Automatic transmission cars now makes up to 87% of the world’s car production and the number keeps getting higher.
While 25 years ago, manual transmission is the common stock transmission you see coming out in the automotive market, and automatic tranny’s are just for elderly’s that can’t drive a stick.
And yes, manual transmission is now becoming a thing of the past and is just common to those sports-tuned car fanatics that loves to shift their gears manually.
So if you haven’t already know how to drive an automatic transmission car, then this post is for you. I’ll discuss here the basics of automatic transmission driving for beginners.
Before You Start Your Engine
The first thing that you should know is to familiarize yourself with the automatic gearbox selection letters – P, R, N and D.
P stands for Park. You only used this gear when you are stopped and getting out of the car. What it does is that, it locks the transmission preventing the car from any motion.
R for Reverse. As its name suggest, reverse gear should be selected if you want to drive backwards. You often use this when you are parking or if you need to drive in reverse.
N means Neutral. When your gear is in neutral, your transmission is disengage from the engine. This means that your car won’t roll away unless you are parked in a hill and forgot to engage your handbrake.
Speaking of handbrake, you must, all the time, use your emergency brake when you are in Neutral. Also, avoid coasting (driving downhill) while in Neutral as it can damage your engine.
Lastly, D stands for Drive. Selecting this mode will allow your car to move forward.
And before you start your engine, you need to adjust your seat according to the right position.
You don’t want to be seating close to the steering wheel but neither too far. Make sure that you can reach the steering wheel with your arms slightly bent.
Adjust the height of your seat that enables you to see the road in front of you including the rear back using your rear view mirror. You should also have a better view of the dashboard.
Most modern cars have adjustable steering wheel. Adjust it according to your preference.
You see the two mirrors at each side? Those are called side mirrors. Adjust them accordingly. The rule of the thumb is that, you must be able to see a bigger view of the road on your side mirrors.
You also have to familiarize the lever on your steering wheels. The left lever is your light console where you activate the headlights, high beam, turn signals and reverse lights.
The right lever is for your rain wipers. If you are driving a sedan, most likely you only have wipers at front (windshield). But if you are driving a crossover, van or an SUV, then you have dual wipers (front and rear).
Basically, modern cars do have dozens of controls in the steering wheel such as cruise control. But since this post is just for beginner’s driving 101, those features will be discussed in another post.
Lastly, you look at the pedal beneath your dashboard. You see two pedals right? The right pedal is your accelerator where you allow your car to move forward faster.
The left pedal is your brake pedal, it is if of course, for braking purposes.
Starting the Engine
Starting the engine is not a rocket science and anyone can essential start a car. But first, there are two ways to start a car’s engine.
The conventional way is of course, by using a key. Just put the key into the cars ignition and simply turn the key in on mode to start the engine.
Another way is through a button called start/stop button. Most modern cars have this feature. Just bring your conventional key with you that has a sensor. Once your car detects your key is inside, just push the button to start the engine and you are done!
But before you start your engine, you first need to ensure that your gear is on Park mode, your handbrake is engaged and your right foot is on the left pedal.
These steps are a must. Why? Because most cars require them and is a safety feature that helps prevent unwanted accidents from the get go.
If all these are checked, go start the engine. Once the engine is running, you may want to start feeling the steering wheel, your driving position and also the mode positions on the gearbox.
Let the engine heat up a bit, about 2 minutes is good enough but avoid idling your car for too long as you are already polluting the environment. Modern engines don’t need long warm ups.
Oh, don’t forget to wear your seatbelts.
Shifting Gears
Now shifting gears in an automatic transmission should not be complicated compared to manual transmission cars.
As I discussed above, familiarize yourself with the position of the gears from your gearbox. Then from Park mode, slowly shift the lever to the next mode which is Reverse, then to the next which is Neutral.
If your lever doesn’t budge, then you need to step on the brake pedal first before you can release the Park mode. It is another safety features of cars with automatic transmission.
Once in Neutral, press the brake pedal and release the handbrake. Then shift to Drive. Look on the road, not on the gearbox.
Now that you are in Drive mode, your car is ready to move forward. Slowly release the brake pedal to feel the car in motion. It is normal if you stomped on the pedal hard as you are a beginner. But try to improve overtime.
At the moment, you are driving slowly but surely. It is imperative to be conscious on your surroundings when you are driving. You don’t want to bump on anything on the road right?
If you want to drive faster, then step slightly on the accelerator to gain speed, but don’t press hard. Control your feet for you to be able to control your car.
Most people get nervous during their first time driving. Don’t worry, you are not the only one. We all experienced the same thing. Overtime, nervousness will go away on its own.
Feel the steering wheel, sway it slightly from left to right, just to know how the car moves from steering the wheel.
How to Stop the Car?
When braking the car, you should never look at your feet to search for that brake left pedal. So it is crucial that you also familiarize yourself to those two pedal positions.
Unlike manual transmissions, where you also need to focus on the clutch pedal (third pedal) and your gearbox to keep your engine running, automatic transmission negates all these steps, making driving much easier for you.
When braking, just step on the brake pedal slowly. Control your feet while pressing the brake pedal. If you feel that you can stop on a given point in the road, then take your time and don’t rush pressing the brake pedal.
But if you need to stop urgently, then press the brake hard and make sure that you stop at the exact point where you want to stop the car.
The key here is to have better control of your feet when braking. Pressing too much will throw you and your passenger out of the car, while pressing too soft may result to a front collision.
After your car has stopped, it isn’t necessary to shift the gear to Neutral right away especially if you are just stopped by a traffic light. Just keep your foot on the brake pedal and wait for the green light.
If you think that you are stuck in traffic or your feet get numbed, then shift to Neutral but engage your handbrake. Make sure that the car isn’t going to roll once you release your foot from the brake.
Again, the key here is to for you to get accustomed on how the pedals work and when and how to apply gears. Obviously, automatic transmission does all the work when it comes to shifting gears.
And the most important is just make a habit of always pressing on your brake pedal, whenever you are in complete stop. Also, don’t put your gear to Park if you are not on your garage or in a parking lot and going out of your car. Just engage your handbrake.
Turning a Car
All roads have turning point. So how do you turn a car?
This kinda trivial question but most people don’t really know how to turn their cars the right way.
When driving, your hand position should be in the ten o clock and two o clock position in the steering wheel.
But when turning, you should follow a hand over hand method.
This method allows you to get better grip on the steering wheel while effectively turning the car on the exact position that you want.
Of course, don’t forget to activate your turn signals first before turning to your left or right.
Since you are driving an automatic transmission, you don’t have to worry about changing gears when turning. Drivers who love sticks are experts on shifting to lower gears whenever they are turning their cars.
Turning Off Your Engine
While parking a car is for a different discussion, this post won’t be complete without teaching you how to turn off your engine.
First, make sure that you parked your car in your garage and is already in complete stop.
While still stepping on the brakes, shift the gear to Park and engage your handbrake.
Now you can release your foot from the brake pedal.
Don’t turn off your engine just yet. Turn off your A/C system, your radio or infotainment system. If you drove at night, turn off your lights.
After checking the car, you can now turn off the engine, get out of your car and secure it by turning on the alarm system.
If you plan on storing your car in your garage for a long time, then you may need to read this post.
Conclusion
Driving a automatic transmission is stress-free and hassle-free. And as a first time driver, it is likely that you will choose this type of transmission for your first car.
And it is a good choice.
Automatic transmission will select the gear for you once you are in motion. There is nothing to worry about. Plus, there are various types of automatic transmissions in the market that may very well fit your driving needs.
Want to learn more about driving cars? If so, then check out some car driving tutorial books found in Amazon.
Or watch my automatic transmission Driving 101 below. This is in Tagalog, but it has closed caption so you’ll understand the whole video.
Thank you and and until next time!
