Are Automatic Driving Lessons Right For You?

In addition to traditional manual driving, many driving schools offer automatic driving lessons. These are generally designed for those who find it difficult to get to grips with manual cars as automatic vehicles don't require you to operate the clutch or change gears.  While passing your test in an automatic car does not qualify you to drive manual cars, beginning with automatic lessons can provide less confident learners with a more reassuring start to life on the road.

Everyone learns at a different pace, and some can find that combining automatic and manual lessons leaves them better prepared for the theory and driving tests. Read on to see if you identify with any of the following issues. If so, automatic driving lessons could be right up your street.

Prone to Anxiety?

Every learner driver feels nervous during their first few times on the road, but for some, the pressure to coordinate well and multi-task can be overwhelming, often to the point of causing the pupil constant stress and anxiety. When you're distracted by the fear that one mistake will snowball into hundreds more, you may be unable to focus on the big picture--leading you to believe that you simply weren't meant to drive.

If you and manual cars aren't gelling well together, it doesn't mean you can't learn. It perhaps means you could benefit from a different learning environment. Automatic cars remove most of the stressful aspects of learning to drive--such as the dreaded stalling and rolling back--to ensure you are more confident and engaged with your surroundings. Since you start off with less responsibility in an automatic car, you can feel more certain about your decisions and put more faith into your own approach.

Instructors can sense when nerves get the better of pupils, and this often prompts learners to make further errors. With the main pressures out of the way, automatic lessons teach you to focus more upon your immediate surroundings and improving your eye for detail on the road. Once you begin to absorb the basic principles at a more manageable pace, the complexity of the clutch and the gears can slowly be introduced to you.

Late Bloomer?

If you were unable to drive in your younger years, for whatever reason, automatic lessons can provide a less intimidating way to start afresh. Many mature pupils decide to learn in later life due to greater financial stability or because a job requires you to, so don't ever deem it too late or a waste of your time--there are countless others in the same boat.

Because automatic lessons eliminate stalling and gear changes, beginners in their 40s, 50s and 60s can be eased into learning the basics of driving in a more relaxed environment. It is also worth noting that driving laws and regulations can change over the course of ten or twenty year's time. In this sense, automatic lessons can gently reacquaint mature learners with the absolute basics before they adapt to more advanced changes or driving techniques. Automatic lessons can also benefit older pupils that may suffer from arthritis since automatic driving involves less movement within your joints.

Need a Quick, Cheap Pass?

On balance, automatic lessons cost slightly more than manual ones, but learning in an automatic car usually allows you to pass with fewer lessons. With the cost of learning to drive ever on the increase, automatic lessons can be ideal for young drivers wishing to pass quickly and at a lower rate. Although an automatic pass will result in a restricted licence, it can provide keen learner drivers with a great short-term solution should they decide to retake their test in a manual car. In the interim, automatic lessons can be a quicker route to independence, benefiting people like college students who may require a temporary mode of transport whilst saving up for manual learning at a later date.

For more information, contact Mitcham Driving School.