3 ms·

I wonder if there's a kind of collective background general knowledge that has dissipated as auto has become more common? What prompts this is just that no-one

I wonder if there's a kind of collective background general knowledge that has dissipated as auto has become more common? What prompts this is just that no-one I knew had any great difficulty with clutch & gears when I learned to drive (early '80's). Autos (in rural UK) were pretty rare, and everyone before starting to drive had at least a vague idea of how to use the controls, and at least a majority of the boys had a rough idea of the underlying mechanisms. I lived on a country road and learned when I was 12 by stealing my mother's car (a Fiat 500) before she got home from work. Two or three goes and I was away. Admittedly concentrating on the clutch I did forget to steer and went off-road a couple of times.

throwaway821909 4y ago
So much emphasis on thinking about gear changes does seem a bit unfamiliar to me - but it could just be since my first driving experience was also manual, I was learning all this in the background while my main focus was trying not to hit anything. Never did anything as exciting as you but I do feel like maybe being a passenger for so many years gives you an ear for when a gear change is needed, and you hear "sorry, wrong gear" and feel the lack of acceleration or whatever. As for /why/, I just imagined cycling up a hill.
- aussiesnack 4y ago
  Good point on cycling. I think it honed my intuition about gear changes too. I even had a Raleigh Chopper for a while. It sported an actual gear stick centred on the frame. I thought it the coolest thing anyone had ever sat on.
AlbertCory 4y ago
It's actually to the point now that I've heard people say, seriously, "the way to be sure your car is never stolen is to get a manual transmission."
- ddingus 4y ago
  Have heard the same recently. Seems crazy, but there really are large numbers of people unable to drive manual. Rented a car in the EU and it was manual! In the US it is always automatic, unless it is a sport or special rental...
  - aussiesnack 4y ago
    Coming from the UK, I had never even driven an auto until I moved to Australia. It's more of a mix here, though most people can still drive manuals. Having been out of the UK for over a decade, I imagine things have changed back there by now. I enjoy driving manuals, but I don't think it's worth being attached to. ICEs are a crude and inefficient technology, and are inevitably going to disappear outside of a few limited niches. Few electric cars are ever likely to have manual gearboxes. As a more frequent motorcyclist than driver, I'm not going to miss riding behind stinky vehicles, diesel 4WD's in particular (not that I'm usually behind them for long).
    - ddingus 4y ago
      Well, the ICE will be around quite some time yet. Electric cars are viable for many now, even superior for growing numbers, but inadequate for many too. I could potentially use one for my normal car drive. My truck uses are a different matter. To really put the ICE down will require a much better battery scenario. Replacements are coming due for early owners soon. As that painful discussion plays out, so will better fuels for ICE tech. I too look forward to the day when the ICE is just not a thing. I see that being a while yet. And that continues to mean teaching young ones to drive manual.

throwaway821909 4y ago

So much emphasis on thinking about gear changes does seem a bit unfamiliar to me - but it could just be since my first driving experience was also manual, I was learning all this in the background while my main focus was trying not to hit anything. Never did anything as exciting as you but I do feel like maybe being a passenger for so many years gives you an ear for when a gear change is needed, and you hear "sorry, wrong gear" and feel the lack of acceleration or whatever. As for /why/, I just imagined cycling up a hill.

aussiesnack 4y ago
Good point on cycling. I think it honed my intuition about gear changes too. I even had a Raleigh Chopper for a while. It sported an actual gear stick centred on the frame. I thought it the coolest thing anyone had ever sat on.

AlbertCory 4y ago

It's actually to the point now that I've heard people say, seriously, "the way to be sure your car is never stolen is to get a manual transmission."

ddingus 4y ago
Have heard the same recently. Seems crazy, but there really are large numbers of people unable to drive manual. Rented a car in the EU and it was manual! In the US it is always automatic, unless it is a sport or special rental...
- aussiesnack 4y ago
  Coming from the UK, I had never even driven an auto until I moved to Australia. It's more of a mix here, though most people can still drive manuals. Having been out of the UK for over a decade, I imagine things have changed back there by now. I enjoy driving manuals, but I don't think it's worth being attached to. ICEs are a crude and inefficient technology, and are inevitably going to disappear outside of a few limited niches. Few electric cars are ever likely to have manual gearboxes. As a more frequent motorcyclist than driver, I'm not going to miss riding behind stinky vehicles, diesel 4WD's in particular (not that I'm usually behind them for long).
  - ddingus 4y ago
    Well, the ICE will be around quite some time yet. Electric cars are viable for many now, even superior for growing numbers, but inadequate for many too. I could potentially use one for my normal car drive. My truck uses are a different matter. To really put the ICE down will require a much better battery scenario. Replacements are coming due for early owners soon. As that painful discussion plays out, so will better fuels for ICE tech. I too look forward to the day when the ICE is just not a thing. I see that being a while yet. And that continues to mean teaching young ones to drive manual.