A man has issued a life-saving tip to drivers after his friend died in a tragic car accident that he believes could have been avoided.
Aaron Brown took to TikTok last week to share advice on how to handle a ‘runaway car’ after the passing of his childhood pal.
A runaway car is a term used to described a vehicle that is accelerating uncontrollably due to a malfunction.
According to Brown, there’s a simple fix to the dangerous situation that every driver should know.
‘One of my friends that I grew up with passed away in a car crash. I read 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 began in the video, which has been viewed more than 19 million times.
‘Because of that, I want to tell you what you can do to stay alive if you have a runaway vehicle.’
Brown explained that most people try to steer the car if their accelerator sticks, but instead, he said you should put your car into neutral.
‘If your accelerator on your car sticks and you got a sticky gas pedal, don’t try to steer. Your engine is running away [but] your transmission is not,’ he continued.
A man has issued a dire, life-saving tip to drivers after his friend died in a tragic car accident that he believes could have been avoided (stock image)
‘If you have a runaway car, to save your life, grab your shifter and put your shifter into neutral.
‘Your transmission will be in neutral. No torque from the engine will go into your transmission.
‘Your engine will be revving, doing its own thing, but it will not be driving your wheels. Your vehicle will be able to slow down and you can use your breaks.’
Brown added that he hoped sharing the video would help others avoid the same heartbreaking fate as his friend.
‘Her death was very tragic and I just wanted to put this out there and hopefully someone will see this and will learn how to save their life,’ he concluded.
‘All it takes – grab that shifter and put it in neutral. That’s it. It’s no longer driving. The car will begin to slow down. Slam on your breaks after you’ve done that and you will be OK.’
Many experts have shared similar advice in the past.
Consumer Report previously wrote that if your car is accelerating uncontrollably, you should break firmly but ‘do not pump the breaks.’
The man said: ‘If you have a runaway car, to save your life, grab your shifter and put your shifter into neutral’ (stock image)
‘Do not turn off the engine yet, because doing so would disable the power assist for your steering and brakes,’ it added.
Next, it said to shift the transmission into neutral.
‘Don’t worry if the engine revs up alarmingly – most modern cars have rev-limiters to protect it, and this move will put you in back in control of your vehicle,’ the site wrote.
‘Steer to a safe location and and come to a full stop. Shut off the engine with the transmission still in neutral.’
