AdequateRV wrote:
Is there a higher probability of it slipping into gear when it is running vs not running? If it slips into gear, is the damage more or less severe when running vs not running?
All good questions. The only one I can kinda add something too is the last one. All cars (that I know of) that get towed are disabled prior to towing. As in pulling a fuse to lock out the starting cycle. This has to be done for a reason.
On my Saturn I assumed it was to make sure that if it did slip into gear the motor would not start from the tires turning over the engine. Without that fuse the Saturn would not start.