Warning: Rant ahead.
What is it with young people these days? Do none of them learn to drive properly?
Twice this year so far I’ve come up against people – both in their early 20s – who can’t drive the work car because they don’t know how to drive a manual.
When I was a young lass everyone learned manual gear changes.
In fact, I’ve never owned anything other than a manual car.
Now I don’t know whether manual 4WD’s are better than automatic ones – possibly it makes no difference – but that’s not the point…
It’s just laziness!
And it’s soooo irritating.
Honestly it’s not that hard to learn – my 13-year-old can drive a manual car – and it means that you can drive any car.
It’s like never learning to ride a bike when you were young. What’s up with that?! I did in fact meet someone who had to hire an enormous tricycle on Rottnest Island because they couldn’t ride a bicycle.
Yes. They did look like a big knob.
I’m over it.
Get with the program people and spend the time to learn how to drive manually. Do us ALL a favour.
Jeez Louise!
And I can tie a proper Windsor knot too, but don’t get me started.
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Katie wanted to learn to drive and wanted to do her automatic licence but we said no and explained that if you can drive a manual car you can drive an automatic but not the other way round. Anyway after complaining and mulling it over she has learnt to drive a manual and is a good driver (but we will see what the examiner thinks this Friday) and her pride and joy is a little Daihatsu Charade called Charlotte. Her very first car and it is a manual……….She drives my automatic but now prefers manual after all her compaining.
I cannot drive a manual.
A couple of my friends only learned to drive automatics and they are BAD drivers. It’s manual all the way for me. I like being able to control my car with something other than the brake.
Margaret – I can’t believe Katie is old enough to get a licence but your sentiment is absolutely spot on!
Carol – I’m sure you are still a good person.
Why did you choose not to learn to drive a manual?
HazelBB – good point. Not that I would consider myself a particularly great driver.
Gotta learn on a manual. It’s essential. But, as a country-born girl, I’m biased in that way.
There’s a lot that today’s kids don’t learn. Washing dishes by hand for example, so many people have dishwashers no. Don’t even get me started on the cooking vs. buying. I don’t drive at all. I probably could if I really had to, but not in city traffic which moves a lot faster now than when I first tried to drive, (on a country road). I get around by bus or walking.
As I’m about to head into the “late 30s” age group, I don’t think I qualify for the “young people” demographic anymore but I have to raise my hand and say that I only learned to drive in an automatic. Sorry
I also got my license in a manual. Up until Thursday it had been years since I had driven one, but it was amazing how quickly you remember how to do it once you get started.
I learnt in an auto but quickly learnt to drive a manual, it’s much safer, keeps you aware of your cars capabilities/limits and what your engine is doing far much more than an auto.
Well, the car that was available to me when I learned to drive at a very elderly 30 was an automatic. But, really, I have no desire to drive a manual at all.
Off the top of my head I can think of a dozen acquaintances over 30 who only know how to drive auto. And a dozen more that don’t know how to drive at all. Perhaps it is confined to the latte sipping, chardonnay swilling, inner-city set.
Call me naive, but I honestly had no idea that people cared if people drove manual or automatic. Must be a WA thing – you’re all freaks anyway
I learned in a manual driving backwards and forwards on our short road. I had hardly driven and automatic until I moved to America. Home of the automatic. Not many manuals there.
Katie passed her driving test first time and is now driving me crazy to do her 25 hours on a log book, because she got her Learners Permit a year ago she falls under some of the “old” rules and some of the new ones…….this is all very complicated.
Imagine how I feel, my first baby is now driving and she will be eighteen next year.
I’m with you – I think that there should be a law that you cannot get an automatic car unless you are licenced for a manual.
If your brakes fail in an auto you are stuffed unless you think to use your hand brake; at least in a manual you can use the clutch as well as the hand brake to stop…
I drive an auto now, but still have no issues with a manual.
I can only drive an automatic. At the time when I was learning to drive, both of my parents had automatic cars, and I was only working four hours (I was in high school still) and earning a measly $32 a week. Driving lessons with an instructor in a manual car were $40 a session. So, I took the affordable option. It wasn’t really an issue of laziness for me at the time.
I consider myself a great driver – I’ve never been in an accident, I never speed, and I pay attention to what’s going on around me. That’s not to say that something will never go wrong, but so far I have a pretty good track record (touch wood).
Now that I’ve been driving for almost eight years, I suppose you could say that it is an issue of laziness that I still can’t drive a manual
Especially when there is a perfectly good one sitting in my drive way…
So here’s my follow up question… would you put on your CV that you have an automatic licence only? Do you consider it a barrier to employment?