AIBU to think DD might as well learn to drive on an automatic car?

[whiteroseredrose]

DD is 21 and has not yet learned to drive. The plan is to learn next summer when she finishes university.

Problem is that DH and I both have hybrid cars that are automatic. I couldn't find a hybrid manual car as they probably don't exist.

Rather than have DD take lessons in.a manual car with either no practice in between or practice in our automatics, take that test and then maybe do a 'conversion' at a later date.

Would that make sense?

They’re not dominant now, never mind in 10:years time. Less than a quarter of new car models on sale today are available in as manuals, and by volume 62% of new cars sold are automatic (source SMMT). Indeed, this article states that manual cars can be worth as much as 21% less second hand. Which does at least make them cheap to buy. But that’s because fewer people want them.

https://cardealermagazine.co.uk/publish/is-it-the-end-of-the-road-for-manual-gearboxes-as-their-used-car-residual-values-tumble/302918#:~:text=Meanwhile%2C%20SMMT%20figures%20show%20that,only%20offered%20with%20automatic%20gearboxes.

Its a more useful skill

Road awareness, watching out for other cars, getting used to being in a vehicle big enough to hurt pedestrians or hit other vehicles, driving on dual carriage ways, in busy areas with traffic and lots of speed changes or zebra crossings or parked vehicles, judging distances, speeds in different conditions, learning how to use roundabouts, turning across traffic on big junctions, parallel parking… just some of the things many people would find more challenging than finding ‘biting’ point …

Ot if you only drive an automatic 😁. It’s a totally unnecessary skill. Whereas having A levels even if you don’t use the subject helps when job hunting I guess.

Yes, skipnit abd go straight to automatic.

I learned in a manual but now drive an automatic. I think I would really struggle to remember how to drive a manual now. Wish I had just gone straight to automatic. Would have saved me a fortune in lessons and tests (failed driving test twice). I have no intention of driving a manual ever again.

So you failed your tests purely on gear changing?

None of those things are anything to do with controlling the car which is why I was quite specific in my post.

I will be interested to see how it is when my own kids are older.

Apparently they predict the last person to take a manual driving test will be born in 2 years, so that would suggest a big decline of manual even before that point.

Learn manual. My dad gas an auto now and was given a manual courtesy car. He said it was like learning to drive all over again.

Not for me as a delivery driver lol

You never know, at my place you can’t get an admin job without a degree.

Im 53. The stuff you need degrees for now in some places you could get on O levels

Do you have a boat licence? You don't have to, but it might come in handy one day.

Yeah, because learning how to control an entirely different vehicle is exactly the same as learning to drive a manual car and boats are just as common as cars on the highways and byways of the U.K

I was responding to a poster who was drawing a comparison between driving a manual and studying English Lit. I'm glad you were also able to see my sarcasm aimed at the ridiculousness of comparing two unrelated things.

(ETA: Responding to you @SoupDragon , sorry for the muddled quoting.)

I failed my test on not indicating properly at a roundabout, but if wasn't changing gear I would've had fewer things for my hands to do, so perhaps I would've passed quicker 🤷‍♀️