How To Drive An Automatic Car

The vehicle industry has come a long way, especially in terms of how convenient and easy they have become to drive. The automatic car was one such invention which made the lives of people who wanted to commute in a very easy manner possible. But why does the automatic car get so much love? It is because it is so much simpler than driving a manual car.

The way the automatic gearbox is made is quite different from the manual gearbox. All the modifications made to a manual car is what makes the automatic cars so easy and simple to drive. When you are enrolling for driving lessons with a reputed driving school like National Driving School which is in Dublin, one of the first questions they will ask you will most probably be about what kind of a vehicle you drive.

The learning procedure of a manual vehicle and an automatic vehicle are quite different, which is why this question has so much importance. With an automatic vehicle, you have one less foot pedal to care about – the clutch pedal. Based on what type of vehicle you choose on driving once you have learned to drive, the driving instructors at National Driving School will teach you in the similar type of vehicle so that you will be using.

First things first – what is an automatic car?

An automatic car, as the name suggests, basically automatically changes gears while you are driving. Unlike in a manual car where you have to manually shift gears when you are driving, an automatic car does this for you. So now you speed up or slow down your car without worrying about shifting from one gear to another. This is the most basic yet biggest difference between an automatic and a manual vehicle.

How can one learn to drive an automatic car?

How automatic gearbox will have the following letters on it – P, R, N, D. Let us explain what each of these letters means.

P – P stands for Park. This should be used when you are parking your car or when you don’t want the vehicle to move at all. Putting the gearbox in P locks all types of gear transmission right away.

R – R stands for Reverse. You must select this setting when you want to reverse your car/drive your car backward.

N – N stands for Neutral. This is a gear which should be used along with the handbrake. It should be used when you have to stop the vehicle for a short period of time.

D – D stands for Drive. Obviously, this is used when the car is in motion, or in other words when you are driving.

These are basically the four modes of driving you will have to care about while driving an automatic vehicle. Forget about the clutch pedal. The only things your two feet will press upon will be the brake and the accelerator. To learn how to drive an automatic car, you will have to get used to the P R N D modes, and once you do, you will be able to drive the car with absolutely no issues at all.

One thing you have to be very careful about is stepping on the brake if you want to briefly stop. Unlike a manual car which will stop as soon as no gear has been put on, the automatic car is a little bit different. Apart from just practicing and practicing over and over again, there is nothing else that can be done to improve one’s driving skills. So practice is the key.

Why are automatic cars gaining popularity?

The reason why automatic cars are becoming increasingly popular is as it has a long list of advantages these cars come with.  Some of the advantages of an automatic car are  –

• You no longer have to worry about changing gears!
• It makes driving very convenient
• You can now multitask quite easily in your car
• It lets you have a quicker and smoother shift

I can drive an automatic car – am I eligible to drive a manual car as well?

No. You will need a manual car driving license before you drive a manual car. This is a very basic yet important rule because the intricacies of driving a manual and an automatic car are very deep and vivid. If you have learned how to drive with a manual car, it will be easy for you to pick up driving an automatic car. But doing the other way round is a lot more difficult. So if you have learned how to drive with an automatic car, you will not qualify as eligible for driving a manual car. You will have to apply for a manual driving license to do so.