What do you do in a queue of traffic in the dark?

[Mafioso]

It seems to me that nobody uses the handbrake at all these days and would quite happily roll back a few feet if moving off on a hill. This is bad, but what really irritates me is the fact that people don't care if they're dazzling people behind them with the super-bright brake lights in the dark. Your thoughts please!

Edited by Mafioso on Sunday 11th January 16:31

[stormin]

Mafioso said:

What do you do in a queue of traffic in the dark?

Pick my nose

[Malx]

Unless the road is dead flat i tend to sit on the brakes. The handbrake in the cerbera is less than useless.
If driving another car i use the handbrake.

[Darth Paul]

Handbrake. Although I will hold my hand up and admit to holding on brakes until I stumbled across PH. This place has corrected quite a few driving faux pas that we're never taught to me before.

Edited by Darth Paul on Sunday 11th January 16:34

[ZeeTacoe]

Driving an older car I feel I am quite lucky that my car came with a handbrake and a heater. The amount of people I see driving about with massive coats, scarves,gloves,etc is amazing.

[thinfourth2]

Stick it in low box and trundle along nice a slowly and let the traffic stop start in front of me much to the annoyance of those behind me who who will get home a whole 0.35 nanoseconds earlier if i didn't leave a gap of up to ten car lengths in front of me to the car stopping and starting

[minimatt1967]

I leave my foot on the brake and put my rear fog lights on just in case!

Only joking I always use the hand brake

[whirligig]

Got an auto box at the moment and always used to sit in Drive with my foot on the brake - since seeing this topic come up a lot on PH and the reaction about dazzling lights I now stick it in N and put the hand brake on.

ETA - once got a rap on my window by a copper that was in the queue behind me asking me to do the above! Was quite miffed about it at the time!

Edited by whirligig on Sunday 11th January 16:37

[Darth Paul]

ZeeTacoe said:

The amount of people I see driving about with massive coats, scarves,gloves,etc is amazing.

They are saving the environment by reducing fuel consumption, you capitalist scum! I do enjoy driving around in winter in the car in a short sleeve shirt I wear my 23 to the gallon as a badge of honour!

[trooperiziz]

thinfourth2 said:

Stick it in low box and trundle along nice a slowly and let the traffic stop start in front of me much to the annoyance of those behind me who who will get home a whole 0.35 nanoseconds earlier if i didn't leave a gap of up to ten car lengths in front of me to the car stopping and starting

They are more likley to be getting annoyed because your low box ratio is below their idle speed, so they keep having to brake and put the clutch in.

[AJWB]

Usually keep my foot on the brake until the car behind stops, then put the handbrake on. Don't know why, I guess it just gives the guy behind a bit of a clue that I'm stopped if the brakelights are on.

[MitchT]

Depends. If there's something 'high' behind me like an SUV or an MPV I just sit on the brake 'cause they are higher up. If there's a car behind or I'm on a hill I use the handbrake out of courtesy and to avoid the risk of rolling back. Personally I don't mind what the car in front is doing brake wise as I find the totally-legal b*stard Xenon lights far more dazzling, even when being used correctly, than anything else on the road.

[King Herald]

Darth Paul said:

Handbrake. Although I will hold my hand up and admit to holding on brakes until I stumbled across PH. This place has corrected quite a few driving faux pas that we're never taught to me before.

I too must admit I learned that one here in PH.

But then again, I've never noticed myself being blinded by anybody else's brake lights when sat in a queue.....

[fido]

Depends. If it's a hot babe sat behind i prefer to illuminate her.

[Parrot of Doom]

I don't have a handbrake. I do however have a parking brake.

[Parrot of Doom]

whirligig said:

Got an auto box at the moment and always used to sit in Drive with my foot on the brake - since seeing this topic come up a lot on PH and the reaction about dazzling lights I now stick it in N and put the hand brake on.

Unless we're talking 5 minute or more, you should leave it in drive and with the parking brake on. Changing to neutral and back to drive creates much more wear on the box than simply remaining in drive.

[grumbledoak]

I sit on the brakes normally, out of habit from the Chimaera. No rolling back for me though I do use the handbrake to hill-start.

[AstonZagato]

All my cars are auto so the temptation is very strong to sit with one's foot on the brake (and this, I suspect is why more people do this - more auto cars). However, unlsess it is stop start, I tend to slip the 'box into neutral and take my foot off the brake. At a level crossing, I kill the engine altogether.

[tomTVR]

thinfourth2 said:

Stick it in low box and trundle along nice a slowly and let the traffic stop start in front of me much to the annoyance of those behind me who who will get home a whole 0.35 nanoseconds earlier if i didn't leave a gap of up to ten car lengths in front of me to the car stopping and starting

That's ok if you know the lights are going to change soon, means you dont need stop your car and can save fuel. Pisses me off when people do that coming up to a huge line of standinf traffic or waiting for a train crossing etc. If there is going to be a big wait i want to get stopped asap and rest me feet - not trundle along at 0.1mph behind someone for ages.

[davido140]

tommy tank.