Dumb Criminals: MA Car Thieves Foiled Because They Can't Drive Stick Shift

[Initech]

SPRINGFIELD — A delivery driver was robbed of a food order on Dawes Street on Tuesday night and would have lost his car as well, but none of the three robbers knew how to drive a manual transmission, police said.

The delivery driver told police he had stopped at about 10:15 p.m. to deliver an order on Dawes Street and called the number on the order to say he had arrived. Moments later, he was rushed by three men, one of whom had a knife.

They demanded the food and his car keys, said Sgt. John Delaney, aide to Police Commissioner William Fitchet.

“The trio jumped into his car and attempted to steal it, but not one of them knew how to drive a stick-shift car,” he said.

http://www.masslive.com/news/index.ssf/2014/01/springfield_police_would-be_ca.html#incart_river

[Kaleva]

1. Shows just how far our driver education system has declined.

[47of74]

4. When I was in high school

The school would lease cars from local dealers, this allowed them to get brand new vehicles for each semester. One of the driver's ed teachers said they had tried stick shifts one semester. After having to have three clutches replaced along with other work the dealers told them that going forward they were getting automatics.

I learned how to drive sticks before drivers ed, but that was on the farm. It's like riding a bicycle too, once it's learned it's not forgotten. I don't drive sticks very often anymore, but I've found when I do I don't have any problems driving them.

[Kaleva]

5. Yes. I also learned to drive a stick on the farm long before taking driver ed.

[Galileo126]

2. Hee hee!

I've been driving a stick for 30 yrs. Looks like I'm pretty safe...

[meow2u3]

3. Looks as if I'm safe

My car is a stick.
I ought to get a bumper sticker that reads: If you can't drive stick, don't steal this car.

[Warren DeMontague]

6. Good planning, gents

They'd never make it in Europe.