The Decline of the Manual... But a Glimmer of Hope?

[ECONORAM]

Originally Posted by darcane

I hope that is repeated with the last manual trannies in light duty pickups (as of '09 or so?)

Yeah, you could get Dodge/RAM half-tons in 2009 with a stick, but that was only 10% of fleet production. I never did find one when I bought my '07. Now you can only get an HD truck with a Cummins with a stick. Everything else is a slush box.

Originally Posted by cosmick

I love driving a manual, I love not having every automatic fail me sooner or later, but I extremely hate the lack of good manuals in the salvage yards. There's no getting a used T56 for under $ 1500. And that's if you can find one.

Ditto. I grew up on manuals, taught my daughter how to drive one. I plan to teach my grandkids as well. I've searched and can't find a decent used one[edit, T56] for under $2K. At that price, you might as well shell out a few hundred more and get a new one from American Powertrain or something. I'd like to find an NV3500 or Getrag 238 salvage to swap into my truck, but the last ones I found in the spring have already sold. A guy on DodgeTalk did a T56 tranny swap and got another 2 mpg, he told me.
By the way, all these autos mean that most car thieves don't know how to drive a stick shift.

[Simonas]

For the discussion on texting and driving:

Even if one looks at his phone for as long as he looks at his mirror, it is still different than looking at the mirror. The mind does not change its thought pattern very much when looking at the mirror, whereas the texting is a huge jump. No longer is defensive driving the goal, but rather driving and thinking about what is going on at work or at home. If you run into someone while looking at your mirrors, you will still have a much better reaction time than when texting.

[Fat Charlie]

Ram 1500s haven't had manuals since 08, the last year of the DR body.

[ECONORAM]

Hmm, maybe I was thinking of 09 dakotas.

[redpoint5]

Originally Posted by Simonas

The mind does not change its thought pattern very much when looking at the mirror, whereas the texting is a huge jump. No longer is defensive driving the goal, but rather driving and thinking about what is going on at work or at home.

I had my cellphone connected to a handsfree system on my motorcycle for exactly 1 day. During my first phone conversation, I found that my ability to focus on the many tasks involved in riding was diminished to a point that I was uncomfortable.

That said, I believe active braking systems will be a standard feature in 5 years. The incidence of collisions will plummet by the end of the decade. As always, people will not get better, rather the technology will.

[Fat Charlie]

Originally Posted by ECONORAM

Hmm, maybe I was thinking of 09 dakotas.

Yeah, 09 was the last year the Dakota had a manual- but only if you got the 3.7 engine. And probably manual windows, no AC, etc.

[101Volts]

Originally Posted by Xist

"More than 5,000 people die each year as a result of being distracted while driving"
"Among the various distractions, [...] texting while driving was particularly perilous. A 2009 study focusing on drivers of larger vehicles and trucks concluded that texting raised the risk of a crash by 23 times compared with nondistracted driving."

Is it not quite as dangerous in cars?

"Shockingly, texting drivers took their eyes off the road for each text an average of 4.6 seconds -- which at 55 mph"

Speed limits on most freeways here are 65 MPH, so everybody drives 75, and therefore would travel 506 feet in 4.6 seconds.

"A Harris poll last year found that [...] 37 percent said they engaged in texting."
Texting Drivers Take Eyes Off Road 5 Seconds On Average: Study

How about the friend that asks me why I did not respond to her Facebook post, so I pull out my phone, answer, and then she pulls out hers, and responds, while I keep saying "No! It is not important! You are driving! It can wait!"

At least her 90 Civic is a smaller "guided" missile, unlike the Suburban and minivan that she was driving, not that it would do me any good if she finally hits something.

I have usually been able to type on my phone without looking at it, but I am not sure how much that actually helps.

Has she never seen "Wheels of Tragedy" from 1963? That's a good, awesome film. I recommend it!

Originally Posted by redpoint5

That said, I believe active braking systems will be a standard feature in 5 years. The incidence of collisions will plummet by the end of the decade. As always, people will not get better, rather the technology will.

My Grandfather was born in the late 1920s and was a truck driver for most of the time when working. He lived through the 1950s to even the early 2000s as a truck driver, and apparently a very good one since he lived through all that and is still around to talk about it. And I heard this from a car inspector; Grandfather was doing overtime, and that may be normal for some people but my Granddad was doing triples. I haven't talked about this sort of thing with my Grandfather much and trucking companies have put in regulations now, but would you suggest I go talk to my grandfather about things like this? The thought of writing a book about it like the Foxfire books even came to mind. Hm, That's actually a good idea; Is anyone else interested? I think a lot of younger drivers can benefit from it.

[UltArc]

Originally Posted by redpoint5

I had my cellphone connected to a handsfree system on my motorcycle for exactly 1 day. During my first phone conversation, I found that my ability to focus on the many tasks involved in riding was diminished to a point that I was uncomfortable.

That said, I believe active braking systems will be a standard feature in 5 years. The incidence of collisions will plummet by the end of the decade. As always, people will not get better, rather the technology will.

And we become MORE reliant on technology (as a people, not US here).

[JasonG]

I remember once watching a valet try to park my one ton diesel manual truck.
After stalling it numerous times he just got out.
My dad and mom were behind me in his decked out dually. Dad says out the window "same transmission".
We both pulled past two spots and simultaneously backed both trucks in.
My wife, watching from the valet stand, said it looked like synchronized swimming.
The valet still had his mouth open when dad and I walked up.
We felt bad though and gave him a nice tip anyway.
Nowadays, that would never happen.

[freebeard]

I saw a kid driving down the street with his hands at 11:30 and 12:30, holding a "smart" phone. He could see everywhere except where his car was going.

/I guess that's off-topic. Sorry.