Stationary in gear

[21TonyK]

Quick question. Pretty sure when I was learning to drive some 30 years ago my instructor instilled in me that if you are stationary (lights, traffic etc) then you put the car into neutral and stick the handbrake on.

My son is just starting to learn and he insists that his instructor says it doesn't matter and when I'm driving with him he leaves the car in gear with the clutch and footbrake depressed.

"in my day" that would have probably been a negative on the test but is that still the case?

Edited by 21TonyK on Thursday 22 March 07:22

[The Dangerous Elk]

Unsafe, if hit from the rear = broken ankles. Always in neutral and handbrake.

1. saveyourclutch

[HTP99]

21TonyK said:

Quick question. Pretty sure when I was learning to drive some 30 years ago my instructor instilled in me that if you are stationary (lights, traffic etc) then you put the car into neutral and stick the handbrake on.

My son is just starting to learn and he insists that his instructor says it doesn't matter and when I'm driving with him he leaves the car in gear with the clutch and footbrake depressed.

"in my day" that would have probably been a negative on the test but is that still the case?

Edited by 21TonyK on Thursday 22 March 07:22

Yep I'm pretty sure that's the way now.

Also now if you are in a dedicated lane then you don't have to indicate, when I was learning we had to always indicate.

I also think coasting in neutral is ok now too.

[untakenname]

I think that advice is wrong tbh and would get marked down in an exam, when stationary for more than a couple of seconds the handbrake should be on otherwise over time it damages the clutch.

[Ardennes92]

Think that is very poor advice apart from riding the clutch being bad for the car, stop/start won't work if fitted

[Evanivitch]

When I learnt 10 years ago I was told by the instructor to have handbrake on, 1st gear and clutch depressed.

[lyonspride]

A lot of instructors have the bare minimum of training and standards can vary up and down the country depending on "what the locals do" and those old hearsay things can tend to creep in.

One example that I find annoying around here is people telling me I should park with my wheels straight because it can damage the steering........... Well, actually it won't unless i'm driving a mid-80's Alfa Romeo (which is where this old myth came from).

Also the driving test has been simplified, removing the reverse parking and going easy on the more tricky parts of driving, adding parking nose first (like an idiot), adding the use of GPS, etc etc.

[GIYess]

When I passed my test around 10yrs ago (I'm still young but that sound like a while ago when you say it!) it was a very definite minor if you coasted any distance. I also was taught to put handbrake on/out of gear if stopped for more than a couple of seconds. so must be a fairly recent thing. Not good teaching in my estimation as any number of things could go wrong (e.g foot slipping off clutch/forgetting that it was in gear.)

[vonhosen]

If you are on the brake gear in neutral it's not classed as coasting. For it to be coasting it's in neutral & no brake.

[xjay1337]

Irrespective I would just put in N, enage handbrake and wait.

Keeping foot on the clutch is not good for the car nor for you in an accident.

[red]

xjay1337 said:

Irrespective I would just put in N, enage handbrake and wait.

Keeping foot on the clutch is not good for the car nor for you in an accident.

"And wait " for what exactly? If someone is going to drive into the back of your vehicle do you think having hand brake applied will stop you being shunted forward.

Learners are being taught to keep the clutch depressed and handbrake applied, but they are not being taught advanced techniques but to pass a driving test.

[The Dangerous Elk]

red said:

"And wait " for what exactly? If someone is going to drive into the back of your vehicle do you think having hand brake applied will stop you being shunted forward.

Learners are being taught to keep the clutch depressed and handbrake applied, but they are not being taught advanced techniques but to pass a driving test.

As noted above, not destroying your ankle for a start, and yes, it will stop it "running away" if you are hit.

[Zetec-S]

HTP99 said:

Also now if you are in a dedicated lane then you don't have to indicate, when I was learning we had to always indicate.

I really can't understand this. It's not like it costs anything to indicate, and flicking a small lever is hardly an exertion, so why not? It's common courtesy to other road users, and helps give them a better understanding of your intentions.

[eybic]

My Wife passed her test a couple of years ago (with an instructor that's a friend) I questioned why she was taught to leave the car in gear with the clutch down and the handbrake on at lights and was told that if she was hit, a sudden release of the clutch peddle should stall the car, therefore helping it not to roll forwards.

I passed nearly 25 years ago and am sure I was told to take the car out of gear when stopped. I also wan't taught to use the gears when slowing down (that made for quite a scary first motorway lesson with my Mum )

[21TonyK]

eybic said:

My Wife passed her test a couple of years ago (with an instructor that's a friend) I questioned why she was taught to leave the car in gear with the clutch down and the handbrake on at lights and was told that if she was hit, a sudden release of the clutch peddle should stall the car, therefore helping it not to roll forwards.

I passed nearly 25 years ago and am sure I was told to take the car out of gear when stopped. I also wan't taught to use the gears when slowing down (that made for quite a scary first motorway lesson with my Mum )

Ahh ok, the bit about stalling makes sense, sort of, although my son is using the footbrake as well. Seems illogical to not use the hand brake.

As for using gear, he's being taught to work down through them as he slows although this is of no damn use in a 1 series where it rev matches and the engine is so tiny there's little engine braking effect. That caught me out first time!

[lyonspride]

21TonyK said:

As for using gear, he's being taught to work down through them as he slows although this is of no damn use in a 1 series where it rev matches and the engine is so tiny there's little engine braking effect. That caught me out first time!

Well that's just a hangover from 60 years ago or more, when many cars had drum brakes all round, or just very poor brakes, it was to stop them overheating, but now it's just not necessary as modern brakes are far more capable.

[lost in espace]

I was taught out of gear, handbrake on and if on a motorbike rear brake pressed hard. This means if you get hit from the rear you won't actually drive into danger/the car in front as your feet get thrown off the pedals.

[Dr Jekyll]

Learner drivers (or learners of anything else) often regard a phrase the instructor uses as a general rule when the instructor was actually referring to specific situation. I think this is behind a lot of the ‘my instructor said’ disputes. It could be the context was a very brief stop where getting into neutral then back into gear again wasn't necessary.

[xjay1337]

red said:

xjay1337 said:

Irrespective I would just put in N, enage handbrake and wait.

Keeping foot on the clutch is not good for the car nor for you in an accident.

"And wait " for what exactly? If someone is going to drive into the back of your vehicle do you think having hand brake applied will stop you being shunted forward.

Learners are being taught to keep the clutch depressed and handbrake applied, but they are not being taught advanced techniques but to pass a driving test.

Do you really need it explaining to you? Wait for the opportunity to move forward to arise! :-)

Nothing to do with being shunted forward but I would not like to be hit at 30mph up the arse, with my leg extended on a fixed pedal, thank you very much

[red]

xjay1337 said:

Do you really need it explaining to you? Wait for the opportunity to move forward to arise! :-)

Nothing to do with being shunted forward but I would not like to be hit at 30mph up the arse, with my leg extended on a fixed pedal, thank you very much

You have taken away the options of not being hit. Do you think having the handbrake applied will prevent you being pushed forward, maybe into crossing traffic?