# Driving procedures @ Traffic Lights: when red put car in neutral & put on hand brake?



## dewdrop (19 Aug 2011)

I have been driving over 50 years and usually at traffic lights when red i put car into neutral  and put on hand brake. Sometimes if road very level i might use brake instead of hand brake. 

A friend is getting driving lessons and she has been told at traffic lights she should keep car in gear; press in the clutch and use hand brake.

 I always thought that one should only use clutch when changing gears but now I have been told that no damage is done to clutch if FULLY depressed.


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## Boyd (19 Aug 2011)

Yeah theres no damage if you press is all the way in since its separated from fly wheel then. If she's doing her test she probably should do whats needed to pass and then do whatever she wants post test! Personally I always use handbrake and neutral


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## NorfBank (19 Aug 2011)

dewdrop said:


> A friend is getting driving lessons and she has been told at traffic lights she should keep car in gear; press in the clutch and use hand brake.



It depends where you are in queue, if you are near the front then leave it in first, otherwise neutral is fine.


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## SparkRite (19 Aug 2011)

username123 said:


> Yeah theres no damage if you press is all the way in since its separated from fly wheel then.



Maybe no damage......but certainly increased wear on thrust bearings and release bearing.


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## hastalavista (19 Aug 2011)

SparkRite said:


> Maybe no damage......but certainly increased wear on thrust bearings and release bearing.



not to mention the knee, hip, lower-back!

Its a crazy idea IMO, son just passed doing it this way but waiting for 3 or 4 minutes at some lights is a pain.

Tough to get a decent scratch on with clutch depressed


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## Brendan Burgess (19 Aug 2011)

I was brought up in the "_car in neutral, hand brake on_" school of motoring. 

I have been a passenger in cars where they don't bother with the hand brake and balance the car between the clutch and gear. This is very dangerous if you get a shunt from behind. 

Brendan


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## pudds (19 Aug 2011)

Brendan Burgess said:


> I was brought up in the car in neutral, hand brake on school of motoring.
> 
> I have been a passenger in cars where they don't bother with the hand brake and balance the car between the clutch and gear. This is very dangerous if you get a shunt from behind.
> 
> Brendan



ditto here and I believe that it makes very sound sense for a variety of reasons.  What does the rules of the road book say!


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## roker (19 Aug 2011)

If you balance the car on the clutch and edge forward as a lot of people do, you will have pre-mature clutch wear. Some new cars now switch off the engine at traffic lights, and start the engine when the clutch is depressed, which makes sense to me, a lot of traffic light now seem to have an extra long spell on red.


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## AlbacoreA (20 Aug 2011)

Problem is if you get a shunt from behind and your foot slips off the clutch it may launch you into the junction.


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## shesells (20 Aug 2011)

I was told...car in first, clutch fully depressed and handbrake on if in first three cars. Beyond that, car in neutral, handbrake on.


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## flossie (20 Aug 2011)

I have an electronic handbrake with auto-hold function on the car. I get to the lights, put the car in neutral, press the brake pedal and then release, only putting into gear when lights are changing. I opted out of the company car scheme and got my own car so need to minimise wear and tear 

I have been shunted from behind while at a roundabout - car was in first and i was waiting to pull away. When i was hit i launched into the roundabout (luckily nobody on there when it happened, car i was giving way to had just passed) or could have been nasty. Unfortunately not so nice injuries sustained!


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## horusd (20 Aug 2011)

I tend to be a bit lazy, and leave the car in gear with my foot on the break and the clutch depressed. I've noticed more people are turning off the engine at lights. I do it myself now if I know I'll be there for a while. Don't know how much fuel is saved, or if the engine wear of start/stop makes it not worth the cost


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## AlbacoreA (20 Aug 2011)

If the lights are so long you need to turn off the engine I think you need to rethink your route.


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## roker (20 Aug 2011)

Nobody use the West Cork roundabout


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## horusd (20 Aug 2011)

AlbacoreA said:


> If the lights are so long you need to turn off the engine I think you need to rethink your route.


 
Unfortunately it would entail moving house, so not really an option! But I know the light change time,so it's 5 minutes of fuel saved. I think in Sweden you must turn off your engin e at lights.


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## RonanC (20 Aug 2011)

horusd said:


> I tend to be a bit lazy, and leave the car in gear with my foot on the break and the clutch depressed. I've noticed more people are turning off the engine at lights. I do it myself now if I know I'll be there for a while. Don't know how much fuel is saved, or if the engine wear of start/stop makes it not worth the cost



Its more than likely the 'Stop/Start' technology in most new cars. Engine cuts out when stopped and gearbox is in neutral and handbrake engaged and then as soon as you hit the clutch the engine fires up again.


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## GuitarDave (24 Aug 2011)

I passed my test slightly over four years ago and the instructor at the time told me the correct thing to do was to put the car in neutral and the hand brake on...now not every driving instructor will tell you the same thing but then again not every driving instructor can actually be depended on for telling you the right thing, as having spoken to other people its amazing the things you would hear people get told by driving instructors.

e.g not to indicate left when leaving a roundabout...


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## silverwake (30 Aug 2011)

I passed the test a few months ago. One thing that I learnt is that everything depends on the test center, so the instructors generally tell you what the testers want to see you doing in that specific town (I tried first in Little Island and then in Mallow and there was a huge difference on procedures).

However, the general norm is to is leave the car in gear if the red light has been on for a while, as it will change sooner and use the handbrake if you have time to do so. If you're in the back of the queue or the light just changed to red, you put it in neutral + handbrake.


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