Manual Transmission vs. Automatic

January 3, 2020 - Opinion, The Latest Headlines - Tagged: , , - no comments - 3497 Views

OPINION

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By Jack Dillon

Photo credit: Creative Commons CC0.

Manual transmission, or “stick shift,” has existed since the first motorized vehicle. Around 100 years ago, car manufacturers started making automatic transmissions, without the driver having to do any work to shift gears, and automatic is much more popular in the United States than manual. In my opinion, this is wrong because of the dangers that come with getting distracted while driving, among other reasons. 

The pricing on manual transmissions is cheaper due to the challenge of having a computer to shift gears for you. Manual transmission is a couple thousand dollars cheaper to manufacture and install, and not a lot of Americans want to do the work of shifting gears all day. Some people also consider manual transmission safer. These vehicles should be produced more due to being safer, cheaper, and more effective in everyday life.

I and my siblings, who are now college, all learned how to drive a manual for different reasons, based off of our parents’ opinion. The first reason was that one you can drive your own car. Only 18 percent of people in the US know how to drive stick, and it is less likely that it could be driven and stolen. My sister Eleanor Dillon (‘16), says “ I like manual because it’s more fun to drive, and you can’t get distracted on your phone.” People who drive automatic vehicles have a higher likely chance of getting in an accident due to getting distracted by having a free hand on the road. Around 1.3 million car accidents happen every year based on cell phone use while driving. 

With a manual transmission, because you have to control your RPMs (the engine’s revolutions per minute) with what gear you shift, your speed can also be more precise in rough weather conditions. Driving manual does make you focus all the time, but it is enjoyable too. Will Hanson (‘21) says, “I like driving stick because automatic is too easy. Driving manual is something to do while driving a long time and never gets old, because if it does, then you will crash.”

Cars are getting more advanced to run but easier to operate. Tesla has been a promising manufacturer in developing the self-driving car. These functions are very interesting, but this enhances the owner’s ability to do other things while driving. I believe manual transmission is safer and better, and having more stick shift cars would lead to fewer and fewer accidents.