Asklemmy

USA, 40, and...it's complicated? Haha. I've never driven a manual car, but I have ridden a motorcycle which generally has a manual transmission.

And because this is as good a place as any--I suspect once self-driving vehicles are common, the number of people who can drive even an automatic will plummet.

Why? Because kids will be born, then grow up with parents driving them places for their entire life experience, and then will go into their teens using driving services (like some futuristic Lyft company) with automated driverless cars that drive for them. And if that works fine to get you everywhere you need to go...why bother to learn how to drive a car? Do you really NEED it?

I think there'll be a generational divide, with older generations boggling that the damn kids on their lawns are "so lazy" they never even learned to drive, and I think there'll be an urban/rural divide where rural kids might not have access to AI cars that can drive for them so are forced to learn in order to be able to get anywhere, while city kids can have a car summoned to them by their phone at a drop of a hat to get wherever they want to go.

But I think the younger generations, once one is born where self-driving vehicles are ubiquitous and being able to summon such a vehicle to you using your phone is commonplace (I think it'll be a generation or two after the Zoomers...we're on the horizon but not there yet), will not see why THEY have to drive when they can instead be driven. Driving is a waste of your time that you could use to be doing work, schoolwork, or something fun like a game. I know I would ditch it if I could go exactly where I need to go anytime I wanted while reading a book or something.

Edit: Self-driving cars would also be a HUGE boon to the elderly, giving them some sort of independence even once their reaction times dull. "No, grandpa, I can't let you drive yourself, but the car will totally take you wherever you need to go. Just put in your destination." There'll be a lot of bitching at first from some of the older people, then they'd figure out how easy it is to go places without worrying about their eyesight or something, and give in.

I suspect my generation might be the first in this position, of giving up keys and instead just ordering a car to take me somewhere without me being a danger of running someone over because my reaction times have degraded. I think it's reasonable to suspect in 40 years, when I'll be 80, cars will drive themselves.

USA, late 20s, I've driven manual for almost a decade and have had a bunch of stick shift cars.

I've only ever driven a manual, but having heard how good automatics have gotten, I think driving manual is pointless nowadays unless you're doing it for fun. It definitely feels better when you're going on a highway, but if you're driving in the city it's unbearable.

Yes, but I don't because I've lived in Korea for the past twenty years, and you need a special license to drive manual here. I'm in my forties. From Canada.

US, 36, and I've only ever owned manual vehicles. I think I've drove automatic maybe 5 times in the past 20 years I've had my license.

Yes, Europe.

42 Aus and this is a great way to get age and location details on accounts

Yes, had to learn when I moved to Europe.

Yes. German. When I learned to drive, it was mandatory to do so on a stick.

Yes. Mid 40s UK. I have never owned an automatic vehicle, and it looks like there's not much in the way options when it comes to electric cars with manual transmissions.

My daily is an automatic but my old Magirus-Deutz is a special kind of manual. I’m 37 from Germany.

Southern Europe, 34. I only know how to drive with manual transmission (I tried an automatic city car once, and I literally couldn't exit the parking spot). I'm too used to control the car with the clutch. I should learn though, because I use car sharing services, and they are progressively replacing their cars with automatic transmission ones.

I drive an automatic but I learned with a manual and used it for years. I find manual impractical for daily use but I can use it if I need to.

32 years old, Italy

No. I'm 25 and from Florida.

I'm 40 and have never used a manual transmission, and have no desire at all to ever use one.

35, American, can only drive automatic but have been trying to learn manual. My barrier is never having a car available to me to practice on. 🙃

Yes. Mid thirties UK. I've actually never driven an automatic.

Yes, early 20s USA. Learned at 18 and drove manual every day until I sold my last car in November

My friend taught me for the most part in college when I was 22, and then when I bought my first manual it was 5 hours from my house. If I didn't figure it out I wouldn't have gotten home 🫣

Only killed it a couple times, and only when I was getting on/off the freeway. And once in stop and go traffic, but I don't think anyone noticed

37m, USA

I can. The first new car I bought was a manual, because it was less expensive. I embarrassed myself for a bit, but that's when I learned.

I learned to drive on a 1942 John Deere in the early 70s. No on-the-fly shifting but the basics of steering, clutch, and throttle were there.

In 2017 I bought my first automatic; that vehicle was not available in manual or I def would have bought it that way.

I'm 36. Yes, I can. I learned on a stick shift.

Old guy in the USA. My first car was a sport motorcycle so six speed with clutch and shifter. I have a sedan with an auto trans, but also a 4WD truck with manual. When I learned to drive in my teens automatic transmissions were not as nice as they are now, just three speeds and not very smooth. Now they're typically six speed and much nicer. I really dislike a manual trans in heavy traffic, quite a chore.

Everyone who can't is too shy to answer the question.

My first car was a manual, drove that thing an additional 150-170,000 miles over 7 years. Been 2 years but I'm sure I could pick it right back up

I learned on a manual when I was 17 but only had that car for maybe 6 months before I got an automatic and haven't had one since. I'm now in my 30s. Was in the USA west coast.

Yes. im a 26 year old from sweden.

Yes. 40, Canada.

Yes. (I live in Europe)

Yes. Although automatic transmission is more efficient, I still prefer manual.

Almost 50. Southern US. I use one every day that I ride my motorcycle.