To the editor:

Too frequently, we read or hear of cases of unintended acceleration or someone hitting the gas pedal instead of the brake. In none of these cases was a manually shifted transmission involved.

With a “stick shift,” such events are virtually impossible. When you press on the gas to go, your left foot is easing out the clutch pedal. If anything unexpected happens, the clutch immediately gets pressed to the floor and the engine instantly disconnects from the wheels.

I’m not advocating the elimination of automatic transmissions. I do lament the fact that one cannot go downtown and buy a new Chevy or Ford halfton pickup with a manual “tranny.”

I think every vehicle sold should have a manual transmission available. For many cars, this is not the case.

I drive a most unusual vehicle. It is called a Cadillac CTS “sport sedan” with a six-speed manual. It’s not a fakey, fourmatic or other inadequate approximation, but a real manual with a clutch pedal.

On Maine’s icy winter roads, I want the thing to shift exactly when I tell it to and at no other time.

Robert C. Meixell
Westport Island