I was told off by my driving instructor for putting the car in neutral while sitting at the lights, he said it was due to the risk of being rear-ended and rolling forward into oncoming traffic, this isn’t a problem if you’ve got the handbrake engaged but some driving testers will have a whinge about this apparently. (At least in my area)
It’s a good habit to learn though. Also to add, resting your hand on the gearstick will wear down the transmission in a similar fashion
Your driving instructor was wrong, and not even in the realm of correct. You keep your foot on the break pedal at a light, not put the parking brake up. In no world is sitting a light in neutral with your foot on the brake any more dangerous than Any. Single. Automatic that does the exact same thing if you were to be rear ended, roll forward. Except in this case, with your foot off the brake, the vehicle with an auto is going to roll slightly faster, because it’s having torque applied.
Edit: oh ya, if you’re putting your handbrake up while at a light, it makes you slower to react to changing circumstances. I’ll give a scenario that I saw 3 times today: You’re a new and inexperienced driver and a emergency vehicle comes from around a corner behind you while you’re sitting at a light, and you’re in the outermost lane which currently has the least traffic in it, and you have to move for it to get past. Which outcome seems more likely, A) the new and inexperienced driver smoothly releases the handbrake, applies the clutch and throttle equally while having slidden the shifter expertly into 1st gear, or 2) they shift into 3rd because its probably not the smoothest gearbox for their first manual and then dump the clutch with no throttle, stall, try to fire it up, remember they need to apply the clutch, start it and then stall into 3rd, then same thing after shifting into 1st but the handbrake is still up?
Yeah I don’t disagree with you whatsoever, and the only time I actually use the handbrake in this situation is for one set of lights in my hometown because they take 5 minutes to goddamn change.
I’m more pointing out that driving instructors will have little quirks about things like this so going for a test in a manual can be more of a nightmare, especially now that manual trans is considered a hobbyist/enthusiast thing nowdays.
Apparently it’s because there’s a chance your foot could come off the brake if you’re rear ended so the car has momentum forward and no brake applied.
It’s just a pedantic rule from my neck of the woods and most people would never do it the ‘correct’ way for daily driving, but if you’re going for your licence test the driving instructors might get anal over small things like this.
I was told off by my driving instructor for putting the car in neutral while sitting at the lights, he said it was due to the risk of being rear-ended and rolling forward into oncoming traffic, this isn’t a problem if you’ve got the handbrake engaged but some driving testers will have a whinge about this apparently. (At least in my area)
It’s a good habit to learn though. Also to add, resting your hand on the gearstick will wear down the transmission in a similar fashion
Your driving instructor was wrong, and not even in the realm of correct. You keep your foot on the break pedal at a light, not put the parking brake up. In no world is sitting a light in neutral with your foot on the brake any more dangerous than Any. Single. Automatic that does the exact same thing if you were to be rear ended, roll forward. Except in this case, with your foot off the brake, the vehicle with an auto is going to roll slightly faster, because it’s having torque applied.
Edit: oh ya, if you’re putting your handbrake up while at a light, it makes you slower to react to changing circumstances. I’ll give a scenario that I saw 3 times today: You’re a new and inexperienced driver and a emergency vehicle comes from around a corner behind you while you’re sitting at a light, and you’re in the outermost lane which currently has the least traffic in it, and you have to move for it to get past. Which outcome seems more likely, A) the new and inexperienced driver smoothly releases the handbrake, applies the clutch and throttle equally while having slidden the shifter expertly into 1st gear, or 2) they shift into 3rd because its probably not the smoothest gearbox for their first manual and then dump the clutch with no throttle, stall, try to fire it up, remember they need to apply the clutch, start it and then stall into 3rd, then same thing after shifting into 1st but the handbrake is still up?
Yeah I don’t disagree with you whatsoever, and the only time I actually use the handbrake in this situation is for one set of lights in my hometown because they take 5 minutes to goddamn change.
I’m more pointing out that driving instructors will have little quirks about things like this so going for a test in a manual can be more of a nightmare, especially now that manual trans is considered a hobbyist/enthusiast thing nowdays.
You wouldn’t just use the foot brake if you’re in neutral?
Apparently it’s because there’s a chance your foot could come off the brake if you’re rear ended so the car has momentum forward and no brake applied.
It’s just a pedantic rule from my neck of the woods and most people would never do it the ‘correct’ way for daily driving, but if you’re going for your licence test the driving instructors might get anal over small things like this.
That’s the same as automatic though. Are you also told you put those in park?