Automatic for the people

Somebody recently asked me why I drive an automatic car. It’s a strange question, to me. A bit like asking why I have a colour TV.

The roads would be safer if all vehicles were automatic, of course. No risk of stalling half way out of a junction. No need to take one hand off the steering wheel all the time. More attention available to deal with hazards and to control the speed and direction of the vehicle.

To quote Jerry Seinfeld:

The thing I admire most about the Chinese is that they’re hanging in there with the chopsticks. Because if you think about it, you know they’ve seen the fork, by now.

Well, I admire people who insist on buying cars with manual transmission, despite being fully aware of the automatic gearbox.