Which is more safe, a stick shift or an automatic?

Question

Which do you think are more safe? Please don't give me one word answers. Explain yourself. some links to places with cold hard statistics would help.

thank you.

Answer 1

The equipment that you're used to driving with is the safest.

Answer 2

depends on the driver if your a good stick driver then I'd go with stick, any normal car driver automatic

Answer 3

that would be about the same ... its the driver that would makeit..... one not any safer than the other

Answer 4

Technically speaking, the automatic is safer.  Its one less thing, (Out of many thousands) you have to worry about while on the road.

I still prefer stick, after you drive it for a while, you don't even think about it.

Americans especially, what with all the moronic things they do while driving. Shaving, eating, drinking, Talking on a cell phone, (Also, hands free devices are statistically, JUST as dangerous as holding the phone its self.)

Talking on the phone is the distraction, not the delivery method. Talking in general, in a car, uses up about 60% of the part of the brain we use for driving.

Statistically, Automatics are indeed safer.

But, I Still  prefer having controll over my car's shift points.

Answer 5

Depends on the driver. A great driver would be safer with a stick but an inexperienced one would be far better off with an auto

Answer 6

It will depend on the driver............

Answer 7

What type of transmission your car has should have no impact on safety at all. That's all you. And if you can't make that decision yourself, you are obviously to immature to be driving any car. Go back to driving school. Not that they teach you how to drive, they only teach you how to pass the driving test.

Answer 8

I'm not providing any links, but if you learn to drive on a manual shift vehicle, you will develop better hand/foot/eye co-ordination. Driving a manual shift vehicle keeps you on task too and you tend to spend more time paying attention because you need to know which gear to be in for any given situation.............slowing down, upcoming traffic light, etc.

Driving an automatic shift vehicle tends to put a driver into a state of lowered awareness to your driving environment.. All you have is a brake pedal, and an accelerator to worry about.

It's easier to become distracted, talk on the cell phone, etc. while driving (which is unsafe).

Answer 9

Automatic clearly.  It allows you to keep both hands on the wheel and you don't have to worry about accidental downshifts, stalling on turns or rolling back at stops.

Answer 10

Manual is definitely safer, at least in city traffic.  You can't talk on the phone, and you don't drive around asleep all the time like a driver with an automatic tranny can.

Answer 11

I dont have statistics but i can tell you from expeirence.

The automatic leaves you more safe b/c you have both hands on the wheel.

A standard can easily be knocked out of gear and it rolling in the parking lot into someone elses car.

A standard doesn't leave enough room for the girl riding with you to get close. And when she does anyways, its hard to shift.

A standard rolls back before take off and could hit the car behind you.  if your a beginner and sometimes even veteran drivers . Also a standard are more prone to stall, so  you could be stalling while making a turn in a busy intersection and get hit.

That is why most semi's get hit by trains, they stall on the tracks.

Also, Which happens alot!! People accidently start the car while in gear, which allows it to jump forward and running into another car or a person.

Standards are faster though. You can cantrol the rpm range you shift at. But thats not safe eitther.

Answer 12

It depends upon your level of experience with manual transmissions.  Generally an automatic is safer, because people aren,t used to stick shift anymore.  Sticks are also more difficult to re-sell.