{"id":9369,"date":"2012-06-30T16:10:29","date_gmt":"2012-06-30T16:10:29","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.diaryofanadi.co.uk\/?p=9369"},"modified":"2022-11-17T22:46:54","modified_gmt":"2022-11-17T22:46:54","slug":"the-handbrake-and-automatic-transmission","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/diaryofanadi.co.uk\/?p=9369","title":{"rendered":"The Handbrake And Automatic Transmission"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p><strong>Driving: The Essential Skills<\/strong> (TES) says:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow\">\n<p><strong>The parking brake<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>You should normally apply the parking brake whenever the vehicle is stationary.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Apply the parking brake\u2026 unless the wait is likely to be very short.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Your foot could easily slip off the footbrake if, for example, your shoes are wet or if you\u2019re bumped from behind. You could then be pushed into another vehicle or a pedestrian\u2026<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>The use of the parking brake is even more important in vehicles fitted with automatic transmission. <\/strong>The parking brake will help avoid<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>the possibility of \u2018creep\u2019<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>the vehicle surging forward if the accelerator is pressed accidentally while in D (Drive)<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n<p>Although it might seem a controversial comment to make, the people who learn in automatics <strong>tend<\/strong> to be the kind who can easily get their feet mixed up, so that second warning is very relevant. It\u2019s bad enough in a manual with some learners.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>TES<\/strong> also says:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow\">\n<p><strong>Section 22 Automatics and four-wheel drive<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>The importance of the parking brake<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Fully applying the parking brake whenever your vehicle is stationary <strong>is even more important on an automatic.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>If the selector lever is in any position other than P or N, it will move off under power if the accelerator is pressed (accidentally or on purpose) unless the brakes are on.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>If the choke (manual or automatic) is in use, an even lighter accelerator pressure can move the vehicle away.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n<p>I view of this, it is surprising to see some ADIs advising that you <strong>shouldn\u2019t<\/strong> use the parking brake in an automatic. This alternative advice seems to be based on the belief that the drivers in question find it difficult to apply, or that automatic drivers historically have fallen into the habit of not using it. It even appears that some ADIs purposely criticise use of the handbrake because they believe that a pupil&#8217;s previous instructor told them to use it every time they stop!<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Let\u2019s just set a few records straight. First of all, brake light glare is a very real problem. At night &#8211; and especially if it is raining &#8211; modern high-intensity brake lights can be painfully bright. <strong>TES<\/strong> says:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow\">\n<p><strong>Junctions at night<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Brake lights can dazzle. Don\u2019t keep your foot on the brake pedal if you\u2019re waiting at a junction or queuing in traffic\u2026 use the parking brake.<\/p>\n\n\n\n[Similarly with indicators]\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n<p>Sitting at traffic lights with your foot on the brake is ignorant as well as the sign of a bad (or badly taught) driver.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Secondly, there are many things that learners are taught to do or not do when they are taking lessons. A good example would be adhering to speed limits. The simple fact that many of them choose to <strong>ignore<\/strong> speed limits totally once they pass does not mean they are right, or that ADIs should start teaching that way too. For that reason, the apparent fact that most automatic drivers fall into the lazy habit of just sitting there with their foot on the brakes does not in any way make them right or indicate that ADIs who teach in automatics should fall into line.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Going back to the comment I made above, people who learn in automatics <strong>very often<\/strong> do so because they can\u2019t handle manual cars. I\u2019ve persuaded several to move to automatics because they just don\u2019t have the coordination to handle the clutch, gears, and brakes. Once they pass their tests, that lack of coordination is bound to lead to not using the handbrake for most of them. But it doesn\u2019t mean they\u2019re right &#8211; it just means they\u2019re not very good drivers! (Before anyone rises to that, just think: no matter how nice someone is, how dedicated they are to learning, how desperate they are to pass, whatever their disability or other domestic circumstances, etc., it has no bearing whatsoever on whether they are a <strong>good<\/strong> driver or not. It\u2019s just the way it is.)<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>On the driving test, you won\u2019t immediately fail for not using the handbrake. But you <strong>will<\/strong> fail if not using it leads to some other problem, or even if the examiner perceives that there is a significant risk. ADIs shouldn\u2019t be making their own rules up just to fit in with difficult learners.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Not using the parking brake <strong>by default<\/strong> is already half way to a fail. And nearly all of the way to being a bad or inconsiderate driver from the moment they get their licence!<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>But some automatics don\u2019t have a parking brake.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>All modern cars have some sort of parking brake. The dangers of not using it have already been outlined. Whether you operate it with your hand, your foot, or through some sort of telepathy, it is there for a reason.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>If you\u2019re stopped, brake light dazzle isn\u2019t going to cause an accident, is it?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Driving at night and having to put up with dazzle can lead to tiredness or loss of concentration or awareness. Having bright lights shone unnecessarily in your face in uncomfortable at best, but can potentially lead to more dangerous situations.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>If you are teaching people to avoid using the handbrake and not teaching them to think of those behind them, you need to take a serious look at what you are doing. Brake light dazzle IS a significant problem. Holding the car on the footbrake for too long, and especially at night, IS a sign of a bad or inconsiderate driver.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>I hate it when I pick up pupils who have been told to use the handbrake every time they stop.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Well, good for you. However, you ought to allow for the fact that most new drivers find it difficult to assess when to do something that should be triggered by judgement or common sense, and often fall into the habit of either <strong>always<\/strong> doing it, or <strong>always not<\/strong> doing it as a result. They try to pigeon hole everything. So there is a good chance they were not actually told to apply the handbrake &#8220;every time&#8221;, but have developed that habit themselves as a &#8220;just in case&#8221; strategy (they do it with signalling to pull over or move off, amongst other things). Mine often try to do it, in spite of me never having taught them to.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>TES makes it clear that you should use the handbrake <strong>where it would help you prevent the car from rolling.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>So it comes down to two options for many learners. Do you:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>NOT use the handbrake and risk rolling?<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>use it EVERY TIME just in case?<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>Only the first one carries any significant risk. The second is not a fault, nor is it a danger to other road users in itself. The only people who see it as a problem are certain\u00a0ADIs who seem annoyed by it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n <script data-jetpack-boost=\"ignore\" async src=\"https:\/\/pagead2.googlesyndication.com\/pagead\/js\/adsbygoogle.js?client=ca-pub-4532794719633406\"\r\n     crossorigin=\"anonymous\"><\/script>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Driving: The Essential Skills (TES) says: Although it might seem a controversial comment to make, the people who learn in automatics tend to be the kind who can easily get their feet mixed up, so that second warning is very relevant. It\u2019s bad enough in a manual with some learners. TES also says: Section 22 [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":false,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[80,82],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-9369","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-adi-related","category-training"],"aioseo_notices":[],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/diaryofanadi.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9369","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/diaryofanadi.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/diaryofanadi.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/diaryofanadi.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/diaryofanadi.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=9369"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/diaryofanadi.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9369\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/diaryofanadi.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=9369"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/diaryofanadi.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=9369"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/diaryofanadi.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=9369"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}