March 28, 2024

Automatic Driving Lessons


Driving lessons are mainly conducted in a car with manual
transmission (gears) but there are a number of driving instructors who
specialise in automatic driving lessons. In an
automatic car you only have two foot pedals to operate an accelerator and a
brake. With a manual car you have the accelerator and brake but you also have a
clutch pedal which is used when you change gear. This is the pedal that
confuses a number of learner drivers and often is the reason for many people
deciding to take automatic driving lessons.  (See diagrams below). In a manual car you have
to depress the clutch pedal to select gears. As your speed increases you need
to change gears one by one by depressing the clutch at the same time as
releasing the accelerator. For some people this is difficult to learn and
involves a lot of coordination. In an automatic car you just select the ‘D’
Drive gear and as you drive the gears change automatically as your speed
increases.

Automatic Gears      Manual Gears

Automatic Driving Lessons Gear Selector …….Manual Gear Selector

Automatic Pedals    Manual Pedals

Automatic Driving Lessons Car Pedals Manual Car Pedals

Manual Or Automatic driving Lessons ?

If you pass your driving test in an automatic car you are
only qualified to drive that class of vehicle.
If you are only going to drive your own car then this may not be a
problem but if you need to drive other cars for example work or borrowed cars, this
can cause problems as a lot of people use manual cars.

Why Choose Automatic Driving Lessons ?

If someone has a disability they may wish to use an automatic
as they can easily be adapted with hand controls and because you do not have to
change gears while driving there is more time to concentrate on controlling the
car. Some people who find lessons in a manual car difficult often find an
automatic a lot easier and can take fewer lessons to pass the driving test. If
you wish you can take another test in a manual car after you have passed in an
automatic once you have the experience to deal with the extra coordination
involved. You may find automatic driving lessons are more expensive as the cars
can be more expensive to purchase. Some older people learning to drive later in
life find it easier to drive an automatic.

Recommendations
Because of the limitations on an automatic licence it is
best to start with a manual car and only switch to automatic driving lessons if
you have difficulty with the manual car. In some areas there may not be many
instructors teaching in automatic cars. You may find that you have to use one
of the national schools as they operate so many cars they will have more
automatic vehicles.

Which ever you route you decide to go for remember learning to drive does take time but
the best way to save time and money is to keep calm and try not to rush as this
causes mistakes and can make you take longer to learn.