Learning to drive - auto or manual

wild666

I would always learn to drive in a manual transmission vehicle as you can then drive an automatic vehicle in the future. I learned in a manual vehicle but later drove automatic vehicles. I think the problem with learning in an automatic vehicle is that the licence might stipulate that the driver can only drive a vehicle with automatic transmission because they will not know when to change gear in a manual transmission vehicle.

Nelliegrace

You can do a very good emergency stop in an automatic when you are used to a manual.

@Bigwheels1111 I learnt on a motorbike first too. It teaches you about road safety and reading the road in a way no one who starts in a car can understand. 

facade

Nelliegrace said:

You can do a very good emergency stop in an automatic when you are used to a manual.

@Bigwheels1111 I learnt on a motorbike first too. It teaches you about road safety and reading the road in a way no one who starts in a car can understand. 

You only do it once.

Everybody does it the once

Then you get used to "one foot for each pedal" driving.

vacheron

Nelliegrace said:

You can do a very good emergency stop in an automatic when you are used to a manual.

@Bigwheels1111 I learnt on a motorbike first too. It teaches you about road safety and reading the road in a way no one who starts in a car can understand. 

The trick I teach people have never driven an automatic before is to fold your left leg so your foot is almost under the driving seat and leave it there for at least the first 10 minutes! 👍

Going for an imaginary clutch wouldn’t normally be a problem if automatic brake pedals weren’t so much bigger meaning you will inevitably catch it.

baser999

And a manual will teach more about what driving is all about - the changing of gears for accelerating and braking, holding the car on the clutch etc. Automatic is just stop, start, steering.

Herzlos

After 2040 you won't be able to buy a new manual, because they'll be hybrids or electrics. Probably a lot earlier than that, realistically.

Automatics now are pretty good but not quite commonplace. So if I was learning to drive *now* I'd go for manual, but it may be a different matter in 5/10 years time. It's not much harder to learn to drive a manual and it lets you drive everything, it gives you a bit of a better understanding of how the car works too.

Car_54

baser999 said:

And a manual will teach more about what driving is all about - the changing of gears for accelerating and braking, holding the car on the clutch etc. Automatic is just stop, start, steering.

The use of gears for slowing/braking is bad practice, and hasn't been taught for about the last 50 years.

Krakkkers

There are a few manual electric cars though they are unusual.

theoretica

[Deleted User] said:

baser999 said:

And a manual will teach more about what driving is all about - the changing of gears for accelerating and braking, holding the car on the clutch etc. Automatic is just stop, start, steering.

The use of gears for slowing/braking is bad practice, and hasn't been taught for about the last 50 years.

You must be thinking of something other than the signs on hills 'low gear now'?

Grumpy_chap

[Deleted User] said:

baser999 said:

And a manual will teach more about what driving is all about - the changing of gears for accelerating and braking, holding the car on the clutch etc. Automatic is just stop, start, steering.

The use of gears for slowing/braking is bad practice, and hasn't been taught for about the last 50 years.

I was taught (by my Driving Instructor - not by Dad) to use the gears and engine braking for slowing down.  That was a lot more recently than 50 years ago.

I understand the latest training is to just use the brake until the car is at the point of stalling and then to change down to 1st or neutral and stop.

There was rationale at the time I was taught as to why the change down through the gears and use of engine braking was a good thing:
1. Slowing on the gears meant you were less reliant on the brakes, so if the brakes failed the impact was less severe.
2. Changing down gears as you slow means you are always in the correct gear to pull away again if the traffic ahead clears.