First Moan of the Month!

[Nigel H-J]

With daylight turning to night early in the evenings the one pet hate I have is where motorists whether at traffic lights or junctions/roundabouts have to sit in standing traffic with their brake lights on all the time.

This is one practise that I hate!

Nearly all cars are fitted with a centre brake light which is more or less at eye level and the other brake lights are very much brighter than in the past with the result that it extremely uncomfortable for the driver behind due to the dazzle.
Why on earth do drivers not apply their handbrake and select neutral gear, is it just that they are too lazy?

Having been a professional driver I have always found when at traffic lights or standing traffic using the handbrake and keeping the car in neutral means that you do not suffer weariness over longer journeys or in towns and cities where stopping and starting is quite frequent also it does not cause discomfort to those behind you.

It is a pity car manufacturers have not designed the centre brake light to extinguish say after 10 seconds, it was only designed I believe as an added safety feature as being close to eye level it made the following driver more aware of the vehicle in front braking. When raining at night these high intensity brake lights are even worse!

That's it, moan over.

Regards
Nigel.

[Tomliner]

Fully agree with you Nigel.It's sheer laziness.
I'll add another moan and that's the pillocks, who as soon as the visibility drops below half a mile( maybe a slight exageration) switch their bloody fog lights on which dazzle the driver behind when they stop. A well lit city street is a totally different situation to a country lane. I think some of them just like a bit of drama. Twonkers! EricT

[Airspeed]

Mainly laziness, but probably half of drivers aren't even aware that the handbrake may be used for short periods, they probably think it's only for parking, or as I saw in a US movie, it was referred to as "the emergency brake"......No emergency to see here, move along please, it's just a red light...NO!!! NOT YOU, DRIVER!!!! Bang!

Whereas on a brighter note, Nige, and all you other nice blokes......
http://www.space.com/34660-closest-supe ... ecast.html

[Tako_Kichi]

On North American vehicles you rarely see a handbrake at all. The so called 'emergency brake' is usually a small pedal high up on the left wall of the footwell so that you can't accidentally press it. In addition it's a locking pedal and you have to use a hand lever/knob (much like a bonnet/hood release) to get it off again. The only time you will see a proper handbrake is either on an import model or if the vehicle has a manual transmission. 95% of NA vehicles are automatics so people just drop the gear selector into 'Park' and that's it, no parking/hand brake is used. At junctions and lights you have to ride the brake pedal as there is no practical way of holding the vehicle in position short of selecting 'Park'.

[Nigel H-J]

Wow Mike, only hope we get clear skies to see that......On another note Mike, when I was a C.C.T.V. Operator it was always certain that trouble in one form or another would occur......Now with the larger full moon about to appear.. .just keep your doors locked and stay inside!!

Regards
Nigel.

[DaveB]

Don't ever get stuck behind me Nige. When I'm at work in the van, I rarely use the hand brake while I'm enroute.. only when the van is stopped and I get out to deliver It's not being idle.. all our vans are automatic and it's simply not necessary to put it into neutral and apply the hand brake every time you stop. Different in my car which is manual and has a clutch to burn out

ATB
DaveB

[Nigel H-J]

OK Dave, will keep that in mind though I do view automatics differently from manuals having driven a number of them. Every time I stopped I just applied the handbrake leaving it in drive as I always had to look down at the selector to make sure I had engaged drive, don't know why but I was never happy at making the selection looking ahead.

Regards
Nigel.

[DaveB]

If you drive the same automatic for long enough.. it becomes as second nature as a manual. Straight up is park.. straight down is drive. One down is reverse (we have the advantage of a horrible audible alarm which helps) and a further notch down is neutral. TBH.. I don't think I've ever used neutral
Before driving the Mercedes Sprinters.. I'd always been a fan of manual gearboxes but as I've got older.. changing gear with a clutch seems a complete bore They have one drawback though.. starting off. You can literally slam your foot on the GO pedal and nothing happens for a second or so. They're ok for a normal start off or if the vehicle is already moving but pulling out into moving traffic takes some getting used to. You have to start your manoeuvre a second or so before you want it to happen Manual Sprinters have no such drawback. They go like stink as I'm sure you've seen!! If you see a DPD van in your mirror.. he won't be there for long

ATB
DaveB

[Nigel H-J]

Manual Sprinters have no such drawback. They go like stink as I'm sure you've seen!! If you see a DPD van in your mirror.. he won't be there for long

Yep, that has happened, I just prefer to get out of the way and let 'em go!!!

One reason that I prefer manual is that when making progress (but still keeping to the speed limits) coming up to a sharp bend by using a lower gear (third) I have better overall control to take the bend safely and by using the lower gear I am able to hold my position for the corner without cutting across or over the centre line and then accelerate smoothly back up to road speed, equally when on the main road and approaching a turn-off by toe and heeling straight down to second gear I am able to make a quick and safe exit from the main road and accelerate up to the national speed limit very quickly, usually if a car is following he/she can end up quite a distance behind!

That is why I much prefer manual gears, you can use them very much to your advantage on the roads, I think that Paul is a traffic officer here and may drive a semi-automatic or full automatic and would be interesting to know how those vehicles respond when taking tight corners at speed as apposed to manual gearboxes.

Sorry for the waffle, but I have always been enthusiastic about driving especially advanced driving and beyond!!

Regards
Nigel.

[ChrisHunt]

Hi Nigel, until recently I've always driven manuals but now 8 speed auto, which I love but it's not exactly a "driver's" way of getting about. With my manual box I rarely used the brake on my commute to the station and this on roads with many tight bends. In the auto I either have to use the brake or manage the speed in such a way that slows the car way too early for some drivers behind me. I sometimes miss the gear stick but on balance prefer the auto.