Driving in the UK

L

lulzyboy

Active user
Sep 19, 2014
68
1
Pärnu, Estonia
NOTE: This post is not related to Cougar but I thought since the majority of members are from the UK it would be a good place to ask.

I was having this discussion before my friend, When I was in the UK where I bought my cougar, I noticed nobody was holding the footbreke and instead using the handbrake to stop. Is this normal? Everywhere else in the world you simply hold your break until you're ready to go then you just select gear and go. From googling people say that the brake lights are "blinding" but I'm not really seeing how considering that's how the rest of the world drives. Is it just new drivers or does everybody really drive like this in Britain?
 
Remember the majority of our vehicles have manual transmission-starting on a hill is a bit dicey without a handbrake in a manual! We do hold cars on the footbrake though, it's not "correct" by our driving standards (make of that what you will) but to pass a driving test here you have to make good use of the handbrake, what you do when you've passed.... Well....

We probably all do footbrake hill-starts either conciously or unconsciously but we're generally quite hand-brake happy.
A lot of automatic drivers will use the handbrake in "Park" too, but that's more out of habit than any general nescessity.

Automatic transmission cars are far from unusual in the UK but most people learn and pass the "manual test" (the absolute vast majority) and there is a good chance that any given car will be manual, I have had to "teach" people to drive automatics before!

A lot of cars are diesel powered too, much to our shame!
 
The majority of our vehicles are also manual cars, yet we don't seem to have the same trouble. I've further read in to it that even automatic is supposed to be in neutral when at lights?! That's just crazy
 
lulzyboy said:
The majority of our vehicles are also manual cars, yet we don't seem to have the same trouble. I've further read in to it that even automatic is supposed to be in neutral when at lights?! That's just crazy
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Sorry, my mistake I'd just answered a thread with our new American friend posting!

**doh**
 
The wear and tear of the slave cyinder is one of the reasons we use the hand break a lot keeping the foot depressed on the clutch for a long time will not help.
 
LOL!!! At traffic lights, handbrake should be applied, car taken out of gear and then clutch pedal released until lights turn to amber (before turning green), then it's a reverse of what you have just done. However, for those using mobile phones this does not apply......for those doing their hair and make-up (male or female...lol) this does not apply...and as Al has quite rightly said above...those believing to be either BTCC or F1 drivers...slip the clutch, burn rubber and basically act like knobs! End of sermon! lol!!!
 
Good practise. The UK has some of the safest roads in the world, because of a much higher standard of driving than most other places - despite some of the complaints we hear here.

Brake lights can be uncomfortable to stare at, particularly when you're stopped behind a higher vehicle at night. It's also deemed to be in proper control of the vehicle to apply the parking brake when stationary for a length of time. Lastly, when stopping from high speed, the front brakes in particular will be rather hot and being lazy and sitting with the footbrake on bonds pad material to the discs giving the vibration most people think is warpage.
 
I passed in a manual and have owned more or less about the same amount of auto's and manuals, I do take it out of drive at lights, just so it doesn't creep, but only apply the handbrake when stationary for any length of time, I only drive an auto now as my knees can not handle driving in traffic.
My last two cars had rear disk brakes, so I have always been used to rear drums which as far as the handbrake goes was something that held the car when you are parked, pretty much useless and not always trustworthy, remember sitting in your car and pulling on your own handbrake at the MOT station, you used to leave it in gear on a hill, just in case.
Seen that happen.
So when you have one of those newfangled cars that stops its engine when you're at the lights, then handbrake would need to be applied as you're not getting any vacuum pressure, or is that all mechanical now?
 
Pid_16V said:
lol. Because some people sit at traffic lights in 1st gear, clutch in, waiting for the green light that signals the traffic lights Grand prix. PRIX being the operative word here. :)
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yes even more so down here only they are dangerous one guy got killed sat at the crossing near where i live , the council have reduced the speed to 20 on back roads...they still doing over 50 so.. we have lots of break light people here
 
Parking brakes purpose is to hold vehicle in place while the driver is out of it. Aplying parking brake while you are daily driving is nonsence. When standing next to trafic light, brake pedal should be applied at all times (in case someone crashes from the back, in order to save people who are crossing the street, and to avoid pushing you into other cars, etc). I dont see any parking brakes advantage over regular brakes uphill also... Yes uk drivers are very polite and stuff, but it has nothing with p rakes i think. Dint know how to say, but if you use hand brake uphill in lithuania, you are a looser :)
 
Keith.P said:
I passed in a manual and have owned more or less about the same amount of auto's and manuals, I do take it out of drive at lights, just so it doesn't creep, but only apply the handbrake when stationary for any length of time, I only drive an auto now as my knees can not handle driving in traffic.
My last two cars had rear disk brakes, so I have always been used to rear drums which as far as the handbrake goes was something that held the car when you are parked, pretty much useless and not always trustworthy, remember sitting in your car and pulling on your own handbrake at the MOT station, you used to leave it in gear on a hill, just in case.
Seen that happen.
So when you have one of those newfangled cars that stops its engine when you're at the lights, then handbrake would need to be applied as you're not getting any vacuum pressure, or is that all mechanical now?
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No they all have hill-assist technology now. We've got it in our new Volvo V40 and it was also in the Audi A5 coupe I test drove a few weeks ago. Works quite well, though it requires a leap of faith on steep hills until you get used to it.
I hate it and switch it off when driving, but it comes on by default when the car is started again.
 
ISG said:
Parking brakes purpose is to hold vehicle in place while the driver is out of it. Aplying parking brake while you are daily driving is nonsence. When standing next to trafic light, brake pedal should be applied at all times (in case someone crashes from the back, in order to save people who are crossing the street, and to avoid pushing you into other cars, etc). I dont see any parking brakes advantage over regular brakes uphill also... Yes uk drivers are very polite and stuff, but it has nothing with p rakes i think. Dint know how to say, but if you use hand brake uphill in lithuania, you are a looser :)
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We've all seen hundreds of eastern European and Russian dash cam videos and in the situations you describe the same physical realities apply there as here. When shunted from behind, your legs are lifted off the pedals due to the short but sharp G force.

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Keith.P said:
I passed in a manual and have owned more or less about the same amount of auto's and manuals, I do take it out of drive at lights, just so it doesn't creep, but only apply the handbrake when stationary for any length of time, I only drive an auto now as my knees can not handle driving in traffic.
My last two cars had rear disk brakes, so I have always been used to rear drums which as far as the handbrake goes was something that held the car when you are parked, pretty much useless and not always trustworthy, remember sitting in your car and pulling on your own handbrake at the MOT station, you used to leave it in gear on a hill, just in case.
Seen that happen.
So when you have one of those newfangled cars that stops its engine when you're at the lights, then handbrake would need to be applied as you're not getting any vacuum pressure, or is that all mechanical now?
Click to expand...

Loss of vacuum to the brakes allows several more applications before you're unassisted so that's a non-issue. Autos and manuals are different. Manuals restart when the clutch pedal is depressed to select a gear from neutral. In an auto though, releasing the footbrake restarts the engine so whilst you can apply the park brake you need to stay on the brake pedal or the engine restarts.
 
I have 'hill-start-assist' in the van, and I occasionally use it but it does require a huge leap of faith, especially in a fully laden panel-van on a steep hill!

The main reason I do not use it (or try not to use it) is that when I first got the van I was so overcome by the novelty of it, and how effective it was that I forgot that not every vehicle I drive has such technology..... Hence one dented garage door from parking the old car and forgetting that not all cars will hold themselves on a hill whilst you fart about changing gear.

My VW holds the brakes on for about three seconds before it will start to coast, our work vans with the DSG definitely do need it as the DSG has no torque-converter and will merrily roll backwards even in 'drive' if you don't give them enough revs. Almost all DSG'd vehicles have it, but the manual does mention that it is not fitted on all models so although they are an 'automatic' they still require a conventional hill-start.

I'm not against the tecnology at all, but it should be remembered not to rely on it too heavily, it's embarrassing!
 
ISG said:
Parking brakes purpose is to hold vehicle in place while the driver is out of it. Aplying parking brake while you are daily driving is nonsence. When standing next to trafic light, brake pedal should be applied at all times (in case someone crashes from the back, in order to save people who are crossing the street, and to avoid pushing you into other cars, etc). I dont see any parking brakes advantage over regular brakes uphill also... Yes uk drivers are very polite and stuff, but it has nothing with p rakes i think. Dint know how to say, but if you use hand brake uphill in lithuania, you are a looser :)
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As Jamie has stated, as soon as you are hit from behind, your foot will come of the brake (and the clutch) and you will be shunted forward. Putting the car in neutral and applying the handbrake gives anyone in front of you the best possible chance of not being slammed into by your car - be it pedestrians, stopped cars, or articulated lorries doing 50mph across the junction directly in front of you.

In my driving lessons (back in 2005) I was taught to use the handbrake whenever stopped. I was even told to put it on at each point of a three-point-turn but that seemed too far in my opinion.

I'm really glad to live in a country that has an overall decent standard of driving, even if it's only in comparison to elsewhere.

Also, in answer to the initial question; from my experience at least 50% of UK drivers do not apply the handbrake when stopped at lights and I personally do find some brake lights to be overly bright at night.

Edit - sorry, you're not the OP!
 
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Jack said:
As Jamie has stated, as soon as you are hit from behind, your foot will come of the brake (and the clutch) and you will be shunted forward. Putting the car in neutral and applying the handbrake gives anyone in front of you the best possible chance of not being slammed into by your car - be it pedestrians, stopped cars, or articulated lorries doing 50mph across the junction directly in front of you.

In my driving lessons (back in 2005) I was taught to use the handbrake whenever stopped. I was even told to put it on at each point of a three-point-turn but that seemed too far in my opinion.

I'm really glad to live in a country that has an overall decent standard of driving, even if it's only in comparison to elsewhere.

Also, in answer to your initial question; from my experience at least 50% of UK drivers do not apply the handbrake when stopped at lights and I personally do find some brake lights to be overly bright at night.
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That is to prove to the examiner that you are in full control of the car and its not going to roll even a milimetre till you want it to, once you pass your test you just use kerbs or small children for the same result (y)
 
WildV6 said:
LOL!!! At traffic lights, handbrake should be applied, car taken out of gear and then clutch pedal released until lights turn to amber (before turning green), then it's a reverse of what you have just done. However, for those using mobile phones this does not apply......for those doing their hair and make-up (male or female...lol) this does not apply...and as Al has quite rightly said above...those believing to be either BTCC or F1 drivers...slip the clutch, burn rubber and basically act like knobs! End of sermon! lol!!!
Click to expand...

Youd have to be a saint not to give a modded cougar some beans at traffic lights
 
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