My driving school has offered automatic driving lessons since 2003, and we used to have 6 automatic instructors, and 13 manual instructors. In 2011 I started teaching automatic, after 16 years of teaching manual. Its far safer in an automatic as pupils don't need to worry about what their feet are doing and the lack of stalling obviously makes it safer to emerge at junctions, likewise the responsive hybrid engine helps if they misjudge it slightly.
Amazingly I have had newly passed pupils buy brand new C class Mercedes, BMW 3 series, BMW X5, Porsche Boxster, and an Aston Martin Convertible as their early cars, it puts my first car, a Ford Escort van to shame.