Automatic Car, different licence to Manual?

*Dallas

Hey All,

Was in a minor collision on Saturday morning. Was in the bluebell industrial estate at 11 o clock in the morning.

There was a woman in front of me, test driving a Pathfinder out of Merlin Motors. She had just slowed right down to over take a parking car (not using any indictators either) then sped right up to 50/60klms.. i was still about 2 seconds behind her, (which i believe is standard).

With no pathesdrians, or other cars or anything around she slammed on her breaks giving no warning. only a tiny scratch on my car.

anyway, i got out of the car, and said to her "what are you playing at jamming on the breaks when there is nobody around?" ..

her reply was "oh, this is an automatic, i dont know how to drive it".

Even though i know i rear ended her, and it was technically my fault, that was pure dangerous driving and i wanted the guards to have record of her iratic behaviour.

So anyway, I'm wondering, should she of been driving an Automatic car if she has never driven one before? and also, do you need to resit your driving test if your driving an automatic car?

the guards took statements but never told me if she had the correct licence.

I.S.T.

Same licence as far as I'm aware.

TomMc

A normal (unrestricted) license is valid for all cars, an auto only for automatics.

NinjaTruncs

I'm not sure how accurate this is but i was once told that if someone jams on the breaks for no reason and they get rear ended, the person behind is not 100% liable. but like i said not sure how reliable this is.

TomMc

Yes, I agree with you people driving autos for the very first time are likely to do something stupid like this. It's kind of normal or second nature for them to jam on the brakes thinking it's the clutch. :eek:

I'd say you might even do it yourself first time out under a test drive scenario. Sorry but the prime lesson you should learn from this is to keep your distance.

Honey-ec

*Dallas wrote: »

So anyway, I'm wondering, should she of been driving an Automatic car if she has never driven one before? and also, do you need to resit your driving test if your driving an automatic car?

the guards took statements but never told me if she had the correct licence.

She's perfectly entitled to drive an automatic if she passed her test in a manual car. The restrictions only apply the other way round.

S.I.R

TomMc wrote: »

Yes, I agree with you people driving autos for the very first time are likely to do something stupid like this. It's kind of normal or second nature for them to jam on the brakes thinking it's the clutch. :eek:

I'd say you might even do it yourself first time out under a test drive scenario. Sorry but the prime lesson you should learn from this is to keep your distance.

i agree totally, aswell as when they sit at the lights for 5 mins leaving the car in drive with there foot on the brake.... annoys the hell out of me.

junior_apollo

Manual License Holders = Can drive manual + Can drive automatic
Automatic License Holders = ONLY drive automatic... have to sit manual test before can drive manual.

daveharnett

Other posters have covered the license stuff. As regards liability, unless you have a witness to confirm that her driving was partly responsible (or she admits it), the insurance companies are unlikely to take your word for it.

rebel.ranter

TBH I hate to say this but you were driving too close if you hit her.

She had already showed signs of poor driver behaviour. Also if there was an emergency situation then you would have also been in trouble. You gotta drive with the assumption that every other road user is an idiot. We all have made mistakes in the past, it's only good fortune when our mistakes do not result in damage &/or injury.

It is annoying though.

Anan1

OP - You went into the back of her, meaning that you were too close. I'd button my lip and pay up if I were you, rather than risk provoking her into a personal injury claim. As TomMc says, learn to keep your distance.

I.S.T.

S.I.R wrote: »

i agree totally, aswell as when they sit at the lights for 5 mins leaving the car in drive with there foot on the brake.... annoys the hell out of me.

Sometimes I drive an VW Polo automatic and the reason I keep my foot on the break at traffic lights is that you cannot put it back into drive unless you press the break pedal. The alternative is to press the break when the traffic lights turn green. I'm sure people behind me would be wondering why the hell my break lights come on the minute the lights go green!

FuzzyWuzzyWazza

I hate to say it, but you should have left a bigger gap, leaving yourself short of breaking distance isn't her problem its yours. I have done it myself, we all make mistakes on the road, just learn from it and move on.

*Dallas

Hey Anan1,

why don't you read the full post before being so cheeky.

I know IM at fault, im not questioning that!!

My question was about LICENCES, but the posts before yours answered that for me, thanks guys!

Anan1

*Dallas wrote: »

i know im at fault, im not questioning that.

It was just the fact that she was inexperienced with the automatic and was laughing like she did it all the time that ****** me off!

It wasn't just 'technically' your fault, it was actually, completely, and totally your fault. You drove into the back of her, consider yourself lucky she was laughing. She has a perfect right to be ******d off, you have none whatsoever.

*Dallas

seriously Anan1, learn to read

Anan1

*Dallas wrote: »

seriously Anan1, learn to read

*Dallas wrote: »

anyway, i got out of the car, and said to her "what are you playing at jamming on the breaks when there is nobody around?"

*Dallas wrote: »

Even though i know i rear ended her, and it was technically my fault, that was pure dangerous driving and i wanted the guards to have record of her iratic behaviour.

*Dallas wrote: »

So anyway, I'm wondering, should she of been driving an Automatic car if she has never driven one before? and also, do you need to resit your driving test if your driving an automatic car?

Seriously, Dallas, learn to drive

coolbeans

Simple question so I'll give you a simple answer. If you do your test in a manual car you are legally "good to go" in an automatic. However it doesn't work the other way around as those who do their test in an automatic cannot drive manuals.

peasant

Dallas & Anan

[/hissyfits]

now, please !

Biro

S.I.R wrote: »

i agree totally, aswell as when they sit at the lights for 5 mins leaving the car in drive with there foot on the brake.... annoys the hell out of me.

Hertz documents recommend that you sit in traffic or at lights with the foot on the brake and the car in drive. That way you're always ready to move in an emergency situation.

Zube

That's like sitting with the car in first, and the clutch and brake to the floor: one slip of a foot and you'll hit the guy in front.

Anan1

Zube wrote: »

That's like sitting with the car in first, and the clutch and brake to the floor: one slip of a foot and you'll hit the guy in front.

Wouldn't this scenario require that both feet slip?

Zube

Sorry, I meant one slip in the auto.

Saruman

Biro wrote: »

Hertz documents recommend that you sit in traffic or at lights with the foot on the brake and the car in drive. That way you're always ready to move in an emergency situation.

It takes the same length of time, maybe even less since there is less to do... to take an auto out of park and move it in to drive.
Someone who slams the brakes because she is not used to an auto, a type of car infinitely easier to drive than a manual, is obviously test driving the auto because they can not drive the manual (can not drive) in the first place

Anyway the original question about licensing has been answered.

Rovi

Saruman wrote: »

Someone who slams the brakes because she is not used to an auto, a type of car infinitely easier to drive than a manual, is obviously test driving the auto because they can not drive the manual (can not drive) in the first place

I've found that many perfectly competent (manual) drivers will do the 'brake test' at least once during their first drives of an automatic.
Their left foot goes for a non-existent clutch and gets that lovely wide brake pedal instead. It's particularly 'hilarious' (;)) if they do it when accelerating and go to shift into a higher gear.
The vast majority get away with it with nothing worse than a bit of embarrassment or perhaps a bollocking if there happens to be another motorist behind them; not so in this particular case, unfortunately.

Eoin

I have to say, I found it the easiest transition (no pun intended) going from a manual to an auto.

-Chris-

Rovi wrote: »

I've found that many perfectly competent (manual) drivers will do the 'brake test' at least once during their first drives of an automatic.
Their left foot goes for a non-existent clutch and gets that lovely wide brake pedal instead.

+1

This happens all the time. I normally tell customers it's going to happen before we drive off so that we can laugh about it when it happens rather than the customer being embarrassed by making (what they think is) a stupid mistake.

Tails142

I remember in work once we had 3 or 4 jeeps, one of which was an automatic. We used to use them to drive around the site when they were in to save having to walk to the canteen/distribution warehouse whatever. Anyway I normally drove the manual as the automatic was the bosses, full leather etc. So one day I was heading out for the first time in the automatic and the boss asks me to drop him up to the warehouse. He was sitting sideways in the passenger seat as I drove him up and I was feeling a bit uncomfortable as its very alien coming to a complete stop without pusing in your left foot as you would on the clutch pedal.

Anyway, we make it to the warehouse and as I go to stop, obviously feeling a bit more at east that I made it without incident, without thinking, I push my left foot down with the same force and pace as you would putting in the clutch. The boss nearly went through the feckin windscreen the car stopped so fast and needless to say I was fairly embarassed. I bet he didnt think his company car was gonna come back in one piece after that performance!!

I now drive an automatic as my daily driver, no more sudden braking incidents since then Though I do sit at lights with my foot on the brake, for the same reason as the above poster, that you have to engage the brake to get it back into drive and it just takes too much time. Also as theres no wear from the torque convertor why wouldnt ya. Also if your foot slips off the brake, which is unlikely as it isnt as highly sprung as a clutch, you will only start to roll foward slowly, unlike a clutch where you will jmp forward, so hardly much of a safety feature.

I must get some 100W bulbs for my break lights for extra 'safety'

Auto ftw

Capt'n Midnight

Biro wrote: »

Hertz documents recommend that you sit in traffic or at lights with the foot on the brake and the car in drive. That way you're always ready to move in an emergency situation.

when is the last time you had to accelerate into a (busy ?) junction to avoid an emergency ?

In the US the handbrake is called the emergency brake, possibly because using it at speed results in an emergency.

unkel

eoin_s wrote: »

I have to say, I found it the easiest transition (no pun intended) going from a manual to an auto.

Same here. My left foot has never had any inclination to move towards the pedals in an automatic. And I switch from manuals to automatics on a daily basis

Saruman

Capt'n Midnight wrote: »

In the US the handbrake is called the emergency brake, possibly because using it at speed results in an emergency.

Also because to call it a hand brake would be wrong in a lot (most) of cases the "emergency brake" is in fact a foot operated pedal to the side of your normal gas/brake etc. Its a bit out of the way and would not be possible to mistake for anything as it involves lifting your leg up to get it.

Im truly shocked though that any competent driver could ever get confused and hit the brake thinking there is an clutch there... it boggles my mind.