It’s the day that none of us want to face: news that a childhood friend has died. For car enthusiast Aaron Brown (@killintime1995), that moment became a mission to help others when he learned how she died. His TikTok on how to survive a runaway car has garnered over 17 million views and counting.
Brown’s childhood friend died in an accident because her car kept accelerating, and she couldn’t stop it safely. "One of my friends that I grew up with, I found out, passed away in a car crash. And I read through how she passed away, and it made me so sad because I know if I was in that car, that she would still be alive," he says.
How to Survive a Runaway Vehicle
"Because of that, I want to tell you what you can do to stay alive if you have a runaway vehicle," he says earnestly.
"If your accelerator on your car sticks, you’ve got a sticky gas pedal, don’t try and steer," he says emphatically. "Your engine is running away. [It] is stuck accelerating for some reason. Your transmission is not. If you have a runaway car, to save your life, grab your shifter and put your shifter into neutral," he instructs.
What that does, he explains, is put your transmission in neutral, so it's not receiving any torque. "Your engine will just be up there, revvin’ along, doing its own thing, and it will not be driving your wheels."
Then, the vehicle should start to slow down, and you can slam the brakes, pull over, and shut the car off. "Please, do not try to drive out a runaway, accelerating vehicle. You will die," he says.
Gallery: Runaway Renault: French Man Taken on 130-Mile Joyride
Condolences and Tips to Survive an Out-of-Control Car
More than 24,000 comments poured in, many offering comfort and thanks. It’s touching to see strangers reach out and try to ease Brown’s heart.
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"U just helped 1M people, [sobbing emoji]," notes Hear and There (@famous.girl.67) in a post from several days ago. Subsequent comments keep a count of the number of views the video has received, a communal silver lining.
Other users comment on what to expect once you’ve committed to neutral, and two more users offer important follow-up actions.
"[Important] to note," says KittyKilla420 (@kittykillah420), "your engine will immediately get extremely loud once you go into neutral. That’s ‘normal’ for this situation."
Ruben (@plutodadeuce) adds, "DO NOT TURN YOUR CAR OFF UNTIL IT HAS COME TO A STOP if you turn your car off you will lose your ability to turn the steering wheel because the power steering won’t work."
What Happens When a Vehicle "Runs Away"?
Runaway vehicles are very rare, and more typically occur with older, poorly maintained diesel engines, according to user Junkyardjim on the PeachParts forum. But that’s not to say rare mechanical failures don’t happen. Mechanical causes for uncontrolled acceleration can include a stuck accelerator pedal, throttle body malfunction, engine control unit problems, or even a bunched-up floor mat.
Nonetheless, vehicle safety attorney E. Todd Tracy believes that in contemporary cars, "the defect is latent and hidden and quite simply involves software coding issues and processor heat buildup." Processor heat can cause hard-to-track glitches and failures just as it can in a desktop computer.
However, in a situation like this, it’s worth consulting with experts in advance. The site Edmunds largely agrees with Brown: put the vehicle in neutral, turn it off, or to ACC (Accessory Mode). If you do turn it off, leave the keys in the ignition so you can still steer. For cars with an engine start/stop button, procedures vary by manufacturer. Edmunds notes that "Some carmakers require you to firmly and steadily push the button for at least 3 seconds to turn off the engine. Others require you to press the button three times in succession."
Check your manual the next time you get into your vehicle.
Runaway Vehicle Recap
"Her death is very tragic," Brown says, "and I just wanted to put this out there that maybe, hopefully, someone will see this and learn how to save their life. All it takes is two seconds: grab that shifter, and put it in neutral."
Motor1 reached out to Aaron Brown via TikTok direct message for comment.
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