QOTD
Should I Learn To Drive With A Manual Or Automatic? Question Of The Day
By Cameron Aubernon
February 16, 2016
Drivers learning to driver should avoid distractions and concentrate on the fundamentals before they attempt more advanced.
Photo by State Farm / Flickr
Question:
Is it better to learn to drive in a manual-shift car, or an automatic?
Answer: While manual transmissions used to dominate the automotive landscape, today, automatics are the industry standard. Only about
50 vehicles sold out of more than 250 nameplates offer a manual transmission. It’s quite possible that many drivers will never push in clutch and shift a vehicle’s gear during their lifetime. And driving experts say new drivers should learn the driving basics in a car with on an automatic transmission and then move to a manual transmission.
J.C Fawcett of
Defensive Driving School, which offers driver training in addition to teen and adult students, said while both are good to know how to use, the student would be better off learning in an automatic.
Photo by Robert Couse-Baker / Flickr
“I think it’s great to be exposed to both; I also think it’s good to learn stick early,” Fawcett said. “However, I believe it’s also easier to separate the two learning processes. If you’ve [never driven] before, I think it takes longer to try and learn both the stick and basic car control at the same time. I would recommend you go about learning to drive an automatic. Once you’ve mastered the basic techniques of turning, starting, stopping, lane changes, that type of thing, then go ahead and introduce the stickshift vehicle.”
Fawcett adds that inexperienced drivers should learn the fundamentals of driving a manual transmission vehicle in an empty parking lot or empty street to stay safe. Once the driver becomes confident with the clutch, shifting and braking at low speeds, they can test their abilities in progressively more difficult areas.
As far as the advantages for each type of transmissions, Fawcett said automatics are good for allowing the new driver to focus on becoming comfortable with vehicle operation, while learning how to operate a manual allows them to “understand the gears better” in situations such as driving up and down hills.
“My opinion is you’ll be a much better-rounded driver if you have a substantial amount of experience in a stickshift vehicle.”