Driving lessons in automatic car

[wanye]

Originally Posted by Bladelia

I passed in 1986, and having driven both manual and automatic vehicles I find (and it may be all in my mind) that Im more in control in a manual vehicle I get less complacent, and less distracted.

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i passed in 1993 and having driven both manual and automatic vehicles I find (and it may be all in my mind) that Im more in control in an automatic vehicle I get less complacent, and less distracted

(i also find i'm not broken after a long drive or commute in bad traffic due to constantly riding the clutch)

petrol cars will be dead soon, and pretty much all electric cars will have auto transmission. the only reason to learn in a manual now is that manual cars are (currently) more abundant in the second hand market, so by only going for an automatic, you are limiting your choices, which can be an issue if money is tight.

also 10 lessons? that's nothing. it took me 7 months/35 lessons (from not ever having really been in cars as a kid) - also, you can still give them lessons in your auto. driving is driving, and most of it is feeling comfortable being on the road, not what gear you are in, or hill starts...

[DisneyDaffodil]

My daughter is now 18 and has been learning for 18 months and failed three tests. She is very intelligent and very sensible but just has not been able to grasp driving easily. She has 90 minute lessons too and a very patient instructor but I now wonder whether an automatic may have been a better option for her as she is losing confidence and I fear she will give up if she fails her next test.

I think you should give your DD another 10 lessons but if it isn’t improving by then, change to an automatic. Passing in an automatic is better than not passing at all and giving up. Good luck to her

[Guest]

Originally Posted by DisneyDaffodil

My daughter is now 18 and has been learning for 18 months and failed three tests. She is very intelligent and very sensible but just has not been able to grasp driving easily. She has 90 minute lessons too and a very patient instructor but I now wonder whether an automatic may have been a better option for her as she is losing confidence and I fear she will give up if she fails her next test.

I think you should give your DD another 10 lessons but if it isn’t improving by then, change to an automatic. Passing in an automatic is better than not passing at all and giving up. Good luck to her

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As mentioned above, I struggled to master driving. But I don't think that changing gears was ever part of the problem and I don't think changing to automatic would have helped me at all. I think it was more about confidence and judgement.

I finally passed after spending four or five days on an intensive course, driving for hours every day got me settled into a routine.

[DisneyDaffodil]

Originally Posted by Claudette

As mentioned above, I struggled to master driving. But I don't think that changing gears was ever part of the problem and I don't think changing to automatic would have helped me at all. I think it was more about confidence and judgement.

I finally passed after spending four or five days on an intensive course, driving for hours every day got me settled into a routine.

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To be honest, I think my DD is similar to you. She did struggle with co-ordination at first but now it does seem as if her judgement is the problem as she is failing tests on undue hesitation, or touching kerbs by misjudging the speed she needs to get around it safely. This is then affecting her confidence. Her manoeuvres are excellent and she can park in the tightest of spots.

It may be worth looking into an intensive course for her as ideally we would like her to pass before she goes to university in September