It's always fun before something goes wrong. Having fun if you screw up it is just playing. If your wife and kid was in the back and a delay of an hours to get unstuck is a death sentence your better off with an automatic.

There is also the question of what happens if one of your legs is injured. Especially if it isn't a major emergency. I blew out a knee and had I not had an automatic I would have been stuck. Yes, I know, in a real life and death emergency I could limp along by timing the shifts and hoping the synchronizers hold up making up any differences in the RPMs. Tough on the clutch and transmission. And unless your very familiar with the vehicle and practiced your not going to be smooth enough to make it in traffic. But given a life or death situation hardware and traffic be damned.

As it was with my right knee in a splint I was able to lay it across the passenger seat and drive by sitting catty-corner with my butt against the driver side door and working the accelerator and brake with my left foot. No drama, no extra wear and tear.