I plan on the exact opposite with my kids - I'll have them out in parking lots perfecting the art of driving a manual transmission before they ever step foot in a drivers ed class, that way they'll rules of the road in both - an auto in drivers ed class, and a manual with me outside of class.

Totally disagree. I think a manual transmission keeps people more focused on the act of driving and keeps them more in tune with the vehicle. One requirement I will have for my kids when then want a car is that it will have to have a manual transmission.

The thing that upsets me the most by the British spot isn't the dead teenage girls, it's the unresponsive (implied dead) infant with the (dead?) unresponsive parents and the big sister asking for her mommy and daddy.

It's pretty funny how far we've come. I fell in love with my wife the day I found out she owned a 1G Eclipse GSX w/ a 5MT