Driving a Manual Transmission

The other day, I wrote an article titled “I Finally Mastered Blipping the Boxster! Manual Driving Is Fun,”

ポルシェのMT車の運転が何倍も楽しくなる！MT車のブリッピングをついに習得。

and received a message saying, “I’d love to read about the kinds of mistakes you made while learning to drive a manual,” so today I want to share that story.

I think I struggled with driving a manual more than most people and made plenty of mistakes along the way (laughs).

It wasn’t something I picked up overnight, and while I’m still developing my skills, I’d like to take this opportunity to look back on my experiences.

Manual Driving: My Mistakes

Stopped in the Middle of the Road with Hazard Lights On

Determined to “learn to drive a manual,” I bought a BMW 320i, and the day after it was delivered, on the way back from dropping my daughter off at kindergarten, I couldn’t get moving at a red light and ended up stopping with my hazard lights on.

Looking back, I feel really sorry for causing trouble… but the more nervous I got, the more I stalled and couldn’t get going at all. I thought, “If this keeps up, the light will turn red…!” and instinctively turned on the hazard lights.

My heart was racing and I was sweating from the tension, so after all the cars behind me passed, I slowly moved forward, pulled over to the shoulder, calmed down, and managed to drive home very slowly.

The drivers behind me were very kind and didn’t honk even once, so since then, whenever I see a car that’s slow to start at a green light, I think, “Maybe they’re still getting used to driving a manual…!” and watch with a warm heart. lol

Driving with the Handbrake Engaged

My BMW 320i had a manual handbrake, and one time I thought, “Huh? I’m fully engaged, but the car just won’t pick up speed or move smoothly….”

Frightened, I pulled over to check and realized I had been driving with the handbrake still on…!

I’m sure there was a warning light near the speedometer, but I was so nervous I didn’t notice a thing.

Luckily I caught it early, but if I had kept driving like that, it could have ended badly.

Too Slow to Start, Got Overtaken

When I first started driving a manual, I was very careful about starting from a stop.

I focused all my attention on not stalling and getting moving safely.

But one time, after successfully starting and moving a bit, a Lexus behind me aggressively overtook me.

When I glanced over, I saw an elderly gentleman glaring at me as he passed, and I remember feeling shocked in many ways.

Couldn’t Start Even After Someone Let Me Go

Starting from a stoplight is manageable because you can prepare yourself, but sudden starts were difficult.

For example, when waiting to turn right, sometimes a kind driver would let me go, but I often couldn’t start smoothly and ended up taking a long time in those early days.

Back then, I’d think, “Thanks, but you don’t have to be so kind…!” or “Please, no cars behind me…” and pray as I drove. lol

Intended to Shift from 3rd to 4th but Went to 2nd Instead

Once I got somewhat used to starting, I often found myself “shifting from 3rd to 4th but accidentally going into 2nd.”

I thought I’d shifted into 4th, but suddenly the engine revved up with a “gyuiin” sound, and I panicked, looking down to see I was in 2nd gear.

Also, when I was in 4th, I sometimes got confused and wondered, “Wait, was this 6th gear? What was it again…” (Maybe my memory isn’t great…)

Putting It in Neutral Before Starting on a Hill

This happened when I was a bit more comfortable driving: I was stopped on a steep slope just before a parking lot exit, where a security guard told me to wait.

Since the light ahead wasn’t green yet, I put the car in neutral and waited, but when it was time to go, I forgot to shift into gear and the car started rolling backward.

I slammed on the brake and avoided trouble, but I was really glad there was no car behind me.

Also, this is a minor thing, but when parking on a slight incline, I’d put the shift lever in R (reverse) to park, then after finishing my errand and starting the engine, I’d forget it was still in R and release the clutch, causing the car to “jerk” and stall several times.

Learn by Doing

I made lots of mistakes, but after driving every day for a week, I surprisingly got the hang of the basic operations quickly.

For three years after removing my automatic-only license restriction, I only practiced manual driving once every few months, so I didn’t improve at all during that time…

I truly believe that driving a manual is a “learn by doing” kind of skill.

Since I started driving manuals again, I’ve become a safer driver than before.

Because I have to downshift myself to slow down, I’m much more aware of things like what the traffic lights two ahead are doing and whether pedestrians or cars might suddenly appear from the side.

Now I can drive most manual cars to some extent (I was happy not to stall even once when I got to drive a 964 MT), and I look forward to experiencing many more manuals in the future.