Is driving a car this awful all the time? (lemmings.world)

submitted 2 months ago* (last edited 2 months ago) by Platypus@lemmings.world to c/asklemmy@lemmy.world

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I'm doing the driving lessons and I dread them every time. I don't feel like I'm improving much and it's just stressful. I feel like giving up. I'm only going because I passed the theory exam with that school, and i would had to spend more money (that I don't have) if I start again with other school, basically I'm too deep into it to stop.

Btw I now understand the hate towards manual cars. Automatic should be the only option, one less BIG distraction on the road, especially when you're new on these things, being too soft or too rough on the clutch is a matter of millimeters is ridiculous, watching the road, the signs, the traffic lights, the cars around you, the stupid people with their bikes, while fumbling in the car with the pedals is the worst... (unfortunately you must learn manual where I'm living).

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[-] maniii@lemmy.world 3 points 2 months ago

Driving manual takes BOTH Theory and Practice.

Replay potential scenarios in your head and try to predict how you will react.
Re-examine your realtime reactions on the road.
Learn both rules of the road and real-life motorists reactions to rules.
Safety - Safety - Safety. If it feels unsafe, get off the road safely and wait it out.

Manual driving tips.

Use the emergency-parking-hand-brake for hill-assists.

Practice dual-brake-accelerator press/release.

Practice clutch-release-hold with no brake-accelerator ( fully depressed clutch, quarter-release, half-release, no-clutch .... does the vehicle jump forward, at what point does it start creeping forward, what noise is the engine making, how does the gear-stick/shaft feel smooth or vibrating or extremely-stuck, etc etc )

Practice a reliable gear-stick-shift-shaft action. Turn your wrist outward and push horizontal, and up for 1st-gear. Neutral with a downward wrist and wiggle along the central neutral line. Turn wrist upward and firmly push straight forward for 3rd-gear, and tap gear-knob down and wiggle along central neutral line to confirm gear-stick is in the neutral, etc etc.

So by judging how traffic behaves and by establishing clear personal good gear/manual habits, you can improve your reactions.

Look forward of the vehicle for less than 10 meters ( 30 feet ) and drive below 60 kmph ( 40 mph ) if you can't smoothly handle the manual transmission. Increase by 5 feet look distance as you get more comfortable over several months.

Don't drive in traffic, park if you feel unsafe without causing problems.

Avoid steep shopping mall parking lots and narrow spaces until you are comfortable handling the manual vehicle.

Add wing mirrors and antenna at the edges of the vehicle corners to help visually identify the area around the vehicle.

Best of Luck and Have Fun once you are good at it. If after 2 years you aren't getting any results, then manual may not be the best choice for you and you may need to give it up. Automatic transmissions are now making amazing progress and reliability.

No shame driving automatic transmission vehicles.

this post was submitted on 25 Sep 2024

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