Re: Should Elderly People Drive Automatic Cars?

all they've got to know is where the brake pedal is .... in the same place as in a manual car.

Re: Should Elderly People Drive Automatic Cars?

I am fairly sure the Wilson pre-selector gear line up ceased being available some years ago. I think the early Double Six's were some of the last for passenger cars with electromagnetic clutch/pre-selector gearing, but by the time my '89 version came out it was purely automatic gearing. Something in the back of my mind is telling me the last of the preselect gears appeared in buses and were phased out in favour of fully automatic. I might be wrong, but I think the last type of bus to rely on a pre-selector box was the AEC Regent III 1939-1977, of which I had been a passenger more times than I can remember.

Re: Should Elderly People Drive Automatic Cars?

I have fond memories of the old Routemaster, jump on & off wherever you dare, but the great thing about them was ... no jerky ride like today's buses. I guess the brakes weren't very good or had a tendency to lock & skid, the driver would use the gears to slow the bus.

Re: Should Elderly People Drive Automatic Cars?

Memories!! Back in the 1950s, I drove buses for the Wilts & Dorset Bus Company. We had a couple of Daimler pre-selector geared buses and every driver hated them. The clutch had a habit of snapping back viciously if the gears were not fully engaged.
Most of our buses were Bristols.

Re: Should Elderly People Drive Automatic Cars?

Art,

I suspect that it would make life a little safer if older drivers, who get a little more nervous, and maybe short sighted, day by day, were offered something like free Uber Taxi vouchers if they took themselves off the road.

That way, they could still do their own shopping, go to the golf club or Gym, keep a social life.

The free bus pass doesn't quite cut it.

I think that they would welcome that.

!

Re: Should Elderly People Drive Automatic Cars?

Personally I dislike automatic gearboxes, I reckon it's too much like sitting at home in the armchair watching television. I much prefer to 'drive' a car using the gears in various ways to achieve the correct speeds and also using the gearbox to slow the car too. A lot of that comes from my motorcycle days, when gearboxes had to be used, as brakes were not that effective.

The odd times I have driven an automatic, usually a courtesy car when my own is being serviced, I find that having always driven manual cars the tendency is to hit the brake pedal in an automatic car as if it was the clutch pedal in a manual car. That doesn't happen very often but when it does it gives the following driver a shock, especially if as usual they are travelling too closely! Mostly though I manage to avoid that by tucking the left foot behind the other one so that it cannot be used.

Re: Should Elderly People Drive Automatic Cars?

I love my automatic car ,have driven them for the last 25 years .
Would *Never* drive anything else TBH
All that fiddling about with changing gear , ---no thanks !
Perhaps that older drivers have trouble ,means they are not fit to be on the road anyway ,just saying !

Re: Should Elderly People Drive Automatic Cars?

The problem comes from pedal confusion, ie, the driver presses the accelerator instead of the brake , HJ, advocates using the left foot to brake the car AT LOW SPEEDS ONLY, when parking or reversing, using the right foot for normal driving,

Re: Should Elderly People Drive Automatic Cars?

I've been driving automatics for about 20 years now and have never used left foot braking.


The last time I saw a preselector gearbox was on a bus in the 70s. I suppose a modern DSG gearbox is the modern equivalent.

Re: Should Elderly People Drive Automatic Cars?

I passed my driving test in a gear change car but since my husband is disabled after losing his arm in an accident at work we only have automatic cars now. I love my automatic, its a doddle to drive, I like not having to use the gearstick.

I'm like Ray, I've never used left foot braking.