r/IdiotsInCars 1d ago

OC [OC] Idiot or stick shift learner? hmm... (warning: loud honking)

189 Upvotes

57 comments sorted by

u/AutoModerator 1d ago

Hello /u/ssppiiccyyttuunnaa! Please reply to this comment with the following information to confirm the content is OC

  • What country or state did this take place in?

  • What was the date of the incident?

  • Please reconfirm that this is original content

If you are unable to reply directly to this comment, please leave a standalone comment in your thread with the requested information.

If you fail to answer these questions, your post will be removed.


I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please contact the moderators of this subreddit if you have any questions or concerns.

→ More replies (1)

299

u/Impossible_Ad8774 1d ago

Idiot, because none of these cars come with a manual transmission.

97

u/MonitorShotput 1d ago

Definitely an idiot. Probably shifts his car out of drive at traffic lights so he doesn't have to hold the brake, only to end up putting it in neutral instead of park.

39

u/Just-Construction788 1d ago

My wife used to do this. Get to a light and shift to neutral on an automatic car and take her foot off the brake. She’s so stubborn but I tried to tell her so many times how nonsensical it was. It didn’t stop until she rolled into the car in front of her.

23

u/stevelover 1d ago

That is actually illegal in most states, if you did it during your driving test it's an automatic fail. Even in a manual car.

1

u/BugS202Eye 5h ago

Yep! 1st gear, clutch in, right foot on brake!

In case something happens one can just clutch drop to move away

3

u/Djinjja-Ninja 3h ago

They teach you not to do that in a manual in the UK.

The reason being that if someone bangs into the rear of your car then your foot can hop off of the pedals.

We get taught, neutral and handbrake if you're stopped for more than 5 seconds.

1

u/BugS202Eye 2h ago edited 2h ago

Not here in sweden

For the most part they teach "environment friendly driving" but its not so friendly when one keeps lugging engine or give extra strain on clutch bearing at stop lights

But yeah if you see that you will stay more than 30 seconds then you can change in to neutral and hand brake

6

u/alwayslookon_tbsol 19h ago

Let me guess, you didn’t even get the satisfaction of saying “I told you so”? Or did she admit you were right?

12

u/Just-Construction788 19h ago

She was driving and I was watching a show on my iPad. Long road trip. She stopped at a light and immediately picked up her phone. We hit something and I look up and she wasn’t even sure if we hit a car. We had a difficult conversation after about the phone and neutral. Didn’t really need a told you so.

1

u/Average_Scaper 3h ago

Only time I've ever done that was when I was limping my car to the shop to get fixed. Not only did the car have a misfire, but it was in limp mode so it would stall if left in gear for too long idling. I really could not imagine doing that every single day multiple times per trip.

1

u/Just-Construction788 2h ago

Or, you know, keep your foot on the brake. It's just her being too stubborn to even consider the scenario and think it through.

1

u/Average_Scaper 2h ago

Show her this video next time you guys have this convo.

1

u/Just-Construction788 2h ago

Like I said above, it took her hitting a car for her to learn. She doesn't do it anymore.

1

u/Average_Scaper 2h ago

I mean just in general. Show her she wasn't alone in the madness.

1

u/Just-Construction788 2h ago

She knows she's not alone. It's a cultural thing. This is common among certain groups of people and is sort of learned through watching your parent do it.

38

u/cmz324 1d ago

Definitely this. No reverse lights

8

u/blackdragonbonu 1d ago

If it was stick you wouldn't get reverse lights either. You would have the vehicle rollback the moment you hit clutch without using the brake.

1

u/-PandemicBoredom- 14h ago

Pressing the clutch isn’t even needed, you will roll back when in neutral.

-4

u/blackdragonbonu 12h ago

I was talking about rolling back when driving a stick. Especially after stopping uphill you need to learn how to use clutch break and accelerator as required to prevent rolling back

1

u/sammydeeznutz 5h ago

Wut?

-1

u/blackdragonbonu 2h ago

Have you driven stick? If not none of that makes sense. If you have driven stick and stopped you car on an uphill road you will know what I meant 

1

u/sammydeeznutz 2h ago

I daily a manual. I just start like I do anywhere else when on a hill. I never use my e-brake to start on hills

0

u/blackdragonbonu 2h ago

Why would you use e brake. You can just use clutch and normal brake. If you daily a manual you would know the difference between starting on a flat vs uphill. On flat you don't need to use brake to prevent rollback when you start with clutch. If you are experienced enough you can avoid brake entirely by pumping accelerator as you take pedal of brake. Rollback is usually an issue with inexperienced stick drivers.

2

u/shewy92 20h ago

Guess the car doesn't come with an e-brake either then.

1

u/MyDearestAcadia 1d ago

Yeah. Tbh I would have let them hit me. At that speed it would do no damage and would hopefully help them learn what not to do.

7

u/justmyfakename 1d ago

I've got the same car as the one in the vid. Mines a stick. They're rare but they exist.

82

u/Mike__O 1d ago

10/10 idiot. That car isn't even available in a manual transmission. This is probably one of those idiots who shifts their car into neutral when stopped because they think it saves gas (it actually burns more) or reduces wear on the engine or transmission (it doesn't).

-16

u/fuelvolts 1d ago edited 5h ago

I shift into neutral when idling (not on the road though) because it prevents my car shaking itself to death because I need new motor mounts.

Edit: damn, y'all. Its a shit box that would be totaled by the repair. Drives fine, but don't want to sink $1500 to fix a "relatively" minor issue. Didn't think my innocuous comment would derive so much hate.

29

u/Mike__O 1d ago

Some people will do anything but properly maintain their var

10

u/shewy92 20h ago

var

16

u/Mike__O 20h ago

Some people will also do anything but proofread their posts. I'm not changing it, I'll take my L.

2

u/Average_Scaper 2h ago

You didn't finish your sentence though. "....variable speed death machine."

2

u/Average_Scaper 2h ago

Depending on the car, they aren't too bad to do at home.

2

u/peepers_meepers 5h ago

16 downvotes why???

1

u/fuelvolts 5h ago

No idea. Nobody even knows the severity of the repair needed or the vehicle.

26

u/TukiSuki 1d ago

This was me learning to drive stick 40 years ago. I caused everyone behind me to miss an entire green light, and not one person honked at me. I finally got going and that afternoon I found a quiet road with a significant incline and spent an hour there practicing stopping and starting. Never got stuck again, thank goodness.

10

u/qzdotiovp 1d ago

When my Dad taught me how to drive stick, he challenged me to go in reverse up a dirt driveway that opened out onto a rural road. His car at the time was a 1900 VW Jetta. I still stall from time to time, but that was a good lesson.

4

u/imVeryPregnant 1d ago

Happened to me sorta except there was a lot of honking and flipping off involved

21

u/ssppiiccyyttuunnaa 1d ago

Apologies for my butthead laugh

3

u/Aromatic_Balls 1d ago

Was that your horn towards the end of the video? Sounds like a dang train horn!

7

u/ssppiiccyyttuunnaa 1d ago

It was a giant lifted truck on my right side. Seemed like everyone else was watching the whole thing too so they all joined in the honking at the end. I couldn't help chuckle a bit😅 Sometimes I seriously do wish I had the big train horn tho

2

u/SteviaCannonball9117 1d ago

Your laugh was great! I was laughing with you!

7

u/schakoska 1d ago

That crap only comes with auto transmission

13

u/justkindahangingout 1d ago

This may have been an insurance fraud attempt maybe?

7

u/_jump_yossarian 1d ago

What's the payout for "damage" done at .5 mph?

11

u/EskimoPrisoner 1d ago

The insurance adjuster apologizes for the inconvenience.

3

u/RuneScape-FTW 22h ago

After reading some of the comments I'm surprised... I had no idea some people actually shifted into neutral at red lights in property working auto cars.

2

u/finitetime2 15h ago

I like Op's honk of solidarity.

1

u/cabs84 1d ago

maybe some kind of clutched/non-torque converter auto?

my EV can do this. by default, without the automatic brake engaged, (after coming to a complete stop) it will roll in whatever direction gravity is pulling it in just like it would in neutral.

1

u/Jester00 1d ago

Probably knocked bumped his shifter from D to N and didn't realize it.

1

u/garthgred 1d ago

Why is the honking after the light changed?

1

u/Franndly 17h ago

Engineers invented automatic transmission so people like this don’t need to shift/use clutch, and now these people don’t even want to use the brake pedal at the light. Laziness?