A Case Study in Being a Bellend
Discussion
Who cares what car it is or if it's an auto.
To sit there for ages with the brake lights on is thoughtless and shows the driver in front either doesn't give a damn about anyone else in the world (very likely these days) or is such a cr*p driver that they never look in mirror and see the red angry people looking back at them.
They are in the same category as those who drive round with fog lights on when there is perfect visibility, and the many drivers who park facing the traffic after dark and leave dipped lights on consequently blinding everyone driving or cycling towards them.
If you can't see the problem, there is something wrong with you.
To sit there for ages with the brake lights on is thoughtless and shows the driver in front either doesn't give a damn about anyone else in the world (very likely these days) or is such a cr*p driver that they never look in mirror and see the red angry people looking back at them.
They are in the same category as those who drive round with fog lights on when there is perfect visibility, and the many drivers who park facing the traffic after dark and leave dipped lights on consequently blinding everyone driving or cycling towards them.
If you can't see the problem, there is something wrong with you.
andrewparker said:
It is a requirement by law? Is it even taught by driver instructors? Or is this a load of old men with dodgy eyes having a moan?
It is in parts of England;https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukdsi/2002/01104238...
See part 6.
andrewparker said:
LuS1fer said:
Not sure how I would manage with these sh** electronic handbrakes, always had a manual handbrake.
Remind me how much that black and white TV licence is these days...On another point, I now deal with digital files in the course of my job, a solid replacement for paper files which take ten times longer to deal with. Still, it's only wasting taxpayer's money in the name of progress.
Prof Prolapse said:
Is the critcism fair if it's an automatic? Whilst mine is not an Audi, I leave mine on the footbrake.
I'm all for being considerate, but cycling through the autobox every time I am stationary seems excessive to me. Admittedly though for a train crossing I'd stick it in park, but more for convenience than courtesy.
Same goes for my motorcycles, two of them are LEDs. Not sure how annoying they are, but I can't be going through all the gears to find neutral everytime I stop, it just isn't realistic.
Sorry!
Does your auto box not have neutral next to drive?I'm all for being considerate, but cycling through the autobox every time I am stationary seems excessive to me. Admittedly though for a train crossing I'd stick it in park, but more for convenience than courtesy.
Same goes for my motorcycles, two of them are LEDs. Not sure how annoying they are, but I can't be going through all the gears to find neutral everytime I stop, it just isn't realistic.
Sorry!
andrewparker said:
downsman said:
If you can't see the problem, there is something wrong with you.
On the rare occasion that I’ve thought someone’s lights were too bright I just don’t unblinkingly stare at them until my retinas burn. I’d recommend everyone try it.Saying that, I use my handbrake purely because its easy and I can relax more.
Boosted LS1 said:
Earthdweller said:
andrewparker said:
Don’t cars with auto hold apply the brake lights when stationary?
Plus, 10 minutes at a level crossing?
Mine does .. stop in traffic and handbrake comes on automatically as do the brake lights Plus, 10 minutes at a level crossing?
I’m stationary with the handbrake on ..and foot absolutely no where the brake pedal .. but the brake lights are on .. it is the way it’s designed and no I don’t know why that is
The dazzling brake lights thing.
Mainly a problem at night - your eyes adjust to full night vision after about 30 minutes, however they will adjust back to day vision after about 30 seconds of increased light levels. In the case of the OP, his night vision has been optimised as best as possible before reaching the crossing. He's then had to spend 10 minutes with fairly intense LED brake lights being shone at him, before setting off again and having to start over with his night vision. The tyres and tarmac thing, even following T&T doesn't make enough of a difference to the intensity of some brake lights fitted to modern cars.
It's customary to dip your main beam for an oncoming car. I would have thought it's customary to extinguish your brake lights in a queue of traffic when the vehicle behind has pulled up. I'm one of the people who find it irritating sometimes to be stuck behind a thoughtless dribbling
who sits there with their fat foot stuffed into the brake pedal. Before somebody says I need my eyes tested, I have a Class 1 aviation medical for flying commercial jets - there's bugger all wrong with my eyesight. If anything, it's ironically those who appear immune to the effects of varying light levels who probably need their eyes being tested.
As you were..
Mainly a problem at night - your eyes adjust to full night vision after about 30 minutes, however they will adjust back to day vision after about 30 seconds of increased light levels. In the case of the OP, his night vision has been optimised as best as possible before reaching the crossing. He's then had to spend 10 minutes with fairly intense LED brake lights being shone at him, before setting off again and having to start over with his night vision. The tyres and tarmac thing, even following T&T doesn't make enough of a difference to the intensity of some brake lights fitted to modern cars.
It's customary to dip your main beam for an oncoming car. I would have thought it's customary to extinguish your brake lights in a queue of traffic when the vehicle behind has pulled up. I'm one of the people who find it irritating sometimes to be stuck behind a thoughtless dribbling
who sits there with their fat foot stuffed into the brake pedal. Before somebody says I need my eyes tested, I have a Class 1 aviation medical for flying commercial jets - there's bugger all wrong with my eyesight. If anything, it's ironically those who appear immune to the effects of varying light levels who probably need their eyes being tested. As you were..
Muddle238 said:
The dazzling brake lights thing.
Mainly a problem at night - your eyes adjust to full night vision after about 30 minutes, however they will adjust back to day vision after about 30 seconds of increased light levels. In the case of the OP, his night vision has been optimised as best as possible before reaching the crossing. He's then had to spend 10 minutes with fairly intense LED brake lights being shone at him, before setting off again and having to start over with his night vision. The tyres and tarmac thing, even following T&T doesn't make enough of a difference to the intensity of some brake lights fitted to modern cars.
It's customary to dip your main beam for an oncoming car. I would have thought it's customary to extinguish your brake lights in a queue of traffic when the vehicle behind has pulled up. I'm one of the people who find it irritating sometimes to be stuck behind a thoughtless dribbling who sits there with their fat foot stuffed into the brake pedal. Before somebody says I need my eyes tested, I have a Class 1 aviation medical for flying commercial jets - there's bugger all wrong with my eyesight. If anything, it's ironically those who appear immune to the effects of varying light levels who probably need their eyes being tested.
As you were..
Yup. Summed up concisely. BZMainly a problem at night - your eyes adjust to full night vision after about 30 minutes, however they will adjust back to day vision after about 30 seconds of increased light levels. In the case of the OP, his night vision has been optimised as best as possible before reaching the crossing. He's then had to spend 10 minutes with fairly intense LED brake lights being shone at him, before setting off again and having to start over with his night vision. The tyres and tarmac thing, even following T&T doesn't make enough of a difference to the intensity of some brake lights fitted to modern cars.
It's customary to dip your main beam for an oncoming car. I would have thought it's customary to extinguish your brake lights in a queue of traffic when the vehicle behind has pulled up. I'm one of the people who find it irritating sometimes to be stuck behind a thoughtless dribbling
who sits there with their fat foot stuffed into the brake pedal. Before somebody says I need my eyes tested, I have a Class 1 aviation medical for flying commercial jets - there's bugger all wrong with my eyesight. If anything, it's ironically those who appear immune to the effects of varying light levels who probably need their eyes being tested. As you were..
MalcolmSmith said:
Blame Audi for this.
Mercedes with auto hold dim the brake lights to the ‘legal minimum’ when stationary on hold. Full brightness is used when slowing until it come to a halt.
The rest of the Mercedes is largely ste though.
Thanks for that, I didn't know that.Mercedes with auto hold dim the brake lights to the ‘legal minimum’ when stationary on hold. Full brightness is used when slowing until it come to a halt.
The rest of the Mercedes is largely s
te though.Many modern cars nowadays have auto hold and auto stop/start. So typically you would approach a junction, apply the footbrake to stop then use the auto hold and the car engine turns off. You stop pumping exhaust fumes to the car behind and you think you are being considerate.
I don't know if the brake lights are still on when the engine has switched off in auto stop/start.
But now what people are saying is that the brake lights could be blinding them. So the driver in front now needs to put the car into neutral or Park. In my Merc, this will then turn the engine back on so I am now blowing car fumes at the car behind.
At this point, I can either switch the ignition off but it will take a while to turn it back on, let the electrics go through their whirling procedure for the myriad of electronic functions (which we all "need" in a modern day car), engage Drive again then set off. Or, I can move a bit forward (if I left a gap) then stop and apply Park before the auto stop/start kicks in and turns the engine off. Hopefully I don't manage to do it right in the middle of the auto stop/start kicks in because the electronics might get confused and cause other electrical issues. At which point the car might go into stall mode then the driver behind, who has incidentally stopped too close to me to be able to go round my car, is now even more fuming.
Now all this would not have been a problem if I didn't engage auto stop/start, so what I should do is be considerate to the driver behind and, as I approach the junction, I should turn off the auto stop/start (a function which was specifically designed for this purpose!).
TL:DR do you see? modern car design means this first world problem has been created. Perhaps you need to lobby to your local MP to get German car manufacturers to stop making this features on their cars, ban buying German cars, picket the streets. OR you could just live with it and get over it.
ETA: my other car is a 2005 Suzuki Ignis manual. I just go neutral, apply the handbrake and turn the ignition off.
The Dangerous Elk said:
Scots are not a race, pedantic - check
Race is widely construed and many legal decisions have upheld the term very broadly and racism does not have to relate to a country, per se.The 1965 Race Relations Act refers to less favourable treatment on grounds of colour, race, or ethnic or national origins.
The Equality Act 2010 has a similar definition.
There are various racially aggravated criminal offences which are based not only on actual race but also on perceived race, even if you're wrong about it. The Stephen Lawrence Inquiry Report defined a racist incident even more broadly as "... any incident which is perceived to be racist by the victim or any other person."
According to the EHRC, the protected characteristic of ‘race’ refers to a group of people defined by their race, colour, nationality (including citizenship), ethnic or national origins.
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