Do You Need to Press the Brake Every Time You Shift Gears?

[LeHolden]

Automatic transmission cars require pressing the brake when shifting gears, while manual transmission cars need to press the brake when downshifting from a higher gear to a lower gear if the speed is too high, to control the speed before shifting. Upshifting from a lower gear does not require pressing the brake. Automatic transmission cars must press the brake when shifting gears: For safety reasons, automatic transmissions have a torque converter or automatic clutch. Once the power is engaged, the car immediately moves forward or backward. Since there is no manual clutch process and the engine won't stall, the car's movement can only be controlled by the brake. Given that the brake and accelerator are on the same side, the foot is either on the brake or the accelerator. The system is designed to require pressing the brake to shift gears primarily to prevent the foot from being on the accelerator and to control the car's speed. Manual transmission cars have more gears, ranging from 1st to 6th, all requiring manual shifting. Therefore, when shifting in the same direction, only the clutch needs to be pressed to shift gears. However, if shifting from a forward gear to reverse, the brake must be pressed first to bring the car to a complete stop before shifting into reverse. When downshifting from a higher gear to a lower gear, if the speed is too high, the brake must be pressed to control the speed before shifting, otherwise, the gearbox may be damaged. Upshifting from a lower gear does not require pressing the brake.