Man reveals exactly what to do if your car is ‘running away’ and says this one move will save your life
Published on Nov 15, 2025 at 2:42 PM (UTC+4)
by Molly Davidson
Last updated on Nov 13, 2025 at 5:18 PM (UTC+4)
Edited by
Emma Matthews
It’s a nightmare scenario – you’re driving on the road and suddenly your car won’t slow down.
Your foot’s off the pedal, but the engine keeps screaming.
One man says there’s a way out, and it’s simpler than you’d think.
After losing a friend in a runaway-car crash, he took to TikTok to share the move that could mean the difference between life and death.
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What to do if your car is running away
Aaron Brown, known on TikTok as killintime1995, says he couldn’t stay quiet after learning how his childhood friend passed away.
Reading how it happened, he realized he might’ve been able to save her.
So he filmed a PSA that’s now gone viral.
If your car starts accelerating on its own, he says, don’t steer or panic – the engine is the problem, not the transmission.
And the fix takes two seconds: grab the shifter and put it in neutral.
That single move disconnects the engine from the wheels.
Your revs will shoot up, but the car will start to slow down.
Then you hit the brakes, pull the handbrake, and get to the side of the road.
“Do not try to drive it out,” he warns.
“You will die.”
It’s blunt, but it’s important.
And millions have already watched and thanked him for teaching something they never learned in driving school.
Why Aaron’s message hits so hard
Runaway acceleration can happen – stuck pedals, mechanical faults, panic can all play a part.
And while modern cars have safety overrides, older ones don’t.
TikTokers flooded Aaron’s comments, saying they always thought the best move was to pull the handbrake.
Most people wouldn’t think of neutral in the moment as their car is running away.
Now they know better.
Aaron Brown’s video turns that knowledge into muscle memory.
And he’s not chasing views – he’s trying to make sure no one else ever has to learn the hard way.
@killintime1995 ♬ original sound – Aaron Brown
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Molly Davidson is a Junior Content Writer at Supercar Blondie. Based in Melbourne, she holds a double Bachelor’s degree in Arts/Law from Swinburne University and a Master’s of Writing and Publishing from RMIT. Molly has contributed to a range of magazines and journals, developing a strong interest in lifestyle and car news content. When she’s not writing, she’s spending quality time with her rescue English staffy, Boof.
