Lexus ES meets a sticky end after driver forgets to put it in Park

CCTV footage has emerged showing the moment a woman forgot to put her car into ‘Park’ – and watched helplessly as it made a bid for freedom towards a busy road.

The video, captured on what appears to be a home CCTV system, shows the driver preparing to leave her driveway in a previous-generation Lexus ES.

She stopped, as if she’d forgotten something inside the house, and then exited the vehicle. However, as soon as she took her foot off the brake, the car leapt forwards – leaving its driver behind.

The Lexus had some lock wound on to its steering, so it was able to avoid the BMW i3 parked right in front of it – but instead fell down a large kerb and continued its path towards the public road ahead.

Luckily, there were no casualties – the Lexus avoided hitting any passing traffic and instead stopped harmlessly on the other side of the road, with the only injuries presumably to its bodywork, suspension and the owner’s pride.

It appears that the owner had forgotten to take the car’s automatic gearbox out of ‘drive’ before getting out – it’s apparent from the brake lights that she was on the footbrake until she stood up. That allowed the car to ‘creep’ forward – before the slope of the driveway took hold and it sped up.

There’s no word on the eventual repair bill, but it’s lucky to note that nobody was injured in the incident.