Was the key not usable? Ie, turn off vehicle?
Was neutral not available?
To get my car to go I need key in the on position AND the gear in drive. I can go to neutral and turn off key anytime.
These stories of barreling down the highway with key locked, throttle locked, gear selector locked seem bogus.
To the best of my knowledge, steering locks only engage when the key is removed.
But I wonder what would happen if I was travelling and I just pressed the start/stop button, if the car would actually switch off.
Neutral is the solution. But when panicking you’re unlikely to use something you likely never use outside of an automatic car wash.
Remember, when you turn car off you are stopping, that's your goal. With brakes you don't need to "drive" that far once car is off. Turn off car, press on brakes, done.
Why is a crash guaranteed? I've driven with a car off (manual start when alternator out). It works OK (tight turns excepted without power steering)