Struggling With Gear Changes? You Don’t Have To Be

It is the goal of everyone at SDF to ensure that we offer accessible lessons to all. If you have a medical or physical issue which stops you using the clutch, why should you be excluded from learning how to drive?

We don’t believe that you should and we have the perfect option for you.

Learning to drive in a car with automatic gears can prove to be easier for some people due to the fact that unlike a car with manual gears, there is no clutch pedal to operate. Therefore the left foot is not needed whilst driving at all.

Your right foot will be used to operate the accelerator (gas) pedal and the brake pedal, and will take away an awful lot of confusion whilst approaching roundabouts, traffic lights and junctions with an added plus in these situations making it easier to pull away without the fear of stalling.

All of this combines to enable you to concentrate on the task in hand rather than panicking that you are about to make a mistake. You will also be able to start, stop and steer more easily.

Increasingly Popular Choice

Everything detailed above ensures that lessons in a car with an automatic gearbox are a very popular choice with learner drivers who find difficulty in getting used to the gears and clutch when driving a manual car.

Many pupils who choose automatic lessons will be ready for their driving test earlier than those who choose manual. Automatic driving lessons are especially suited to the mature pupil, someone who needs to gain a driving licence quickly or the disabled.

Is it Easier to Learn in an Automatic Car?

This is all dependent on why you have been failing your test. If your problems are rooted in car control issues such as gear changing, choosing the correct gear, moving away smoothly, hill starts and clutch control you would benefit from driving an automatic.

However, changing to an automatic will not cure problems due to poor judgement, anticipation, planning and observational skills. If poor planning, judgement etc is down to you concentrating on the gears too much then yes automatics would definitely be worth a try.

Important Note

It is important to know that if you pass your driving test in a car with an automatic gearbox, you will only be legally allowed to drive an automatic car until you pass a test in a car with a manual gearbox.

Further Information

If you would like any further details regarding the driving tuition available from Surrey Driving Force, please give us a call on 0845 190 2012 & we’ll be happy to answer any of your questions.