Do You Need to Press the Brake When Shifting Gears?

[StWalter]

It depends on the situation, not all gear shifts require pressing the brake. Reasons why you must press the brake when shifting gears in an automatic transmission: For safety considerations, automatic transmissions are equipped with a torque converter or automatic clutch. When 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. As the brake and accelerator are on the same side, your foot is either on the brake or the accelerator. The system is designed to require pressing the brake to shift gears primarily to prevent your foot from being on the accelerator. Additionally, the brake is used to control the car's speed. Shifting gears in a manual transmission: Manual transmissions have more gears, typically 1-6 forward gears, all requiring manual shifting. Therefore, when shifting in the same direction, you only need to press the clutch to shift. Manual transmissions have a clutch; pressing the clutch before shifting already cuts off the power transmission. However, if shifting from a forward gear to reverse, you also need to press the brake first, bringing the car to a complete stop before shifting into reverse.