Reply #15: I posted this as a reply to the OP by mistake, here it is again..

[Fumesucker]

"I think it's possible to get the shifter confused, but I can't be sure that's what happened" in San Diego, Lyons said. "You'd be surprised how many people around here <Toyota> don't know what the neutral position is for."

As I pointed out, a great many people these days don't know how to drive a stick so are unfamiliar with what the neutral position is for.

The CHP officer may have been "highly trained" but it was in a car with an automatic, people who can only drive automatics really don't have the idea of neutral as an actual gear like people who are trained to drive a stick.

Edited to fix italics..