That’s true for rentals, they don’t want idiots screwing up their gearboxes. But, most cars on the streets are manuals, and you can’t get a driver’s license if you don’t know how to drive one.

> But, most cars on the streets are manuals

I don't know, anecdotally, all my friends (besides me, if I count as a friend of mine) drive automatic.

> and you can’t get a driver’s license if you don’t know how to drive one.

This is definitely not true in a bunch of countries, where you get to chose if to take a license for manual or automatic, where if you chose manual you can drive both and if you chose automatic, you obviously only get to drive automatic ones.

That is only true in poorer European countries with older, cheaper vehicle fleets. Most new car sales in more affluent countries no longer have manual transmissions. Modern automatics with 8+ forward gears or CVTs are more fuel efficient than manuals and easier to integrate as part of hybrid systems. And of course EV sales are growing rapidly: they don't use conventional transmissions at all.

New car sales - of course, but average car age even in Germany is around 10 years, it gets better only in wealthy small countries like Switzerland or Luxembourg.

I seriously doubt there’s a majority of automatic in Germans and French’s individual buyers. In fact most people that don’t rent cars don’t are very hesitant when required to drive one (if that ever happen)

You can get an automatic-only license in the UK AFAIK. But I don't know anybody that has that.

Even in Italy?

Just now I went to Avis.com set pick up in Rome tomorrow, drop off in Rome the day after, and it said there are 6 types of cars available, and 5 of those types have manual transmissions.

I was really shocked in italy by the standard of driving. I was fully expecting full on car honking road rage in cities and uber fast driving on the motorways/highways.

Florence was incredibly calm, respectful and considerate driving. The Motorways everyone was doing just under the speed limit.

My italian friends said that its not the case in the north.

Apparently in Italy the speed limit is strictly enforced by automated cameras. If you go more than 5% over, you'll get a fine.

Wait... Does the US not have speed cameras?

Hmm, some states do. I didn't know that. The majority don't. California doesn't.

For the ones that do, I would guess they have more leniency than 5%, but I don't know.

Call them instead and ask. Multiple times they have manual available on the website, but after choosing it and going there to pick it up, it turns out they don't even have manuals in their fleet! Incredible