I would be very interested to know the accident rates of manual transmission vehicles in North America, compared to the average. I agree that all else being equal, the added difficulty in driving them should result in a higher rate. But the added attention/engagement required could be an opposing factor. It's also possible that people inclined to buy manual transmission cars are better drivers on average. (I suppose it's also possible they're more aggressive, worse drivers on average too, although I would expect the former.)
