Using the handbrake when stopping at lights and junctions

Gloomendoom

tgon wrote: »

+1 engage handbrake. Getting away from the lights quickly isn’t relevant.

There's usually enough time between the light changing from red to amber to green to release the handbrake and put the car in gear anyway.

Not always the case abroad though. In some countries the lights go straight from red to green. It's caught me out.

Gloomendoom

Car_54 wrote: »

In what circs did you need an arm signal while doing a hill start?

While moving out of a parking place on a hill?

I originally read your post as "In what circus?"

jk0

Gloomendoom wrote: »

While moving out of a parking place on a hill?

I originally read your post as "In what circus?"

I'm just imagining.. One arm out of the window, one arm working the handbrake, and steering with your teeth?

almillar

If you want to pass your driving test, you'll put the handbrake on every time you stop. Not necessary after you pass of course if you improve your driving afterwards. But if it's only your first lesson your driving instructor might have just been making sure you keep it between the lines and don't hold up the traffic too much.

Car_54

Gloomendoom wrote: »

While moving out of a parking place on a hill?

And who would benefit from that signal?

Tokk

Did you mention it?

Sometimes it's good to know more than you need to...
But a teacher has to pace what they're telling you such that they're not overloading you with too many things, so they stick to basics first (in anything, not just driving).
The teacher doesn't know you yet, so they've got to guess (based on experience) how much a student can take in at a time.

If you'd said "should I be putting the handbrake on here?" the odds are they'd probably tell you something like "we'll get to that, but yes".

Don't think a teacher doesn't know that you should be doing that, their students would be failing if they didn't know that.

Sea_Shell

Car_54 wrote: »

And who would benefit from that signal?

Probably the same people who would benefit from the use of flashing indicators, whilst pulling away from the side of the road, hill or no hill!!!

Ebe_Scrooge

jk0 wrote: »

I'm just imagining.. One arm out of the window, one arm working the handbrake, and steering with your teeth?

I think that's the whole point of needing to hold it on the clutch. Begin like a normal hill start using clutch & handbrake. Then hold the car stationary by slipping the clutch. Then left hand on steering wheel, right arm out of the window. Then pull off having given the arm signal and making sure it's safe to do so.

Pah, kids these days, don't know they're born. Hill-start-assist - whoever heard of such nonsense ? And I bet you never have to double-declutch, do you, oh no, you've got synchromesh for that :-)

facade

Car_54 wrote: »

And who would benefit from that signal?

The pedestrian who was thinking of crossing whilst walking along?
The driver of a parked car further back or in front who was thinking of starting off, but hadn't made any signal yet to do so?
An oncoming car who was cruising along looking for a parking space?


Even today hand signals might be better than indicators, since people seem to park with the hazards on, you can't always see both sides of the car, and some people think that indicators give right of way over moving traffic....

Gloomendoom

Car_54 wrote: »

And who would benefit from that signal?

People travelling along the road that you are pulling out into.

Isn't it standard practice to indicate when pulling out from a parking place at the side of the road? It used to be. Mind you, so did indicating when changing lanes on a motorway.