Rise in Carjackings Thwarted by Manual Transmissions

In the latest incident, a group of would-be thieves in Bethesda, Maryland, were unable to steal a Porsche due to its stick shift.

Amid a crime wave of carjackings in the Washington, D.C., area, a group of would-be thieves were foiled when they attempted to steal a Porsche on Sunday after realizing they couldn't drive a stick shift.
This incident came after the group pistol-whipped a Bethesda, Maryland, man and stole his vehicle's keys at gunpoint. The victim ran into a nearby business while the suspects discovered they could not operate the vehicle's manual transmission.
A similar incident happened in September when three men attempted to rob a man in Arlington, Virginia, but fled the scene when they discovered it was a manual transmission.
Car thefts in the area have risen by 93% in 2023, with at least 6,317 cars stolen as of Monday.
Only around 18% of American drivers reportedly can drive a manual transmission.