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Automatic or Manual Cars: Which is Safer?

If you like to watch a good kerfuffle, go to an auto-enthusiasts' web site, visit their forum, and start a new discussion thread titled either "Manual Transmission is Safer!" or "Automatic Transmission is Safer!" Then step back and watch as the sparks start to fly.

The truth is that there is a broad variety of opinions on this topic. Both sides are able to marshal arguments that seem intuitively compelling. Yet there is little concrete data that could settle the controversy one way or the other.

It is, perhaps, natural to assume, at first, that an automatic drive vehicle would be safer. After all, there is less for the driver to do and so less opportunity for things to go wrong. There is no need for the driver to remove one hand from the steering wheel in order to change gear, with all of the loss of control that implies.

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Less Stress With Automatics?

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Studies which monitor stress by measuring heartbeat have shown that drivers of manual-transmission vehicles do experience significantly more stress than those in automatics. In fact, so great was the differential that drivers of automatics experienced stress levels which were comparable to those of passengers!

Some argue, however, that by very virtue of the fact that there is less for the driver to do, the driver of an automatic is inclined to pay less attention to the road-traffic environment and so is less likely to detect the signs of an impending accident. In fact, some go further and contend that the greater ease of driving an automatic leads drivers to take an excessively relaxed view of road safety and do things that they would not normally do while driving, such as fidget with objects or people (especially children) in the car. The countervailing argument to this is that people in cars tend to do this anyway and, if they are going to act so irresponsibly, it is safer that they do it in an automatic-transmission vehicle.

More Control With Manual?

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Many veteran drivers who have experience with both types of transmission system insist that a vehicle with a manual gearbox is safer because it gives them more control. An automatic is, in effect, making guesses about the optimal gear to be in for any given situation. However refined the engineering that makes those guesses has become, it can never equate to the complexity of a human brain and, while an automatic can usually be relied on to make good choices in normal driving conditions, some insist that manual control gives them greater flexibility to react to something unusual, such as a slippery road or a possible collision, by adjusting gears in a non-standard way.

Automatic or Manual?

Ultimately, from a safety perspective, neither automatic nor manual transmission would appear to have any decisive advantage over the other. Had it been otherwise, one would probably have displaced the other by now in general use, and insurance companies (which, after all, depend for their profitability on their ability to make relative risk assessments) would reflect the difference in their premiums. Neither of these things has happened so, if you are pondering which transmission type you would like to have in your next vehicle, there is probably no need for you to be unduly concerned with the safety implications of your choice.

 


Disclaimer: The information in the article is for general purpose information only and should not be constituted as legal advice. This article has been produced by a third party and Jardine Motors does not take any responsibility for the completeness, accuracy, or reliability with respect to the website or the information provided. Article last updated March 2016.