I Bet The Failure Or Success Rate Is Very, Very High

(Bits&Pieces.us)

It's A Very Effective Deterrent

(Bits&Pieces.us)

This Picture Speaks Volumes

(Bits&Pieces.us)

This Is Just A Great Picture

(Jalopnik.com)

A Lot Of It Has To Do With Safety Vs Stupidity

This Is Why Some Automatic Transmissions Shift Straight and Some Are All Zig-Zaggy

Some OEM’s may have an issue with it being too easy to move the car from Drive to Neutral while moving, and this may determine the pattern they choose to have you move the knob to achieve vehicle gear. They could make you go over and up to prevent accidentally pushing the car into neutral. I know that Jaguar has that shifter because their left side allows you to lock the vehicle into 3, 2, or 1st gear, and to prevent accidentally triggering this they make you move all the way around, and it’s their original design (so again back to customer preference).

(Jalopnik.com)