The question of which type transmission to choose, when considering a course of driving lessons, is an important consideration for most.

Automatic, or a manual car; both have advantages and disadvantages.

Pro Coach Driving School, advocates Learning to Drive in an automatic car for lots of reasons, but the main two are listed below as subheadings. However they both end up back at safety, which of course is paramount.

Safety

New drivers really enjoy driving automatic cars, because it makes driving easier compared to a car with a manual transmission, as there is less to do “in car”. No messing around with a clutch, changing gear, matching gear to speed; it’s all taken care of for you.

Less in car thought, related to above activities, leaves far more brain power available to make decisions relating to the road and other road users.

A Pan European project which went on between 2007-2009 found many different causes of novice driver accidents.

One of the findings on the causes of novice driver collisions, was that some were fatigue related.

Picture a young novice driver, coming back from a party on a dark country road with a 60 MPH speed limit. They are the responsible designated driver, with their friends in the car. The novice is revising for exams and has a part time job.

If you combine the purpose of the trip, the time it takes place, the other personal fatigue related factors, with a bit of distraction, there is potential for danger.

The reason that they are in more danger than an experienced driver, is that there is less of their brain power available to cope with the dangerous road and fatigue, because they are for a good while after passing their test, not fully autonomous with the multi- tasking that is required to deal with the clutch, gears and other in car work.

Experienced drivers, have more brain power available to compensate for distractions, and fatigue, as they use very little brain power for in car stuff.

There must be an argument in favor of driving an AUTOMATIC CAR being a safer option for a novice driver as there is less to do in car?

Less Mental and Physical Stress

Secondly, automatic cars are less stressful to drive in volume traffic.

Every driver’s worst nightmare, is getting caught in long delay, stop-start traffic.

Think of the daily commute!

When driving a manual car, it’s constant repetitive work with the clutch and gears, which leads to higher stress levels, than driving an automatic car.

Stress can cause us to do things that we would not usually do, and that can equal danger.

Driving an automatic car, there’s no clutch or gears to deal with at all.

Learning to drive in an automatic car, as far as safety is concerned, is the way to go for learner drivers.