Do you think driving manual should be a requirement?

[Ruprecht]

I've thought about that as well. What role do motorcycles play in an automated 'smart city' type environment. I think it would be fine to ride them around automated cars (probably safer) but yeah, maybe at some point they will be viewed as 'undesirable' to have on the roads

Well they can't be effectively automated, and supposedly automated cars at the moment struggle with their presence (and cyclists too for that matter). If the automation of cars increases nanny state legislation, for sure motorcycles would be victims.
Libertarian types here are already promoting such steps for user pays infrastructure, and of course it'd also be used for law enforcement.

 

[MeatheadMike]

I think technology related distractions (cellphones/texting etc) are a far bigger problem. I see sweriving cars that are unable to stay in their lane on a daily basis, and it wasn't like 18 years ago.

Its basically the same as if a bunch of drunk drivers were added to pool of daily drivers on the road in the past few years.

 

[BEER]

I learned to drive manual and then have never owned a manual car since. I think the only time I still shift gears is when I play racing video games.

And I can't imagine it being safer on highways and on/off ramps.

Why wouldn't it be safer, or at least just as safe?

 

[panamaican]

Why wouldn't it be safer, or at least just as safe?

It might be just as safe but I can't imagine it being safer.

On/off ramps are where drivers are most likely to have to make sudden increases or decreases in speed necessitating more shifting. Bad drivers, people with poor coordination are going to cause more problems at those locations.

 

[BEER]

It might be just as safe but I can't imagine it being safer.

On/off ramps are where drivers are most likely to have to make sudden increases or decreases in speed necessitating more shifting. Bad drivers, people with poor coordination are going to cause more problems at those locations.

Yeah, I suppose if a lot of bad drivers are driving stick. In my experience, it's better to drive stick in those situations. It's easier to modulate acceleration and deceleration when you have control over your gear positions. Automatics are better about it now, but I was in my buddies car when he was lightly accelerating, his car dropped a gear and he was thrust into the back of the car in front of him.

As for braking, it's definitely more efficient to be able to downshift and let the engine carry some of the braking load, and allows for a smooth transition to acceleration.

 

[panamaican]

Yeah, I suppose if a lot of bad drivers are driving stick. In my experience, it's better to drive stick in those situations. It's easier to modulate acceleration and deceleration when you have control over your gear positions. Automatics are better about it now, but I was in my buddies car when he was lightly accelerating, his car dropped a gear and he was thrust into the back of the car in front of him.

As for braking, it's definitely more efficient to be able to downshift and let the engine carry some of the braking load, and allows for a smooth transition to acceleration.

You sound like someone competent who is underestimating the number of incompetent people on the road.

 

[IDL]

Well they can't be effectively automated, and supposedly automated cars at the moment struggle with their presence (and cyclists too for that matter). If the automation of cars increases nanny state legislation, for sure motorcycles would be victims.
Libertarian types here are already promoting such steps for user pays infrastructure, and of course it'd also be used for law enforcement.

I'm assuming that issues around detection of motorcycles and bicycles will be solved. Bicycles are a big part of the 'smart city' design and there is a noticeable push to increase the number of bicycles on the road from what I can see. So, given that automated cars will have to share the road with bicycles, I would think motorcycles would also be figured out. Bicycles are probably more difficult of a challenge.

Motorcycles fall into a grey area under the smart city paradigm.

The user pays infrastructure model is interesting. It would discourage people from driving which I guess is one of the points behind it. I would hope that motorcycles get a discounted rate though considering they put less demands and wear on roadways than a car would.

The nanny state would absolutely love the smart city concept or that UPI. Everything and everyone tracked and accounted for at all times. Big brother watching. That would suck big time if you could get a speeding ticket based on some gps tracker

 

[Burning Hammer]

I was pro manual until I started building and researching how to improve your car. Automatic transmissions today blow all manuals out of the water and they have for 20 years. From a performance standpoint no. It's just so efficient.

 

[Snake_Plissken]

Almost got my business front destroyed after a clearly inexperienced woman hit the gas instead of the brakes as a panicky reaction.

Giving learning drivings automatic transmissions is like giving inexperienced shooters a full automatic machine gun.

They can panick and press the gas and take over lives and property, the same could be said of the elderly.

None of that applies to manual, if someone panicks in manual he is going to grind the car to a full stop, not press the gas full speed and go from 0 to 60mph and then violently back to zero.

Knee jerking reaction ^

Also lol at real men drive manuals. You sound poor.

 

[Snake_Plissken]

I dont think driving manual is an extra hassle, i mean its as natural as walking for me at this point and you get more functionality from manual.

1.- The ability to brake with the engine.

2.- You can start your car if the battery runs out or if the starter fucks up.

3.- Better at hauling shit.

Lol at 3

 

[superpunch]

Still I don't understand it. It's the same with guns. I don't think that makes a person more manly.

 

[IDL]

Those are the old, outdated characatures of manly

Out with the old, in with the Nu

 

[Rod1]

Also lol at real men drive manuals. You sound poor.

Never said that real men drive manual, you sound insecure.

 

[Snake_Plissken]

Never said that real men drive manual, you sound insecure.

I wasn't talking about you but the other idiot edison. He's the one who sounds insecure

 

[Snake_Plissken]

Those are the old, outdated characatures of manly

Out with the old, in with the Nu

Can you look gayer than that. Skinny jeans on mens are pathetic and hilarious.

 

[BEER]

You sound like someone competent who is underestimating the number of incompetent people on the road.

I just always assume that someone driving stick is inherently more competent than someone who has never even learned to do so.

 

[IDL]

I was pro manual until I started building and researching how to improve your car. Automatic transmissions today blow all manuals out of the water and they have for 20 years. From a performance standpoint no. It's just so efficient.

It is my understanding that there is more power loss in autos but there are some other benefits. What aspect of performance are you referring to?

 

[Burning Hammer]

It is my understanding that there is more power loss in autos but there are some other benefits. What aspect of performance are you referring to?

In modern automatics and ECU's there is no power loss. Fuel efficiency is one, especially in city driving. People look at manufacturer numbers and determine that manuals get slightly better fuel economy. In reality don't get the shifting efficiency on rpm in a manual than you do in an automatic.Most automatics are better in highway driving as well. You can tune any car today to outperform a manual. The only advantage to manual is abusing revs. Like in drifting, you can drift in an automatic or a manual. Manual just gives you a clearer line of RPM Control where automatic depends on the car and the timings of gear changes.