Does this situation remind you of other experiences?
Waiting to turn right into main road yesterday, roads a bit slick from shower, traffic to my right backed up as far as I could see, my intended lane free running.
Just beyond the traffic lights at the junction some 50yds to my left, traffic was also at a standstill but would anyone let me out!
Lights changed to green, all sprint forward up to the stationary traffic which appeared to be invisible to the sprinters as there was a lot of sharp braking going on. I thought, any second now...
Sure enough, on the less than grippy surface, bang, nice little nose-to-tail job. Now if he'd only stopped to let me out.......
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All too common unfortunately. I'm not sure if it's just a symptom of modern life, but people seem far more keen to drive second-by-second rather than taking a more holistic view of the entire trip. If you arrived at your destination and spent ten seconds relaxing in your seat before getting out how critical would that be?.. especially considering that attempting to save those ten seconds elsewhere could result in a rather longer time in hospital or worse..
I find the best thing is just to breathe, relax, and consider how much slower you'd get there if you were walking instead :)
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hmmm...
seen any adverts for Dirk Gently's Holistic School of Motoring ?
just 'cos I know what I'm saying doesn't mean I know what I'm talking about
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You mean his famous 'find a car that looks like it knows where it's going, and follow it' navigation technique?.. :)
Of course, telling your other half that 'you may not have got where you intended to go, but you did end up where you needed to be' won't cut much ice while she's standing outside in the pouring rain waiting for a lift.. ;)
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You mean his famous 'find a car that looks like it knows where it's going, and follow it' navigation technique?.. :)
I have actually done this a few times when I have been stuck in traffic in unfamiliar towns. When I spot a car darting of down a side street, I gamble that he knows a short cut and stick to his bumper. Usually works, but on occassion.......
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I know it had a much less intresting end (ie. not a nose to tail shunt) but I got really annoyed by not being let out the other day. I was in Tesco car park and had regretfully parked so that I would have to reverse out into the traffic queueing to get out of the damn place. With hindsight and my girlfriends exceptional advice (\'Oh I never park here....\')this was not the best plan. I sat for at least 8 mins with my reversing lights on, backing up when ever a gap appeared and then having to pull back into the space the moment it was closed up again by someone obviously so eager to get home to their dinner they couldn\'t spare 2 seconds. There was a queue all the way to the exit aswell so it wasn\'t as if i would be holding them up! This is the most het up I have ever got behind the wheel. Put me in a bad mood for the rest of the journey home - probably failed to let out a few other drivers myself - exponential growth in pink fluffy diced off drivers.
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Kind of on this subject - and on the subject of using the handbrake while at stop to avoid annoying the car behind with your brake lights.....
Even when you have the handbrake on at stop....keep your foot on the footbrake until the car behind you is clearly driven by a driver with eyes and a brain - when the car stops, take your foot off the footbrake....having already ensured that you have sight of T&T - tyres and tarmac - in your vision between you and the car ahead of you in case you get shunted, or need to get out.
Matt35.
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I've often wondered whether that is actually the best advice.
In the rear-end shunt that I caused (sob!), the A-class that brought me to an abrupt halt did not have its footbrake on (no lights) and I pushed it into the rear of the 5 series estate in front of it. Both the A and the 5 had bumper damage only.
If the A class driver had kept his foot on the brake then he might not have rolled forward and the 5 could have been kept out of it. But surely the damage to the rear of the A would have been worse as all of my kinetic energy would have been absorbed there? As it was, the energy of the collision was spread over the A and the 5.
I wonder if there is a level of impact at which use of the footbrake will mean serious damage to the rear of your car, whereas no brakes or handbrake only means minor damge only, albeit to front and rear? If so, then I'd rather have this if someone else is paying (if insured, but that is a different thread!).
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Do you know if the A had it's handbrake on?
I had an instance years ago where I had just come to a halt and saw a car approaching from behind was going to hit me. I took my foot off the brake (after checking it was clear in front, obviously) in time to allow my car to bounce forward on impact. I suspect this saved a lot of damage and possibly injury.
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No idea. It was the last thing on my mind at the time!
I suspect that in your situation it would also be a good idea to plant one's head firmly on the headrest!
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>>Kind of on this subject - and on the subject of using the handbrake while at stop to avoid annoying the car behind with your brake lights.....
But in an automatic, you don't have this choice. Instruction book says that it is necessary to keep foot on foot brake even if using handbrake when stationary at lights.
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Sounds like a silly instruction book to me If I am stationary at lights with the selector in neutral and the handbrake on why do I need my foot on the footbrake, especially after the car behind me is also stationary??
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The handbook probably assumes you are in drive, in which case the handbrake may be unable to prevent a slow creep forwards, especially if you knock the accelerator.
So the choice is to push it into N every time and risk additional wear to the autobox, or sit there with the footbrake on.
I drove an auto for 2 years and never managed to resolve that one to my satisfaction.
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I would go for neutral on the principle that if you sneeze you don't want to rear-end the vehicle in front.
The auto box shouldn't wear out with a dozen extra shifts per journey, compared to a manual box which gets shifted every 100 yards.
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That means you're wearing the auto 'box out 12 times as quickly (12 shifts instead of 1 per journey). Manual boxes are designed to have the gears shifted. Auto boxes are not. I should have thought that is a pretty poor comparison IMHO. So if the shifter on an auto 'box has a design life of 240,000 miles, on Brian's basis of driving that comes down to 20,000 miles.
And that's not in London where you probably come to a standstill at traffic lights every 200 yards. So probably 120 shifts per journey which takes you down to a 2,000 mile life for an autobox. (Doubtless somebody will be along to say I'm talking (writing) nonsense.)
Also misses the point of an auto, which is coping with London queueing. Instruction book specifically states not to move into neutral when stationary.
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My (former) quandry, exactly, mapmaker.
I'm statistically likely to sneeze "n" times while waiting at some point in the 60-70k that I usually keep a car for. Is it cheaper to wear out the auto or pay for "n" repairs to the bumper?
I don't think your writing is nonsense, although it may be on the pessimistic side. No idea what you were talking about as you typed, so can't comment on whether that was nonsense.
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The consensus of advanced driving says;
"When stationary in traffic, even for several minutes,it is not neccessary to move the gear lever into Neutral. The torque converter absorbs the engine propulsion force......no wear is taking place and in fact MORE wear will take place if the driver continually engages and disengages Neutral.
When stationary, but in gear for any period, the handbrake should be applied and the foot kept well clear of the accelerator and footbrake. This will avoid the nuisance of dazzling following drivers".
This means you can sneeze in comfort and safety....it also assumes that if your car 'creeps' with the handbrake on, you need to have either the engine tickover speed or the handbrake checked.
In some circumstances, being in gear saves you one action if you need to move quickly - whether it knackers the gearbox if you get a heavy shunt is one of the things I wonder about.
Matt35.
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I would guess that 95% of the time, I remain in Drive with my foot on the brake at sundry holdups. If it looks like being a long one, I stick it in Park. My handbrake mostly gets some activity during the MOT.
I also tuck my left leg across behind my right when driving - in case anyone's interested - thought not
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frostbite,
Sticking it in Park means that you are showing a reversing light as you go through the box?
If the driver behind you sees the white light , and has her mind on Chicken Nuggets and ( I was thinking of saying sphagetti hoops for the next generation of numpties, but can't spell sphagetti) food for her offspring?
Matt.
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