Yelchin's case looks like a consequence of an unconventional user design for the gearstick, rather than a consequence of manual cars in general. From The Washi

Yelchin's case looks like a consequence of an unconventional user design for the gearstick, rather than a consequence of manual cars in general. From The Washington Post [0]: "The parents of Anton Yelchin, the “Star Trek” actor who died in 2016 when his SUV rolled down his driveway and trapped him against a security gate, have reached a settlement with the makers of Jeep Grand Cherokee. "[..] [In 2015], [the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration] began investigating the unconventional gearstick design on these cars, which was causing crashes because drivers were mistakenly shifting to neutral when they thought they were shifting to park. "With a regular gearstick, drivers choose a transmission option (park, reverse, neutral, drive, etc.) by moving the stick into the corresponding notch or detent. Drivers can feel the stick settle into position. "But a new, different, design was used in the cars affected by the recall, which include certain recent models of the Chrysler 300, Dodge Charger, and Jeep Grand Cherokee." [0] https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/arts-and-entertainment/wp/2018/03/22/actor-anton-yelchin-was-crushed-to-death-by-his-suv-his-parents-just-settled-with-fiat-chrysler/ https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/arts-and-entertainment/w...