Could you imagine sitting on 495 at 5:30 p.m., in the peak of rush hour traffic with cars literally parked on the American Legion Bridge and having to constantly deal with manually changing gears every time you come to a brief period of uninterrupted movement? If driving isn’t your strong point to begin with, then manual transmission is not for you. 

Although automatic transmission has been available in cars since the 1950s, popularity in America soared in the 1990s. However, European car buyers opted for manual transmission at rate of 80% of car buyers across Europe.  A correlation between traffic in America compared to that in Europe could provide some insight for this statistic.

Manual transmission is much more involving and therefore requires both feet and the utmost attention especially as we continue to drive being preoccupied with one ear glued to the phone. Automatic cars take care of the transmission for you, and while you shouldn’t be.  For those few moments in the car when you are preoccupied with other things, automatic transmission will grant you more safety on the road.

Another thing to keep in mind is that driving classes like ‘I Drive Smart,’ do not offer hands on training to students on how to operate a manual car, mostly because manual cars are becoming somewhat of a rarity and when teaching students the basics, it’s easier to learn how to drive with an automatic car as opposed to a manual. In fact, now in many foreign countries if you obtained your license in an automatic vehicle, you will not be licensed to drive manual cars. This further proves the difficulty associated with driving manual cars.

People nowadays leave very little space between themselves and the car in front of them. Driving manual transmission can often be jittery and volatile, even stalling out at times. Should the car buck or stall out on the multitasking driver behind you,  he/she could very easily ram your car.

Granted, when driven properly, manual cars receive greater fuel efficiency than do automatic cars. They get on average two to three more miles to the gallon than do automatic cars. But with the stop and go rush hour traffic, the fuel consumption for both is relatively the same. Manual transmission also is not in any way mentally or mechanically manageable in the amount of traffic we experience here in the D.C. metropolitan area. The constant starting and stopping, shifting in and out of gears, is hard on both the driver and the transmission, brings you more headaches and more visits to the mechanic.

The consumer is ultimately given the choice as always in a capitalist economy and although manual transmission typically is cheaper than automatic transmission, you should consider your diligence on the road, and your tolerance for traffic before deciding on what you want in a car and how involved with your car want to be in your driving experience.