A woman in Nashville, Tennessee, was saved by the grace of three pedals and a gear selector. Two teenage carjackers attempted to steal a woman's vehicle at a Kroger parking lot only to find it didn't have an automatic transmission.
The two teens, ages 15 and 17, grabbed the woman's keys as she exited her car and approached the grocery store. Both boys entered the car but fled on foot moments later because they were unable to drive a manual transmission.
The city of Nashville's Midtown Hills Precinct released a statement on the carjackers last Tuesday, stating that the manual transmission kept the thieves from making off with the car. The thieves also attempted to steal a different car earlier in the day, but were thwarted when the woman blew the horn and refused to get out. Both victims and their vehicle types were not identified in the release.
A short time after the second incident, police spotted the suspects and arrested both. The victims positively identified both suspects and police charged them with attempted robbery/carjacking, theft of property, and attempted theft of a vehicle.
It's no secret many drivers haven't had experience driving a car equipped with a manual transmission. The transmission has become more of a rarity as automatics and continuously variable transmissions offer greater fuel economy.
Still, enthusiasts continue to embrace the manual transmission, and now it is a proven theft deterrent.