sitting at lights with foot on the brakes - why

Mrs_Imp

scheming_gypsy wrote: »

if the lights have just changed - hand brake.
if there's a queue and the lights could change soon - foot brake
if the lights are going to be changing soon and on a hill - hold it on the bite.

My driving instructor told me that I should do a proper hill start with the handbrake, rather than holding it on the bite. It saves wearing out the clutch, you have more control, and you can pull away quicker too.

almillar

Plenty of lazy drivers in here, as well as people making things up (brake lights are NOT pressure sensitive!!).
If you're stopped, put the handbrake on, and put the car in neutral. Auto or manual. Rest your legs. Watch the lights, be ready to take your handbrake off, and get into gear. This is what the amber light is for. if it takes you 4 seconds, you might want to consider the bus. Also consider practising, and anticipating the lights changing by looking at the ones in the other direction.
The L test teaches you to put on the handbrake when you stop, no exceptions. Once you've passed, if you're confident enough, you can progress a bit from there.
If you know you're about to move again within, let's say, 30 seconds, OK then, footbrake is fine.
If you have ACTUALLY READ your automatic car's owners manual, and it specifically tells you not to put it into neutral, fine.
If you're actually thinking enough to know you're at the back of the queue, and leaving your brake lights on for others to see, congratulations, you're a good driver and this thread isn't really for you.
Someone mentioned indicators being left on. I understand it can be annoying, but I think we have, in general, not enough indicating rather than too much, so keep doing it!
As has been mentioned it's laziness, but it's wrong laziness. Holding your foot on the brake, and possibly also the clutch, is far more laborious than handbrake on, out of gear, and all feet off pedals. You can wear out your clutch bearing (is that right) by keeping the clutch engaged like this, you can get a cramp in your legs, you can warp your brake disks if everything is hot, you can annoy the driver behind...

scheming_gypsy

Mrs_Imp wrote: »

My driving instructor told me that I should do a proper hill start with the handbrake, rather than holding it on the bite. It saves wearing out the clutch, you have more control, and you can pull away quicker too.

mine told me to ignore everything he'd ever taught me.
but I've never been a fan of catching the bite when i've got the handbrake on, I seem to be able to do it better without using it.

InsideInsurance

Have an auto with only an electronic parking brake and usual economy engine cut out/ stop start thingy.

Get to lights, depress brake again which engages the hold function and engine turns off and can release all the brake peddle. When wanting to pull off, press the gas peddle and engine comes on, brakes disengage and car moves off.

When the hold function is on the rear brake lights are illuminated irrespective of if the car is holding itself on the brakes or parking brake.

Back in the good old days of handbrake and manual then I would handbrake and put it in neutral

TrickyWicky

almillar wrote: »

Plenty of lazy drivers in here, as well as people making things up (brake lights are NOT pressure sensitive!!).

Keep up with the times eh?

Stop making things up yourself! Many newer brake lights on cars ARE, yes I repeat (without making things up) ARE pressure sensitive and will light up brighter the harder you press the pedal.

Just because you've not owned, driven or seen one of these cars does not mean they do not exist.

reeac

TrickyWicky wrote: »

Keep up with the times eh?

Stop making things up yourself! Many newer brake lights on cars ARE, yes I repeat (without making things up) ARE pressure sensitive and will light up brighter the harder you press the pedal.

Just because you've not owned, driven or seen one of these cars does not mean they do not exist.

Any examples?

TrickyWicky

Yeah.. go and ask google

Blackbeard_of_Perranporth

I love those that pip at the red light, and watch the first one touch and go. When I worked abroad it was a sure way to cause a wedding of two or three vehicles.

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.

RichardD1970

TrickyWicky wrote: »

Keep up with the times eh?

Stop making things up yourself! Many newer brake lights on cars ARE, yes I repeat (without making things up) ARE pressure sensitive and will light up brighter the harder you press the pedal.

Just because you've not owned, driven or seen one of these cars does not mean they do not exist.

Have to say I have never heard of/seen these either.

TrickyWicky wrote: »

Yeah.. go and ask google

The closest things I can find on Google are Adaptive Brake Lights, which flash under heavy braking, or ones which light up more lights, but these are, as far as I can tell, retro fit and not OME.

Ultrasonic

scheming_gypsy wrote: »

but I've never been a fan of catching the bite when i've got the handbrake on, I seem to be able to do it better without using it.

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.