There’s a stereotype about luxury car owners—that they aren’t the kindest drivers.
This belief is pretty widespread. For example, a 2023 survey in the U.K. asked drivers which other motorists were the rudest. The three most commonly selected brands were premium makes: BMW, Audi, and Mercedes-Benz, with Porsche and Land Rover also scoring high placements.
But is it actually true? That’s debated. Some studies claim that luxury car drivers are less likely to yield to pedestrians and are more likely to engage in other unethical driving behavior. That said, studies like these have occasionally been criticized for publication bias—so the real truth of the matter is unknown.
Still, plenty of people believe that luxury car drivers are a pain. That’s why when they see something like what TikToker @krazykob_youtube observed in a parking garage, they can get a little upset. But is there more to the story?
Why Is This Porsche In The Middle Of The Parking Garage Lane?
In a video with over 836,000 views, TikTok user @krazykob_youtube shows a Porsche that appears to be parked in the middle of the lane in a parking structure.
“Look at this,” he starts. “This is the lane to go with the parking spots. This mother-piece parked in the road. Literally in the road!”
The TikToker then stops to get a better look at the car. It appears that the car is, in fact, parked in such a way that all traffic through the parking structure is blocked.
“I'm on a one-way. These are one-way lanes. You can see the angled parking spots,” he explains. “I'm literally at a loss for words. … What is this guy doing?”
Chrysler Driver Looks Closer At Porsche
Confused, the TikToker gets out of his Chrysler to take a better look at the Porsche. It’s at this point that he realizes that the Porsche is not only parked in the middle of the road but also that it has hit a neighboring car.
This makes the TikToker come to a shocking realization.
“Oh, the car rolled out of—it's in neutral, and it rolled out of its spot,” he details. “That's what happened.”
The TikToker then explains that the parking structure is on a slight decline. This means that, if a parking brake is not applied, a car left in neutral may simply roll out of its spot. This appears to be what happened here.
“Oh, that sucks. They're gonna be so pissed,” the TikToker states. “I'm gonna have to go tell someone.”
In the text overlay, the TikToker notes that this experience is an example of why you shouldn’t “get heated too quick.”
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It’s Pretty Common
Cars rolling away on their own, either due to a failure to apply the parking brake or issues with the braking system itself, is a more common phenomenon than most people might think.
From 2017 to 2021, the NHTSA's Non-Traffic Surveillance system estimated that 7,727 people were injured and an additional 816 people were killed by unattended rollaway vehicles. This works out to an average of 163 deaths and 1,545 injuries per year—or roughly one death every 2.2 days and four injuries per day.
This doesn’t just happen because someone forgot to apply the parking brake in a lot. For example, someone may put their car in reverse in their driveway, then realize they forgot something inside their home. They will step out of their car and fail to put the car in park, leading to the vehicle careening down the driveway and into the sidewalk and street.
How To Prevent Rollaway Vehicles
Thankfully, this is a fairly easy problem to stop from happening. In short, one must get their brakes checked frequently and ensure that their parking brake is applied when they are not in the car.
There’s a lot of debate about how often brakes should be checked. In general, a good rule of thumb is to get your brakes completely checked once per year, though aggressive drivers may find that they benefit from a brake check every six months.
One should also test their parking brake. If they find that it does not adequately stop the vehicle when parked, it should be serviced as soon as possible to prevent rollaways.
Finally, one should be sure that their parking brake is applied whenever they leave the vehicle.
If they follow this advice, they should return to the parking garage and find their Porsche parked right where they left it—not crashed up against a neighboring vehicle.
Motor1 reached out to @krazykob_youtube via TikTok direct message and comment. We will update this story if he responds.
