How automatic is manual gear shifting?

Manual gear shifting is often used as an example of an automated (vs. contr olled) process in driving. The present study provided an empirical evaluati on of this assumption by evaluating sign detection and recall performance o f novice and experienced drivers driving manual shift and automatic transmi ssion cars in a downtown area requiring frequent gear shifting. The results showed that manual gear shifting significantly impaired sign detection per formance of novice drivers using manual gears compared with novice drivers using an automatic transmission, whereas no such differences existed betwee n the two transmission types for experienced drivers. The results clearly d emonstrate that manual gear shifting is a complex psychomotor skill that is not easily (or quickly) automated and that until it becomes automated, it is an attention-demanding task that may impair other monitoring aspects of driving performance. Actual or potential applications of this research incl ude a reevaluation of the learning process in driving and the need for phas ed instruction in driving from automatic gears to manual gears.