Driving Default: Yesterday I reality-checked it . . .

[Miles]

I think that people get so caught up with insisting that most people don't have "trained" skills that they forget that their's a huge gulf between having a point in a skill, and having that skill at level 12, where you're actually good at it. Obviously, the vast majority of drivers do not have Driving-12.

If the average driver has DX 10 and one point in Driving, he has a base skill of 9. If he can't claim a positive TDM, his chance of success is 40%, and he needs to slow down and consult the rules for taking extra time on a task. If he can claim the +5 for his daily commute, he's golden. That sounds just about right to me.

[raven_walker]

Originally Posted by smurf

That's odd because most common rail injection systems now pack turbos with intercoolers and particule filters. So they are fast, economic and low on emissions. The 1.4 and 1.6 platforms are good but for a larger vehicle a 2.0 will normally do. The memsahib has a Fiat Ulysse with a similar engine to mine but only 110bhp. You can go above 2.0 on some models but many don't see the point.

The US only recently switched to low-sulfur diesel - before the last few years the modern european-style diesels would clog from the high sulfur content, and american-style diesels produced higher particulate counts. (Since the change to low-sulfur, there are more diesels coming out in the US, but it's not common yet.) (And many gas stations here don't even sell diesel fuel unless they are in an area where they see a lot of big trucks.)

[Gold & Appel Inc]

Originally Posted by gjc8

Above that, the small number of highly skilled professionals: stunt drivers, professional racers, etc.

...cab drivers...

Honestly, I spend about 50-60 hours/week on the road, and I think I get a few minutes/week of genuine on-job skill improvement. The vast majority of what I do does not challenge my abilities at all. When I do have to make a roll, I know it, and it's usually a Vehicular Dodge involving a drunk driver if it's not icy. My self-writeup has 4 points in Driving and an attribute sub perk to flip it to IQ.

[gjc8]

Originally Posted by Gold & Appel Inc

...cab drivers...

Honestly, I spend about 50-60 hours/week on the road, and I think I get a few minutes/week of genuine on-job skill improvement. The vast majority of what I do does not challenge my abilities at all. When I do have to make a roll, I know it, and it's usually a Vehicular Dodge if it's not icy. My self-writeup has 4 points in Driving and an attribute sub perk to flip it to IQ.

I'd put cab drivers in the "normal" professionals category. Skill DX+2ish, or 12ish. 4 points plus a perk sounds reasonable.

[Gold & Appel Inc]

Originally Posted by gjc8

I'd put cab drivers in the "normal" professionals category. Skill DX+2ish, or 12ish. 4 points plus a perk sounds reasonable.

Yeah, IQ 11 +1 gives me a 12, with a vehicular dodge of 9- (about a 1/3 chance) without Combat Reflexes. My Area Knowledge and Scrounging are the real money-makers.

[vicky_molokh]

Originally Posted by Owen Smith

In tradional automatics (which existed in the 1960s) its done with fluid flywheels and torque converters and other stuff that I don't understand (and nor do most mechanics at car repair garages). Yes it automatically selects a gear for the speed/rpm and load on the car (changing down to go uphill for example), but the "computer" is hydraulic fluid and a load of metal widgets :-).

When people say "mechanical linkage" on a traditional automatic they mean the lever that selects between Park, Reverse, Neutral, Drive and some forced downshift positions.

Modern computerised automatics (the last 5 years or so) are very different and often can be driven manually, semi auto with up/down gear paddles like a Formula 1 car or full automatic.

Then there's "drive by wire" on the throttle, which is a seperate issue. My BMW mini has a 6 speed manual gearbox, nothing remotely automatic about it. But the throttle is entirely electronic and is considered "drive by wire". It's still a pedal I press and in use it feels no different to my previous car which had an entirely mechanical throttle linkage to the carbeurettor. But it does allow computerised electronic cruise control so I don't have to keep my foot on the throttle when doing 70mph for hours on end on the motorway. (And there was an older method of cruise control for mechanical throttles, just to further confuse the issue.)

I understood that to mean that the answer to my question is 'yes, but not everybody knows it'. Right?

[Kale]

Originally Posted by Captain-Captain

Luck of the draw, one of my neighbors growing up got into Driver's ed early back in high school and got his license while most of us were waiting for summer to take it.
He drove me a few times. Shifting his automatic transmission.
Critical failure occures, bits of automatic transisson all over the street.
I avoid shifting gears in an automatic transmission with almost religious fervor.

Actually, newer automatic transmissions prevent you from downshifting if your RPMs are too high. Even my crappy Hyundai does this. Of course the proper thing is to know WHEN you should manually override your automatic transmission. I only ever use it on hills at low speeds when I CAN'T redline the engine through a bad shift.

[Ulzgoroth]

Originally Posted by vicky_molokh

I understood that to mean that the answer to my question is 'yes, but not everybody knows it'. Right?

...I don't see where you get "but not everybody knows it", though that's generally true of almost anything.

[sir_pudding]

Originally Posted by vicky_molokh

I understood that to mean that the answer to my question is 'yes, but not everybody knows it'. Right?

The answer to which question?
Are automatic transmissions more common than manual in America? Yes.
Are transmissions typically "computerized"? No.
Do Americans consider driving a car with a manual transmission to be more "advanced"? Generally, yes.
Do Americans consider driving a car without a computerized transmission to be be more "advanced? No.

You seem to be confusing "automatic transmission" with "has a bunch of computerized controls". Most automatics use what's basically a mechanical computer to change gears.

[Kale]

Originally Posted by sir_pudding

You seem to be confusing "automatic transmission" with "has a bunch of computerized controls". Most automatics use what's basically a mechanical computer to change gears.

Wikipedia actually has a really good article on the general attributes of an automatic transmission:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Automatic_transmission