sitting at lights with foot on the brakes - why

Daz2009

We were waiting to pull off from a roundabout the other evening,driver had foot on brake so brake lights on and someone still managed to rear end us.
Had a touch of whiplash for a day or so but I think if we'd had the handbrake on instead it might have been worse plus the damage to the car would have been more

Ultrasonic

Johnmcl7 wrote: »

I've never found the brake lights on the car in front to be an annoyance and certainly not blinding.

Same here. Some people's eyes must just be more sensitive I guess.

Ultrasonic

What bugs me at lights is people who keep the car in gear, occasionally edging forward a bit. They are pointlessly wasting fuel and wearing out their clutch as far as I can see.

dibuzz

My eyes are sensitive and I often have to pull over to let cars with very bright headlights go past but brake lights don't bother me.
When I had an auto I just used the footbrake but in my son's Golf I use the handbrake.

Ultrasonic

adouglasmhor wrote: »

...even though I get the odd bell end who beeps when they see my reversing lights go on as the gearstick passes through R on its way from P to D.

I'll be honest and say that I didn't realise that automatics might do this, and I'm confident I'll be far from alone in my ignorance. Given how comparitively rare automatics are in the UK (something like 15%-20% of cars going by a quick Google) there are many drivers who know pretty much nothing about them.

Ultrasonic

dibuzz wrote: »

My eyes are sensitive and I often have to pull over to let cars with very bright headlights go past...

You might want to see if you can get an auto-dimming rear view mirror fitted to your car, they are great.

(Oh, and I assume you are clipping your existing rear view mirror into it's dipped down position to reduce rear glare? I didn't realise they did this for many years, until embarassingly my sister told me!)

RichardD1970

Maybe the people who have a problem with the brake lights should consult an optician, some people might have a greater sensitivity to bright light and I'm sure that they could get some anti-glare/polarising (not sure which are suitable for night driving) glasses, even if their eyesight is ok.

Zero_Gravitas

When I did my advanced driving course, the advice was that if there is any chance of being rear-ended whilst stationary, use the handbrake and the brake pedal. The logic was that:

(1) Your brake lights are on so people behind can see that you are slowing or stopped.
(2) The handbrake only works on the back wheels - if you are rear-ended and the rear of the car leaves the ground, you will then be pushed forwards effectively unbraked.
(3) If you are hit from behind with your foot on the brake, it is unlikely to come off the brake pedal, as the forward momentum imparted by the collision will tend to keep your foot in place, and in fact is likely to increase the pressure exerted.

In general, the routine should be:
(1) stop with foot on brake.
(2) apply handbrake
(3) take foot off brake when the person behind you has come to a halt and you're confident you're not likely to be hit.

Best Regards,

ZG.

bigjl

adouglasmhor wrote: »

No wear and tear if you are sitting on the brakes as your car is STATIONARY! You are right about handbrake being safer though, but it's marginal.
In saying that often I use my parking brake - even though I get the odd bell end who beeps when they see my reversing lights go on as the gearstick passes through R on its way from P to D. A BMW driver who was far too close did it at 3 sets of lights on Thursday/

There will be some wear and tear keeping your foot on the brake when stopped.

You will get small bits of brake pad being left on the disc which can sometimes lead to brake judder.

Don't remember where I read it, it was many years ago. Now more of an issue than it used to be since they removed asbestos from brake pad material apparently.

I only put vehicle in neutral and engage handbrake if I am going to be stationary for more than a few seconds.

A Mercedes Sprinter2.7 cdi auto, mk2, will struggle to hold on the handbrake. LDV Convoy V8 auto could, but only for a short time, as the shoes cooled down they could start to move, though this would likely affect all similar drum setups, this phenomenon did cause a tragic fatal accident in London.

TrickyWicky

Ultrasonic wrote: »

I'll be honest and say that I didn't realise that automatics might do this, and I'm confident I'll be far from alone in my ignorance. Given how comparitively rare automatics are in the UK (something like 15%-20% of cars going by a quick Google) there are many drivers who know pretty much nothing about them.

I wouldn't say automatics are rare but there will undoubtedly be those who don't know quite how the gear shift works especially when it comes to the reverse light coming on.

Personally myself, I would never use P while waiting at the lights. If some moron comes along and smashes into you then the park brake in the autobox may get busted and thats a serious repair job. Far better to leave it in N instead but then you still have to apply the foot brake to move it into D or the car will jolt and probably cause more damage to itself like that.