Don’t runaway in a motor vehicle, or else you’ll end up like this truck!

There's nothing quite like a good madcap comedy to bring out the belly laughs in any audience. But perhaps the next best thing is real-life video footage of unscripted "madcap comedic" events. One scenario that never fails to get a chuckle? The runaway car.

With that in mind, we present the six funniest videos of runaway cars on the Web. (Warning: do not drink and milk while viewing these, lest it wind up all over your keyboard and monitor.)

1. Don't push me!

http://www.spike.com/video-clips/7szzx9/runaway-car

Okay, there are times when you must get out and push your vehicle. But one of these times is not on a downhill-sloping icy road. (What could possibly go wrong? Plenty.) But the best part is the unintentional comedy provided by the displaced driver. The only thing missing is a cartoon music score.

2. Rolling toward disaster

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=07mmZWjb76A&feature=player_detailpage

This video begins with an uninhabited red car rolling through a parking lot. A business man sprints after it, but watches as his vehicle crashes through some bushes. But our hero is undaunted. He continues his foot pursuit and actually reaches the escaping vehicle - but will he stop it before the car reaches heavy traffic? We won't spoil the ending for you.

3. Sneaking away at the gas pump

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7UPOQ89jBuk&feature=player_detailpage

This scene begins as just another motorist pulling up to the gasoline pumps. A man gets out and begins filling up a gas can. After several seconds, the minivan suddenly decides to take a little stroll. Keep watching - you'll find yourself yelling, "Turn around, you idiot!" at the computer - just like you would at a horror film.

4. Running from the cops - without a driver

http://www.stupidvideos.com/video/all/Runaway_Car/#945

Thanks to the miracle of police dashcam video, we see a kindly woman pulling over to the curb as per the instructions of a law enforcement officer. She is trying to obey the policeman's commands - but the car has other ideas. It tries to make a break for it as the poor woman attempts to break out of its clutches.

5. Keystone cop car

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_detailpage&v=fAEBxTa3BcE

Another dashcam video, but this one is different. It features the police car itself rolling away! The viewer is treated to a "first-person" look at an attempted traffic stop in a parking lot as it turns into a hilarious foot chase by the furious officer. (The audio is priceless IF you don't mind salty language - otherwise, you can still enjoy it with the sound on mute.)

6. "Blast" from the past: perpetual motion in reverse

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fkAsJtNubuY&feature=player_detailpage

There's so many nuggets of bliss in this tale, which takes place a quarter century ago on the streets of Baltimore. A baby-blue "boat" car inexplicably gets stuck in reverse and proceeds to drive in backwards circles. So how does an off-duty cop solve this problem? By putting it out of its misery. But the best part of this video has to be the retro styles and the background music. (God, I miss "Sanford and Son.")

In America, celebrities are generally well-rewarded for their “talents,” like the ability to throw an orange ball into a hoop, learn three guitar chords, or cry hysterically on cue. You’d expect that these hot-shots would have enough skill capacity left over for some of the tasks more common to laymen. Driving, for instance.

Exhibit A: David Beckham

The world-famous soccer player ran into trouble (literally) on a Los Angeles freeway last month. According to witnesses, "Becks" (who had his 12-year old son with him) was speeding and driving recklessly in his Cadillac Escalade when he rear-ended a car in front of him.

Doesn't it amaze you that a man who makes millions of dollars a year thanks to his ability to maneuver a soccer ball with his feet apparently does not have the agility to use one of those feet to press on a brake pedal?

Sadly, Beckham is far from the only example of public figures who either lack the aptitude necessary to operate a motor vehicle or feel that the driving laws do not apply to them. Here are some other celebrities who have been at fault in auto accidents.

Shia Lebouf, actor

The Transformers star can instantly switch from action hero to ladies' man on the silver screen. But in July of 2008, he was unable to keep his pickup truck upright after turning in front of another vehicle at an L.A. intersection.

The longtime pop star can melt hearts with his sultry voice, but he simply cannot control his Range Rover. He rear-ended a car at over 100 mph in southeast England in August of 2009 -- and then smacked a photo shop in London only 11 months later.

Lindsay Lohan, actress

She's so talented that she can morph into twins onscreen, but in March of 2009, she still managed to slam into a Hollywood Hills gatepost in her Mercedes Benz while allegedly trying to flee from the paparazzi.

He must possess superhuman dexterity to create the melodies which emanate from his piano. His hands have certainly mastered the ivories, but they seemed to have trouble steering a Volkswagen Beetle, which crashed into a tree in the Hamptons back in January of 2003.

Then there's Tiger. When it comes to hitting a little white ball into a 4.25-inch hole, he can beat anyone in the world. But somehow, he failed to successfully guide his sport utility vehicle out of the driveway of his Florida home in November of 2009 without smashing into a telephone pole.

So the next time you hit the road, be sure to watch out for those celebrity drivers. If you do happen to get into an accident with one, there is a bright side: they'll probably have really good auto insurance.

Image credits: examiner.com, people.com, realbollywood.com, primecelebrities.com, en.wikipedia.org, sportsofboston.com.

It's a lengthy argument that's been waged ever since women gained the right to drive: do men or women drive the worst? The stereotype has been, for years, that women are terrible drivers due to their refusal to be aggressive on the road, while men are criticized for putting themselves and others at risk. The only common agreement has been that people from Massachusetts drive terribly, regardless of gender.

This age-old debate has seen new fire thanks to legal changes in the European Union banning gender-based insurance rules. What normally wouldn't have been noticed by anybody other than lawyers now has everyone up in arms, as it's been revealed female drivers will see a 25% increase, while men will see a 10% drop in auto insurance rates. In other words, European men have been paying 35% more than women for years, because the car insurance industry believes women are better drivers.

Turns out, the insurance industry isn't actually wrong. In study after study, it's shown that men are in more crashes, and have more traffic violations that lead to accidents. In fact, studies have shown a fairly consistent number: men are 77% more likely to get in a fatal accident. But don't take our word for it: Carnegie Mellon has the statistics available in a handy database you can see for yourself.

On the other hand, it is worth asking how fair this is to individual drivers. After all, a big part of those fatalities are young male drivers, who are more aggressive on the road but don't have the driving experience to back it up, and thus get into more accidents in general. And it's not like there aren't women who drive aggressively. In fact, there's one group more death-prone on the road than teenage boys: women in their eighties, who are simply so fragile that even normally non-fatal car accidents will kill them.

Nor are women all timid little lambs on the road: female fatalities on the road have been rising even as male fatalities have been declining. In addition, women are beginning to drive more aggressively, with the accompanying rise of tickets.

There's also the factor of data. All this is based on government-provided data, but there are other factors at work as well. For example, the old joke is absolutely true: young women, especially attractive young women, get fewer tickets and are more likely to beat those tickets in court, even if they're guilty! But even an older woman is still going to catch more breaks and be cited less. In Massachusetts, widely acclaimed for its terrible driving and even more terrible roads, that adds up to $25 million men are paying that women aren't. A year.

So, the truth is, the jury is still out. The data would seem to say that men don't drive as well as women, but the data is skewed, and indicating that even with that skew, women are closing the gap. The debate rages on: all we know is that somebody is getting a free ride.