Unnecessary use of brakes
Discussion
I’ve noticed a huge increase in unnecessary use of brakes mainly on A roads but also more oddly on dual carriageway.
When I learnt to drive I was taught that brakes should largely be seen as an emergency signal to drivers behind and most normal driving can be done with only essential use of brakes.
Often I’m following people whom incessantly dab the brake peddle which is both inefficient and imo dangerous. Sometimes I’ve observed people brake 20 or 30 times whilst I’ve only needed to brake once or twice to keep my distance from their sketchy driving.
The worst experience was in the M25 where the driver in front so often dabbed the brake peddle that when he actually had to break in earnest my reactions where reduced due to the multiple false alarms previously.
When I learnt to drive I was taught that brakes should largely be seen as an emergency signal to drivers behind and most normal driving can be done with only essential use of brakes.
Often I’m following people whom incessantly dab the brake peddle which is both inefficient and imo dangerous. Sometimes I’ve observed people brake 20 or 30 times whilst I’ve only needed to brake once or twice to keep my distance from their sketchy driving.
The worst experience was in the M25 where the driver in front so often dabbed the brake peddle that when he actually had to break in earnest my reactions where reduced due to the multiple false alarms previously.
Lots of people now use cruise and adaptive cruise, which on some cars, depending on pressure applied, will apply the brakes, and as it keeps a constant speed freewheeling down a hill is less common now.
Other than that, people are just terrified of creeping over the limit, because your car explodes as punishment
Other than that, people are just terrified of creeping over the limit, because your car explodes as punishment
Hmm. I’m not talking about aggressive tailgating. I don’t do that… I either follow leaving a decent braking distance. Or I’ll overtake when safe.
Obviously, if your up someone’s arse then you may get brake lights flashed at you. Possibly deserved although still dangerous.
Obviously, if your up someone’s arse then you may get brake lights flashed at you. Possibly deserved although still dangerous.
Edited by Ob 1 on Tuesday 16th August 19:03
I haven't noticed it being worse, although I certainly notice that for a typical driver, nine out of ten brake applications could have been avoided with a little anticipation and forward planning.
If you're noticing it more often, that may reflect the trend from manual ICE cars to autos, and thence hybrids and full EVs. A manual gearbox makes it easier to use engine braking to manage speed without showing brakelights. Autos require more use of the brakes; hybrids and EVs will show brakelights under moderate to hard regen braking. Since this is an efficient way to slow down, a good driver in an EV may well be illuminating their brakelights under regen, where the same driver in a manual car would be slowing down at the same rate using the gears and without the lights coming on.
Ob 1 said:
Hmm. I’m not talking about aggressive tailgating. I don’t do that… I either follow with a decent breaking distance. Or I’ll overtake when safe.
Obviously if your up someone’s arse then you may get brake lights flashed at you. Possibly deserved although still dangerous.
I think it was more that the smaller gap you leave to the car in front, the more frequently you will have recourse to the brake pedal. So the following vehicle using its brakelights more often, not the leading one.Obviously if your up someone’s arse then you may get brake lights flashed at you. Possibly deserved although still dangerous.
Ob 1 said:
I’ve noticed a huge increase in unnecessary use of brakes mainly on A roads but also more oddly on dual carriageway.
When I learnt to drive I was taught that brakes should largely be seen as an emergency signal to drivers behind and most normal driving can be done with only essential use of brakes.
Often I’m following people whom incessantly dab the brake peddle which is both inefficient and imo dangerous. Sometimes I’ve observed people brake 20 or 30 times whilst I’ve only needed to brake once or twice to keep my distance from their sketchy driving.
The worst experience was in the M25 where the driver in front so often dabbed the brake peddle that when he actually had to break in earnest my reactions where reduced due to the multiple false alarms previously.
I very much doubt these people are "dabbing the brake peddle" When I learnt to drive I was taught that brakes should largely be seen as an emergency signal to drivers behind and most normal driving can be done with only essential use of brakes.
Often I’m following people whom incessantly dab the brake peddle which is both inefficient and imo dangerous. Sometimes I’ve observed people brake 20 or 30 times whilst I’ve only needed to brake once or twice to keep my distance from their sketchy driving.
The worst experience was in the M25 where the driver in front so often dabbed the brake peddle that when he actually had to break in earnest my reactions where reduced due to the multiple false alarms previously.
The rise in vehicles with regenerative braking means just using the throttle to modulate distance between the car in front will activate the brake lights on some models.
All of this will happen without the brake pedal being touched or the friction brakes doing a thing.
Ah I see what you mean. True although most people I see constantly braking aren’t tail gating either.
samoht said:
Ob 1 said:
Hmm. I’m not talking about aggressive tailgating. I don’t do that… I either follow with a decent breaking distance. Or I’ll overtake when safe.
Obviously if your up someone’s arse then you may get brake lights flashed at you. Possibly deserved although still dangerous.
I think it was more that the smaller gap you leave to the car in front, the more frequently you will have recourse to the brake pedal. So the following vehicle using its brakelights more often, not the leading one.Obviously if your up someone’s arse then you may get brake lights flashed at you. Possibly deserved although still dangerous.
You can see instantly who drives on the brakes, car or truck, the front wheels especially will have thick ingrained brake dust that proves almost impossible to clean off completely.
The other benefit of driving with a modicum of professionalism is that every yard you roll with a trailing throttle and without braking uses no fuel, using the brakes unnecessarily means you were on the throttle too long, burning fuel plus excess wear to tyres and brakes etc..which is fine if you don't mind the cost of the stuff.
Using terrain to your advantage plus junction pre planning and forward observation all add up to maintaining progress easily rapidly and economically.
The other benefit of driving with a modicum of professionalism is that every yard you roll with a trailing throttle and without braking uses no fuel, using the brakes unnecessarily means you were on the throttle too long, burning fuel plus excess wear to tyres and brakes etc..which is fine if you don't mind the cost of the stuff.
Using terrain to your advantage plus junction pre planning and forward observation all add up to maintaining progress easily rapidly and economically.
There’ll always be the idiots who brake every time a car goes past on the other side, or those who brake because there’s a slight corner etc.
Wouldn’t surprise me if it’s more common with more people driving autos maybe. Modern autos are always in bloody 6th gear it seems. So rather than being in the right gear for the speed, they’re always dabbing the brakes. Combine that with a fear of speed traps and creeping over the limit, it’s entirely possible it’s happening more. Yes you can head down but most drivers don’t.
Wouldn’t surprise me if it’s more common with more people driving autos maybe. Modern autos are always in bloody 6th gear it seems. So rather than being in the right gear for the speed, they’re always dabbing the brakes. Combine that with a fear of speed traps and creeping over the limit, it’s entirely possible it’s happening more. Yes you can head down but most drivers don’t.
Agreed, seeing this on A roads/main roads, random application of brakes for the slightest thing ahead (like on coming traffic), and no, not tailgating, keeping a safe gap but ready to pass the moron at the first safe opportunity.
Worse seems to be the complete lack of acceleration, eg off slip roads onto main roads or existing wide roundabouts, ok maybe they cant afford high fuel costs but I think its worse than that - they just have zero interested in speeding up.
Worse seems to be the complete lack of acceleration, eg off slip roads onto main roads or existing wide roundabouts, ok maybe they cant afford high fuel costs but I think its worse than that - they just have zero interested in speeding up.
I think I might be guilty of this with my adaptive cruise.
If I’m following traffic on an A road I simply set the adaptive cruise to the limit +5 to 10mph and let it do it’s thing. Problem is, it’s a bit s
t. I get the feeling that rather than easing off and allowing the set distance to vary by a few metres it’s actually accelerating and then applying the brakes to maintain an exact gap. It’s certainly not as smooth as on my old Disco 5.
If I’m following traffic on an A road I simply set the adaptive cruise to the limit +5 to 10mph and let it do it’s thing. Problem is, it’s a bit s
t. I get the feeling that rather than easing off and allowing the set distance to vary by a few metres it’s actually accelerating and then applying the brakes to maintain an exact gap. It’s certainly not as smooth as on my old Disco 5. Ob 1 said:
When I learnt to drive I was taught that brakes should largely be seen as an emergency signal to drivers behind
You may want to take this to the advanced driving forum. On the contrary, I would say that it's very often worth braking "unnecessarily" so that other drivers see a positive indication that you are decreasing speed. Not as an "emergency". I haven't noticed any real difference in people's braking since I've been driving. Most of them brake far too much and either far too early or far too late but no real change in behaviour en aggregate.
Gassing Station | General Gassing | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff