But is the rise of the automatic such a bad thing? From what I see on the road, maybe not. Driving in the UK can be such a pain, from the terrible roads to the people that use them, and there are so many issues to deal with. So if you’re not having to worry about what gear you’re in, then you’re giving more time to what’s happening around you. I know people who have passed their test in a manual, but only ever drive autos for the convenience. Who needs to deal with a third pedal in stop-start traffic, for example?
Of course the enthusiast class will decry the death of the manual and its ‘connection’ to driving. But just like autos, there are good ones and bad ones, and the best will still be available on the used market and in demand for those that want them. For Joe Public, who sees a car as transport to get from A to B, the move to autos is just another step in the evolution from the horseless carriage.
There are plenty of other rituals that we no longer participate in: adjusting the choke, for example, hand signals, even looking behind when reversing, because parking sensors and cameras help us out. Using a clutch to change gears will eventually be another piece of ‘old tech’, reminisced about by those that think things were better ‘back in the day’.
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