By Dodge
Dodge predicts as many as 20% of 2013 Dart compacts will be sold with manual transmissions. Six-speed shifter for Dart manual is pictured.
Unlike most parents, Robert McCormac Sr. doesn?t have to tell his son not to text and drive. He eliminated any chance of technological distractions by getting him a car with a manual transmission.
The 44-year-old said stick shift cars force drivers to pay attention because constant gear changes require work.
So when Robert McCormac Jr. turned 15, he got behind the wheel of his dad?s 1974 Karmann Ghia for the first time.
Now that he?s 16, the younger McCormac said he?s glad his dad taught him how to drive a manual transmission car.
?None of my friends drive stick shift,? the Science Leadership Academy junior said. ?It?s kind of a lost trade.?
But calculations for the first quarter of 2012 indicate the trade is getting picked up after all. Manual cars made up 6.5% of new vehicles sold, according to Edmunds.com.
This is higher than the previous five years in which manual cars only made about half of that percentage. The spike is a result of heavy campaigning by a variety of companies and individuals who refuse to see the practice disappear.
On Sept. 5, the McCormacs participated in one of the events with that sole purpose ? the Hagerty Driving Experience. Hagerty Insurance, which specializes in policies to protect classic cars, sponsored the one-day driving clinic.
More than 30 participants gathered at the Simeone Foundation Automotive Museum to learn more about classic manual cars.
After a 30-minute classroom session, the 15- through 25-year-olds received a visual education of manual transmission.
?That?s when they learn how everything works,? the program?s youth advocacy coordinator said. ?From what?s going on when the gears are grinding to what sound the car shouldn?t make.?
Tabetha Salsbury, 24, said participants also received seminars on short car care essentials.
?Using one of the cars on sight they learned how to check the fluids, the oil and the battery connection,? she said. ?We basically showed them how to take care of their cars.?
Once they completed the lesson, the young drivers were allowed to put their skills to the test.
A variety of cars from local car clubs and private collectors were at their disposal. The McCormac?s Karmann Ghia was one of the cars on display.
The women and men took turns driving and practicing what they learned.
?I had a really great experience even though I already knew how to drive stick,? the younger McCormac said. ?It was cool to see that only three people knew how to and by the end of the day everyone did.?
Hagerty?s first clinic took place at the Michigan Car Appreciation Day in 2011.
Salsbury said it was a direct counterattack to the decline of teenage drivers.
?The program gives them the opportunity to drive in real cool, classic cars,? she said. ?It brings back the enjoyment and fun of being behind the wheel.?
Since then, the company has sponsored five more clinics in different cities. The next one is set to happen in Atlanta on Oct. 5.
Hagerty Insurance isn?t the only group making a push for manual transmissions. In July 2010 Car and Driver Magazine launched a campaign called Save the Manuals designed to attract car enthusiasts to raise awareness and appreciation about stick shift cars.
Car companies are also sending out the pro-stick-shift message. To promote the 2012 Chevrolet Sonic, the auto company launched its ?Stay Clutch? contest in July.
College students and young professionals competed to win four grand prizes that included a special class at the ?Stay Clutch? driving school and tickets to the 2012 State Farm Home Run Derby and MLB All-Star Game.
Although through different ways, these examples seem to be working in favor of manual cars. By introducing them to young drivers and college students, they are reviving the trade.
Joey Capparella, a senior at Rice University, said the decline in manual car usage stems from a perpetuating cycle.
?Some people have never come in contact with stick shift,? the 21-year-old said. ?If they don?t have the access then they will never learn and the cycle will continue.?
Capparella, who learned to drive manual and automatic cars, spent his summer working on them. He said his job as a Corporate Communications intern at Nissan was a dream.
In addition to dealing with publicity and media events for the company, he also washed and helped deliver cars. The summer only increased his love for manual transmission cars.
?I?m a big propagator of them,? he said. ?I try to get as many people as I can to learn because it?s a lost art in our generation.?
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The views expressed in this article do not necessarily reflect the views of USA TODAY.
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