sitting at lights with foot on the brakes - why

Ultrasonic

Blackbeard_of_Perranporth wrote: »

As in the uk, foot on the brake in front of me, I just stay far enough back with full beam on. I do not get dazzled by your lights, but you do by mine. Normally causes them to release the foot brake.

That is spectacularly inconsiderate.

If you are being so badly dazled by a rear break light that you feel the need to do this then you have an issue with your eyes, and a trip to an optician may be in order.

neilmcl

reeac wrote: »

Any examples?

BMWs have been using what they call "dynamic brake lights" for years as do many other manufacturers.

goonarmy

neilmcl wrote: »

BMWs have been using what they call "dynamic brake lights" for years as do many other manufacturers.

Uk spec cars the lights flash. Us spec have additional lights not variable brightness as far as im aware.

scheming_gypsy

Ultrasonic wrote: »

By that do you mean that on a hill you hold the car on the clutch to make it easier for you to move off, rather than using the handbrake when you stop? If so it would really be good for your car - and ultimately your wallet - if you could learn to do hill starts using the hand brake. If you can hold the car with the clutch this really shouldn't be difficult for you.

Holding the car on a hill by slipping the clutch wears out the clutch. If your car has a dual mass flywheel (DMF) the heat generated can be bad for this too. You'll also be wasting fuel since presumably you need to rev the engine above idle? All in all, a bad idea.

I can do hill starts with the handbrake but for some reason I've always preferred to hold it on the clutch.. but I only do it when the lights are due to change, so i'm not sitting there for minutes.

neilmcl

goonarmy wrote: »

Uk spec cars the lights flash. Us spec have additional lights not variable brightness as far as im aware.

My UK spec car has extra lights that illuminate when braking hard, which has the overall "effect" of making the brake lights brighter the harder you brake.

goonarmy

neilmcl wrote: »

My UK spec car has extra lights that illuminate when braking hard, which has the overall "effect" of making the brake lights brighter the harder you brake.

No just more.

Paul_the_Painter

I drive a Caterham, and if you've ever seen where the handbrake is you'll understand why I hold it on the foot brake. It is essentially unreachable whilst wearing the harness.

Richard53

Paul_the_Painter wrote: »

I drive a Caterham

You're a lucky chap. If I ever have to give up riding a motorbike, I'm going to have a Caterham as my daily driver.

[Deleted User]

If I know am going to be a while at the lights then I put handbrake on. If not then I just use foot brake. I roughly know the timing of all the sets of lights on my regular routes. My handbrake if naff and doesn't really hold the car unless on flat ground. Even after I had it "fixed" it went back to how it was after a few weeks. I always park in gear anyway.

lister

From my perspective as a driving instructor and variously qualified advanced driver, it is about using the right tool for the job in manuals (and I can't speak about automatics, never having driven one).

If you only have a hammer, everything looks like a nail... Not every stopping situation is the same, so it is a good idea to understand what different techniques offer and to be competent at applying them as required.

I always teach my students three techniques and get them to explore when each is appropriate.

1) Handbrake on (possibly into neutral, possibly not): If you are likely to be stopped for any length of time (>5 - 10 seconds), I would always apply the handbrake. It gives you the best control moving off, minimising rollback and the risk of stalling. It also provides the quickest method of moving away if trying to get into a busy traffic flow. Plus of course you have extra security against rearend collisions and feet slipping on brake/clutch.

2) Held on footbrake: More prone to rollback and stalls and not as quick for getting into small gaps. But useful when you can see a gap arriving shortly or traffic lights are likely to change any second, as applying handbrake in these situations can be clumsy and cause delays. Never for more than 5-10 seconds as the handbrake could easily be applied instead in these situations. Also many drivers, even those with lots of experience do this method badly, coming off the brake before coming up on the clutch, which further increases the risk of stalls and rollback.

3) Hold on the biting point: Useful on uphill junctions/traffic lights when you can see a gap arriving or the lights changing and just need to pause for a split second. This method is both mechanically poor on the car, and also offers very poor control, so shouldn't be used for more than 1-2 seconds.

All these methods are perfectly acceptable in an L-test. As long as you keep safe control of the car, you can stop how you like. Incorrect usage of any method can create a fault, if for example rollback or a stall occurs, but in themselves the methods do not get you a fault.