There has been a huge change in the automotive industry that’s causing young people to learn to drive without ever experiencing the benefit of one of the longest running aspects of driving; the stick shift. A manual transmission car used to be the symbol of a car that offered better performance or came at a lower cost with much better overall fuel mileage to be enjoyed. In today’s world, the closest most of us ever come to a manual transmission is the buttons and paddle shifters offered on automatics, but the good old stick shift is something that still needs to be taught.

While most Driver’s Education courses no longer teach youngsters how to drive a manual and there are many adults who never understood how these transmissions work there is one company that’s trying to bring back the enjoyment of a manual transmission for the younger generations. Hagerty is hosting events in four cities this year to teach people from ages 15-25 to drive a car that has a true manual transmission with a stick shift. The cars that will be driven aren’t just any cars at these events either.

Hagerty is known as an insurance company that covers classic cars and they have asked some of their own customers to bring out the treasures they have for these younger drivers to learn to use a true stick shift. The four cities that will be the host locations of these events are Golden, CO; Travers City, MI; Austin, TX; and Scottsdale, AZ. Those who are willing to offer up their treasured possessions are giving these young drivers an experience they certainly won’t ever forget as they learn in a closed course setting how to drive a manual transmission vehicle with a real stick shift.

Why has the stick shift been removed from so many cars in recent years? Even high performance cars have become equipped with automatic transmissions because the science and results have shown that the automatic transmissions of today can shift faster and better than we can on our own. This means we have the ability to enjoy the performance of a sports car without ever shifting gears in the vehicle; the automatic transmission gets the job done. Because automatics have become so much better over the years, the need to have three pedals and a stick shift are now extremely close to extinction.

With the help of Hagerty, many young people could learn how to drive a true stick shift vehicle and enjoy the fun and feel of being in charge of when the gears change. This team is making it easy for you to learn how to make these shifts the right way and shows you exactly what you need to know to be able to enjoy driving an older model vehicle with a real stick shift on the floor or in the stock. If you’re interested, check out the four locations mentioned and have a great time learning how to drive a manual transmission vehicle.