retreat when their attempt to steal a Porsche came to a screeching halt—turns out, not a single one of them knew how to handle a stick shift.
From Newser:
The car's owner was outside a business in Bethesda, Maryland, late Sunday when the group approached and demanded his keys, pistol-whipping him with a gun, Fox 5 DC reports. The man ran back into the business while the suspects tried to take off in his SUV. But after they saw the stick shift, they ended up escaping the scene in another vehicle. They are still being sought, and the man is recovering from his injuries.
The Washington Examiner notes a similar incident took place in nearby Arlington, Virginia, in September, as well as in Germantown, Maryland, in March. Just 18% of Americans can reportedly drive stick.
Now, speaking from a hypothetical carjacker's perspective, I'd certainly ensure I mastered the art of driving a manual transmission.
After all, how can you claim the title of a bona fide carjacker if you can't navigate a stick shift?
