In a similar vein to the lack of indication by selfish drivers, I am astonished by the amount of drivers that sit with their foot on the brake pedal when stationary at traffic lights, level crossings etc, usually dazzling the person behind if their car has LED type high level lights.
I used to think it was confined to drivers of automatic cars but it's too widespread nowadays. Unfortunately I've even witnessed learners doing it in driving school cars so what hope is there if proper technique isn't even being taught these days?
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I agree, everyone knows the accepted technique is to sit there slipping the clutch.
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>>usually dazzling the person behind
Oh please.
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It is widespread, but cant say it particularly bothers me! Not signalling on roundabouts on the otherhand....
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>>usually dazzling the person behind
As has been recently mentioned in another post, if they're dazzling the person behind, then that person must be too close to the rear end of your car.
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Distance is nothing to do with it. I always obey the T & T rule & then some but frequently get dazzled. A lot depends on the height of the vehicle in front. The record is 20 minutes stationary on the M25 with a muppet in an Audi with his foot on the brake. Why because he's pig ignorant & can't be bothered to use the handbrake. Also at level crossings etc.
Even worse at night when it's raining, so why make excuses?
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I must have particuarly resilient eyes. Never bothered me when I drove a Landcruiser (high up) doesn't both me now I drive a lowered Merc. 'Course, I don't sit there staring unblinkingly into someone else's lights either.
Life is too short.
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HJ complains about this dazzling, brake lights being brighter than ordinary tail lights. Can't say it bothers me unduly, but one is supposed to have a brake on at traffic lights etc. in case one is tail-ended (saves the car in front). Of course the highway code recommends handbrake.
I confess that sometimes on the level I just let the car stand, but on any kind of slope I use the handbrake.
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Try not to look at the lights, seems to help.
Bit like not looking directly at the sun. Or something.
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A heavily tinted screen might help.
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A heavily tinted screen might help.
Sunglasses perhaps ? Maybe you could wear those seriously cool mirror ones that they used to wear on CHiPs and reflect the searing light back at them ? [being careful not to permanently harm the eyesight of innocent pedestrians, of course]
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Its my brake, I will use it how I wish.
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TourVanMan TM < Ex RF >
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Its my brake, I will use it how I wish.
Quite right, lots of people exercise their right to do lots of things that aren't recommended in the Highway Code.
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Try not to look at the lights, seems to help. Bit like not looking directly at the sun. Or something.
Never thought of that after 31 years of driving ;-)
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>>Never thought of that after 31 years of driving
Damn, that's some traffic jam.
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I used to commute daily on the M25 & it sometimes felt like 31 years.
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Easy answer to those who sit with their foot on the footbrake.
Bash into the back of them, and brake their leg. Bwahahahaha.
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I see what you did there! Very clever.
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dear Jase1
I see you have not the faintest idea of how to crash a car. Allow me to remind you, you are nearer to the impact than the person in front, who has a great deal of car between him and you.
see you in hospital
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TourVanMan TM < Ex RF >
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Brake lights have never bothered me, but foglights and bad headlights do.
When stationary, I am looking all around and at my instruments.
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The human eye is naturally drawn to light. Moth like. This a particularly annoying when another vehicle is approaching from the opposite direction with imcorrectly aligned headlights shining brightly towards you. Your eyes are naturally drawn towards it making matters worse. So the obvious answer is don't look at them & I guess this applies to brake lights too.
However, automatic transmission vehicles require the brakes to be appiled in order to stop them going. Yes they could slip it into N and apply the handbrake but that's never going to happen so there's no point in fighting it.
Anyway, if i'm bored in a manual car I like to see what the person behind looks like so I light em up in a nice red glow. Naturally I'd be stationary when doing this!
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Anyway, if i'm bored in a manual car I like to see what the person behind looks like so I light em up in a nice red glow. Naturally I'd be stationary when doing this!
......so in return, they turn on their main beams........and then war breaks out ;-)
'S all a question of courtesy, really, and there ain't too much of that about.
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Is it true that using the footbrake after a run can warp the discs, as the section under the pads cools at a slower rate that the rest of the disc? Or is this way off....
A.
--
Dr Alex Mears
MG BGT 1971
If you are in a hole stop digging...unless
you are a miner.
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Personal technique is to use both. Handbrake on when stopped, but if nothing behind me then will sit with foot on brakes so that my brake lights are on to warn traffic behind that I am stopped. Once they have caught me up, just use the handbrake.
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If the pads warped the discs then vehicles with pad operated front wheel hand brakes have a problem because it would make no difference which was applied.
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PW that's the technique I use too. I might even hit the hazard warning lights when I see something approaching.
I was behind a Golf a few months back and each time as we crept forward towards the traffic lights, his high level brake light went out while the standard ones remained on. The high level light seemed to be on a timer. I thought it was a good idea but I've not seen another since.
JH
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This is correct, the owners manual for my automatic Toyota Previa specifically warns against sitting with a foot on the brake for just this reason.
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This never used to bother me, but increasingly I find the brake lights of newer cars, not just the high level ones also the normal ones, to be irritatingly bright. This means either:
1. Brake lights are getting brighter.
2. I'm getting old.
The worst I've experienced were the LED brake lights mounted high up on the C-pillars of a weird looking Mitsubishi People Carrier (Grandis?). I was stuck behind one of these at night in a traffic jam and found the dazzling from the brake lights actually quite unpleasant. It's difficult not to look forward continually when waiting for a line of traffic to start moving. I tried leaving a big gap which didn't help, so I lowered the sun visor.
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This never used to bother me, but increasingly I find the brake lights of newer cars, not just the high level ones also the normal ones, to be irritatingly bright. This means either: 1. Brake lights are getting brighter. 2. I'm getting old.
If you are indeed of more advanced years this could be relevant, as earliest signs of a developing cataract can be an intolerance of bright lights and a feeling that they are glary.
Cataracts can develop at a younger age in some individuals but are not common below 55 to 60 years of age.
Might be worth seeing an optician.
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not common below 55 to 60 years of age.
Fortunately, still some 13 years to go before reaching that particular milestone;-)
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I can second that Bagpuss. I was behind a Mitsubishi Grandis recently with all those rear brake lights illuminated. It wasn't even dark - early morning, not quite light - and the lights were literally painful to look at. I couldn't even fix my gaze through it's back window, I had to look away for a bit. There seemed to be literally dozens of little bulbs up most of the c-pillars. Normally high intensity brake lights don't bother me. What's it all about???
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