coincidence to say this ws the topic in my circuit last week when me & friends were talking abt a Merc drove into the restaurant in Dubai in the early morning killing 3 ppl. I think accident hs nothing to do automatic/manual. when u face it u r going to apply brakes rather sitting there n change gear etc. Now if you confuse with clutch and brakes, it yr problem. So lack of concentration is the cause of any accident.