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bugshaw: (Bicycle)
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Driving Lesson #14

posted by [personal profile] bugshaw at 09:32pm on 19/09/2008 under
This morning I had my 'taster lesson' in an automatic car. The driving experience took a little getting used to; the car keeps running while the brake is not pressed, so the relation of gas pedal to car speed is not the same as in a manual. I found it hard to keep a steady speed, typically wavering by 5mph.

I found junctions and roundabouts much easier. When the car is in Drive, it cannot go backwards so you don't need to worry about rolling backwards into a too-close vehicle when setting off. Roundabouts are suddenly all about observations and finding a gap, with no fiddling with gears and handbrakes. You just drive!

I did have to sit with my foot on the brake a fair bit, but that's a lot less work than the clutch. At the end of the two hours my back ached but it was a couple of inches higher than usual and central - no stabbing pain in the left sacroiliac joint!

A cautious Win for the automatic, but I'll persevere with trying to pass the test in a manual.
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There are 6 comments on this entry. (Reply.)
 

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posted by [identity profile] sharikkamur.livejournal.com at 08:52pm on 19/09/2008
I regularly swap between the two - I have a manual but my Dad has an automatic, which I use when I'm in Liverpool. It generally takes me a few moments to get my mind into the right mindset when I get into one type after driving the other for a while. Much like swapping between right-hand-drive and left-hand drive.

It sounds like an automatic would be much better for you, but I agree entirely with your decision to take the test in a manual. So much more flexibility if you ever need to hire a car.
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posted by [identity profile] auntysarah.livejournal.com at 09:03pm on 19/09/2008
Welcome to the dark side :-)
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posted by [identity profile] frandowdsofa.livejournal.com at 09:14pm on 19/09/2008
I have a learner's licence that only allows me to drive an automatic, because of my arms/hands. It's not the pedals, it's the stick that I can't manage, certainly for long drives. I love them, and drove one in the US, but it's very easy to speed when you're on a clear road.
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posted by [identity profile] mkillingworth.livejournal.com at 09:25pm on 19/09/2008
My father insisted that we all take our tests in a manual transmission car. He said that any idiot can steer a machine, and he wanted to be sure that we actually knew how to *drive* a car. Most of my cars have been manuals, but I have finally broken down and bought an automatic. The knees just aren't what they used to be.
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posted by [identity profile] bellinghman.livejournal.com at 05:59am on 20/09/2008
My last two speeding tickets were in automatics. In the meanwhile, I drove over 100,000 miles in a manual - but getting the MG, I had a ticket within 500 miles.

Yes, the cues you have as to your speed are much reduced in the automatic.

What hasn't been mentioned is one good reason for passing in a manual: hiring a car. There's not only more flexibility, but in quite a few markets, automatics cost a lot more to hire than manuals. The bunch we hired from in Ireland is an example: I think they reckon that locals will always want the manual, whereas it's (only?) rich Americans who'll want the automatic.
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posted by [personal profile] hnpcc at 12:49am on 22/09/2008
My main problem in automatics is remembering that unless your foot is firmly on the brake the damn thing will go forward if you're sitting in Drive. Which is how I managed to run very slowly into the back of the car in front - I was reaching back for the melways and my foot came off the brake enough for the car to move, but slowly enough that I didn't notice it. Dammit!
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