Using the brake pedal at traffic lights?

Strider590

wantonnoodle wrote: »

I wish that people would learn to turn right offside to offside again. There is a junction by my mum and dads which, unless you turn offside to offside, is a nightmare. You really can tell when someone has positioned themselves for a nearside-nearside turn as the traffic backs up as there is no room for people going straight on to get past.

Everytime I use the junction it makes my blood boil. And it doesn't help when other people say that it is not used any more.

Try doing it, but I guarantee everyone will wonder what the hell your doing. When I did this during leaning to drive, I had people leaning on their horns at me, the instructor then explained that basically the highway code doesn't always reflect real life.

custardy

Obukit wrote: »

Hi,

I'm not sure if I'm going mad but it seems that, stopped at traffic lights, 50%+ of people seem to keep their foot on the brake. When I was learning to drive, I was taught that once stopped, you go out of gear and put handbrake on, to avoid blinding the person behind you with your brake lights. It also means that if you slip off the clutch you don't shunt the person in front of you. In the words of my driving instructor, "If you have time to put the handbrake on, that means it should be on".

However, so many people seem to use the foot brake now, I was wondering if I have got it wrong? Is there some advantage, or is it just laziness? Certainly modern cars, especially Minis, seem to have very bright brake lights and on unlit roads it must affect night vision to have bright lights shone directly in your face? Also, I can't imagine it's great for the disks to have a hot brake pad pushed against them with no air flow to cool off.

Any thoughts?

The high level brake lights blazing away at eye level, does my head in.

StrangelyBrown

Riccal wrote: »

going round the back of the vehicle would be right side to right side which is off side to off side not near side.

Riccal

My mistake - I stand corrected*





*said the man in the orthopaedic shoes.

VfM4meplse

callistris wrote: »

I commented ages ago on this forum about this subject of rear brake lights, and was given this as an excuse/reason.

All I can say is there must be a hell of alot of automatics on the road:rotfl:

Confession - I do this when in an automatic, because I can't move the stick from P into D without looking. Also taking the stick through the options, you run through R and a flash of the reverse light tends to induce panic in the driver behind .

If I'm driving a manual, I'll always use the handbrake as I have a thing about wearing the clutch out.

It's just as well that I don't have a vehicle of my own atm, isn't it?

NBLondon

VfM4meplse wrote: »

Confession - I do this when in an automatic, because I can't move the stick from P into D without looking. Also taking the stick through the options, you run through R and a flash of the reverse light tends to induce panic in the driver behind .

You live and learn! I've seen that happen a few times at lights and been startled for a second. In fact, it's more worrying if the traffic lights have changed and we're about to set off.

I haven't driven an automatic for years but can't you put the stick in N, handbrake on and foot off?

Is there a standard order? My mental picture says P N 1 2 D R ...

Road_Hog

Obukit wrote: »

Hi,

I'm not sure if I'm going mad but it seems that, stopped at traffic lights, 50%+ of people seem to keep their foot on the brake. When I was learning to drive, I was taught that once stopped, you go out of gear and put handbrake on,

Things change. When I passed my test in '84, you could do this sort of thing. Less cars and far less lights, there was more time to do this. Light sequences are now deliberately sequenced to frustrate drivers and and if everyone put their handbrake on and took the car out of gear, only two or three cars would ever get through before the lights change.

It's a different world and old rules no longer apply. Anyone that doesn't think that driving is deliberately frustrated, only needs to look at cross junctions where you have two lanes at a set of lights. Common sense says, right hand lane, right turn, left hand lane, left turn and straight on. But some council planners take delight in making it left turn only and then right turn/straight on, which has the effect of a whole stream of cars wanting to go straight on, but stuck behind the lead car wanting to turn right.

Strider590

NBLondon wrote: »

Is there a standard order? My mental picture says P N 1 2 D R ...

Nope, different manufacturers do it differently.

Most common seems to be:

P
R
N
D
2
1

custardy

Road_Hog wrote: »

Things change. When I passed my test in '84, you could do this sort of thing. Less cars and far less lights, there was more time to do this. Light sequences are now deliberately sequenced to frustrate drivers and and if everyone put their handbrake on and took the car out of gear, only two or three cars would ever get through before the lights change.

It's a different world and old rules no longer apply. Anyone that doesn't think that driving is deliberately frustrated, only needs to look at cross junctions where you have two lanes at a set of lights. Common sense says, right hand lane, right turn, left hand lane, left turn and straight on. But some council planners take delight in making it left turn only and then right turn/straight on, which has the effect of a whole stream of cars wanting to go straight on, but stuck behind the lead car wanting to turn right.

lol,paranoid much?

Delivery_Driver

Strider590 wrote: »

If your hit with the handbrake on, your car isn't going to stay where it is anyway.

Try it, try fully applying your handbrake, count the notches, then drive along at 10mph and apply the same.... I bet your car doesn't stop. Even those with insanely harsh handbrakes (like the 2004 Toyota Corolla), they just lock the wheels and carry on.

The person you quoted is correct, its also in case someone hits you from behind.It can then stop you going into the person in front.It might not stop you from moving but it will stop you a damn sight quicker than no brakes at all-pretty common sense really.

Personally I try not to stop at all for lights/junctions/roundabouts by keeping a good watch on what's happening far ahead and adjust my speed accordingly.Rarely have to stop for things like this at all.Also gives better mpg, so money saving too.

Cash-Strapped.T32

StrangelyBrown wrote: »

The one I hate which seems to have gained popularity is using the hazards to say thanks to someone behind you.

Why would anyone have a problem with people being polite, or taking the time to say thanks?
I think it's rather decent tbh; A wave seen from behind is useless, and is as likely to be seen as giving the finger as anything else.

Strider590 wrote: »

.......
Truckers do it all the time, it's pretty universal.

Personally I see the old left-right-left flash more often, particularly when one truck has let another cut back in after overtaking, or if they've slowed down to let one onto the motorway from a sliproad. (in which case it's right-left-right)

I've had a few occasions when I've been in a queue on a sliproad (usually where lights are controlling how many cars can enter the motorway), and a truck or car has stayed stationary in order to let me merge infront of them.
Being as motorbikes don't tend to have hazard-lights as such, I've used the same signal to say cheers to the kind driver in question.