this post was submitted on 28 Aug 2023
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Shifting is just part of driving. It means you have to pay attention to speed, Rpm, and braking points. It just makes driving more engaging, which reduces distraction. It doesnt make driving easier. If anything it makes it harder. But the benefit is that it reduces complacency.
When i am driving. I am driving. Im not doing makeup, eating, messing with the radio, texting etc. Part of that is driving stick. It keeps you engaged in driving. Thats not to say its impossible to be a distracted driver in a manual, just that its easier to get distracted in an auto.
It is definitely NOT part of driving as it is not required, obviously. If in the past cars were made so that you are driving upside down, people like you would argue using the exact same words. 'its part of it', 'its harder so you focus more', etc. It makes zero sense to keep an outdated distraction just to reduce other distractions. The missing stick doesnt make people eat or use their phones while driving, thats what bad drivers have been doing for decades. People that care about safety try to minimize distractions, which includes shifting without doubt. You are free to use the stick, it is not banned yet and is not as big of a distration as others (mainly because of hundreds of hours of practice), but you cannot argue that it is not a distraction at all.
You said its a part of driving and makes people better drivers and it makes me angry ever time people make arguments like these. It makes no sense that adding artificial distractions to driving would give a benefit. Youre saying it can make other distractions hard enough not to be attempted but thats just because youre already partly distracted, youre even using the words 'forced attention'. What is a distraction if not something that takes your attention? Thats like making people drive with an eyepatch so theyll look at their phones less. Maybe it would even work, I dont know, but that would make me even angrier at how stupid humans are.
Its not an artificial distraction. It has real implications on how your car works. Just because you are not shifting, doesnt mean the car does not shift. The extra control allows a user more control of the vehicle. It does require more skill and practice, but has a higher performance ceiling. There is a reason race cars dont use automatic transmissions. The best race cars dont have a clutch, but the driver is still in control of every shift.
Forced attention and distractions are different. Driving stick is more attention on the act of driving itself. Look at the research for self driving cars and expecting the drivers to pay attention. Its nearly impossible to pay attention to something that takes less interaction. Honestly, if you lack the hand eye coordination and multitasking ability to drive stick, i pray you never try to change a radio station or turn up or down the heater in your car.
It wasnt artificial before, because there was no automatic shifting. It is now that its not necessary anymore. What youre saying is the more you control about your car the better. Cars do a lot of things the driver doesnt control, why would shifting be such a special exception? Why would you automate windshield wipers if you can just pull a lever every second? Why not start finetuning oil and cooling water while driving? Those wouldnt be considered distractions if there was no way to automate them, but since there is, its not necessary to make the driver do it. Im not saying it is a huge distraction and that it is super dangerous. Looking at your navigation system while driving isnt considered a distraction, but looking at your phone is. Why? Because it is not necessary for driving, just like shifting has become unnecessary by now.
Also your point with shifting in racing is valid, but actually just for racing. In everyday driving, your goal shouldnt be maximum performance but rather efficiency, and automatic shifting is way more efficient than humans could be.