Use of handbrake in driving test?

[cb31]

Having passed my test 30 years ago my knowledge of the driving test is completely out of date. My son is learning to drive and his instructor asked us to give him some driving practice between lessons but I'm worried I may be teaching him wrongly. eg. I was saying you can't cross your arms when steering and must shuffle steer but apparently that is no longer the case.

My question is about what to do when stopped in traffic or at lights/junctions, I was taught to put it in neutral and put the handbrake on. My son leaves it in gear and sits on the brake then when setting off relies on the car auto-hold. This horrified me but he said his instructor told him to do this but seeing as he is not exactly reliable I don't know whether to believe him or not.

Can anyone clarify what the current rules are, is sitting on the brake allowed nowadays?

[Pica-Pica]

cb31 said:

… His instructor asked us to give him some driving practice between lessons but I'm worried I may be teaching him wrongly.…

… he said his instructor told him to do this but seeing as he is not exactly reliable I don't know whether to believe him or not.

Am I missing something, or shouldn’t you be asking his instructor?

[ScoobyChris]

cb31 said:

Having passed my test 30 years ago my knowledge of the driving test is completely out of date. My son is learning to drive and his instructor asked us to give him some driving practice between lessons but I'm worried I may be teaching him wrongly. eg. I was saying you can't cross your arms when steering and must shuffle steer but apparently that is no longer the case.

My question is about what to do when stopped in traffic or at lights/junctions, I was taught to put it in neutral and put the handbrake on. My son leaves it in gear and sits on the brake then when setting off relies on the car auto-hold. This horrified me but he said his instructor told him to do this but seeing as he is not exactly reliable I don't know whether to believe him or not.

Can anyone clarify what the current rules are, is sitting on the brake allowed nowadays?

Check with instructor, but my understanding is brakes are fine for short stop. For longer stop, should be handbrake-neutral. Although saying that, I meant in cars without auto hold 😂

Chris

[cb31]

Pica-Pica said:

Am I missing something, or shouldn’t you be asking his instructor?

Helpful. I can wait a week and a half and ask his instructor before his next lesson or ask here.

[R0G]

You could contact the instructor now by phone or email etc = IDEA?

[Pica-Pica]

cb31 said:

Pica-Pica said:

Am I missing something, or shouldn’t you be asking his instructor?

Helpful. I can wait a week and a half and ask his instructor before his next lesson or ask here.

Best option is the instructor, surely? What if you get conflicting answers here? Also if the answers here conflict with the instructors view, are you going to disagree with him?

[Spurry]

Surely driving standards have not dropped so low as to be acceptable practice, that sitting with your foot on the brake when stationary,
giving the full glare of your rear lights to the person sitting behind you is no longer inconsiderate.

[dhutch]

The number of people I see doing it, including police who are older than I am, it seems the manners and common sense that I was taught to use the handbrake when waiting at a light is no more.

Not a new topic on here.

[Evanivitch]

R0G said:

You could contact the instructor now by phone or email etc = IDEA?

This.

No point asking here, you're only going to confuse your son and create a conflict with the instructor. The instructor knows what's required to pass the test, and assuming their car will be used to take the test, ask them.

I remember learning to drive and doing manoeuvres using only the clutch, because it was a diesel. My mum thought that was absurd. She'd never driven a diesel.

[dhutch]

Evanivitch said:

No point asking here, you're only going to confuse your son and create a conflict with the instructor. The instructor knows what's required to pass....

Some truth in that, but also likely to be driving instructors on here.

[Evanivitch]

dhutch said:

Evanivitch said:

No point asking here, you're only going to confuse your son and create a conflict with the instructor. The instructor knows what's required to pass....

Some truth in that, but also likely to be driving instructors on here.

"Yeah but some guy on the internet says you're teaching my son wrong"

[CantDecide]

I was recently in exactly the same position except my daughters instructor was sacked four weeks before her test so I was left with the enviable task of trying to get her through it (having failed miserably to get another instructor).

Also passed my test over 30 years ago and yes some things have definitely changed.

You can cross your arms, although probably not great practice, hands at 9-3, and obviously don’t let the wheel slide through your hands. Handbrake use is much reduced, if stopping (e.g. pulling over) or an extended stop in traffic and obviously on hills then the handbrake is the right way, otherwise you can sit on the brake.

[cb31]

CantDecide said:

I was recently in exactly the same position except my daughters instructor was sacked four weeks before her test so I was left with the enviable task of trying to get her through it (having failed miserably to get another instructor).

Also passed my test over 30 years ago and yes some things have definitely changed.

You can cross your arms, although probably not great practice, hands at 9-3, and obviously don’t let the wheel slide through your hands. Handbrake use is much reduced, if stopping (e.g. pulling over) or an extended stop in traffic and obviously on hills then the handbrake is the right way, otherwise you can sit on the brake.

Thanks, that's perfect.

[vonhosen]

What is being assessed with steering is are they demonstrating effective accurate control with it?
Pull/push technique is not mandatory.

[jondude]

This book might be best - while you'd hope the instructor knows the rules and expectations too, you cannot be certain:

https://www.safedrivingforlife.info/shop/official-...

I might get it myself and see if it tells new drivers to slip an automatic into neutral when waiting at lights or in very slow traffic jams as I do not think any (at all) do this and in winter that sea of red brake lights can be painful on your eyes.

[WilliamWoollard]

The driving test is marked on outcomes, not the methods used to achieve the outcome. As long as the outcome is good control of the vehicle, it doesn't matter how that is achieved.

There would usually be no fault for holding the car on the footbrake as long as there are no issues with rolling back etc.
Likewise, the steering method is not marked, only the control of the car. Cross your arms as much as you like, as long as the car is going where it's supposed to be going, that's what is assessed.

[Sheepshanks]

Spurry said:

Surely driving standards have not dropped so low as to be acceptable practice, that sitting with your foot on the brake when stationary,
giving the full glare of your rear lights to the person sitting behind you is no longer inconsiderate.

They stay on anyway on cars with brake hold, so that’s probably most of them now.


I’m surprised about the crossing of arms though - apart from anything else, it’s bad practice in case the airbag goes off but I suppose if you’re having a crash you might not be thinking about that!

[PhilAsia]

Sheepshanks said:

Spurry said:

Surely driving standards have not dropped so low as to be acceptable practice, that sitting with your foot on the brake when stationary,
giving the full glare of your rear lights to the person sitting behind you is no longer inconsiderate.

They stay on anyway on cars with brake hold, so that’s probably most of them now.


I’m surprised about the crossing of arms though - apart from anything else, it’s bad practice in case the airbag goes off but I suppose if you’re having a crash you might not be thinking about that!

WilliamWoollard and vanhosen (who, I presume from their responses, are or have been instructors) have answered correctly. When I first became an instructor in the 80's crossing the arms was never a problem, only the outcome/loss of control was.

For many reasons pull/push is preferred (in most cases), but it is not a prerequisite for passing a test. Same applies to the handbrake.

[vonhosen]

Things that are looked for in respect of handbrake (faults wise) are, for example, applying the handbrake before vehicle has stopped, driving off without having released it properly, the vehicle rolling back on moving off, or creeping forward with it applied.

[fidzer]

dhutch said:

The number of people I see doing it, including police who are older than I am, it seems the manners and common sense that I was taught to use the handbrake when waiting at a light is no more.

Not a new topic on here.

What I wasn't aware of until recently is that auto hold on some vehicles activates the brake lights. So even with your foot off the brake, the brake lights are still on, which as you say is not very considerate to those behind you.