Stopping at junctions / lights

If I'm going to be there for any length of time or if it's dark outside then put the autobox in N and handbrake up, otherwise the box gets left in D with my foot on the brake.
 
I think there's a fair number of us here who have our technique for junctions wrong. From what I've seen on the roads it all starts way before the junction itself.

1. Speed of approach and into the junction. This needs to be a minimum of 45mph, 50+ if your Saxso/Corsa can manage it.
2. Braking, don't even consider braking until you're with 25-30ft of the junction. A lock up of the fronts and a bit of a slide at the rear is what you're aiming for. Better still if you have at least one brake light out.
3. Positioning. If you've got the braking right the car should be at about 45 deg across the lane. With practice you might even have the front of the car in one lane and the rear blocking another.
4. Road markings. If this has all come together the front of the car will be a minimum of 2-4ft over the give-way/stop line. Motorist should be swerving to miss the front of your car or locking up to try to avoid hitting you and possibly damaging the orange wrap on the front bumper of yours.
5. Observation. Obviously at some point you're going to have to stop texting and look up and see some of the irate motorist around you. Luckily you won't be able to hear them over the sound or your Sub. Just give em the bird because they're as they're all rich twunts who've paid their insurance.
6. Signalling. Pointless, you're only going to get confused with that "right & left" thing again. Plus the cloud of smoke makes them almost impossible to see anyway.
7. Moving away. 5000-6000 revs min. Bouncing off the rev limiter if you can manage it. Maybe a momentary lift off to hear the exhaust bang and rattle against the underside of the car. If it's a day when it's firing on all 4 cylinders you might even feel the tyres fighting for grip. If you get it right you'll clip the left rear on the curb as you exit the junction and that will throw the car over into the oncoming lane. This is dangerous as it can cause your cap to fall down over your eyes....;):)
 
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I normally hold it on the brake with it in neutral for a medium stay, rarely use the handbrake unless on a hill or a long stay and 1st and clutch for a short stay.

Also i did my test 4/5 years ago and I wasn't told/taught that I need to have handbrake on at lights I could hold it on the brake.
 
StevenG said:
Also i did my test 4/5 years ago and I wasn't told/taught that I need to have handbrake on at lights I could hold it on the brake.
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You were taught incorrectly.

Highway code.

114

You MUST NOT
use any lights in a way which would dazzle or cause discomfort to other road users, including pedestrians, cyclists and horse riders
use front or rear fog lights unless visibility is seriously reduced. You MUST switch them off when visibility improves to avoid dazzling other road users (see Rule 226).

In stationary queues of traffic, drivers should apply the parking brake and, once the following traffic has stopped, take their foot off the footbrake to deactivate the vehicle brake lights. This will minimise glare to road users behind until the traffic moves again.
Law RVLR reg 27
 
StevenG said:
Ah well I passed my test using this and have used ever since.
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Yes but that doesn't mean you're doing it right.

Not intending to have a pop. In the great scheme of things it's pretty trivial. All I'm saying it's not current best practice and is not what should be being taught to new drivers.

Now's the time of year when it's dark, dank and wet it does start to become a pain when the bloke in front on you is sat with his foot on the brake and all you can see is the glare from his brake lights. For the most part few people are actually thinking about how they drive, it's just how it is. They're thinking about what's for tea, the shopping, the kids, the gf, anything but dotting the "I's" and crossing the "T's" of their driving and trying to be safe. It's just how it is.
 
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Handbrake and neutral,

as others have mentioned I hate it when people sit with their brakes on so you have bright red lights burning your eye balls out at night
 
It's auto and doesn't have a handbrake so yeah I'm afraid I will sit in gear with foot on the brake.

In a manual I'll knock it out of gear without clutch while rolling then sit on the brake until I get bored of that and switch to handbrake. If getting going again right away then put it in first while its still rolling a little, always easier to slot in when it's moving.
 
Pretty much same as most here, neutral with handbrake on for a standard stop.

I would never sit with my foot on my brake when people are behind me, especially at night.
 
Any time I am coming to a stop for 2-3 seconds or longer I will stick the handbrake on.

One thing I have noticed is that in the non-turbo Smart cars the Stop/Start system will kick the engine back on as soon as you lift off the footbrake - so when I have had them as rentals it causes you to always sit with the footbrake on so the stop/start stays active. From what I've read this isn't unique to those cars :(
 
Do people actually find brake lights annoying?

Full beam and rear fog lights for me sure, but brake lights and front fog lights?
 
Duke said:
If stopping for more than 5-10 sec then just drop into neutral and put hand brake on if needed. Don't see the point in sitting there with the clutch in and holding the foot brake on, especially annoying at night when the driver in front does this for 2-3 mins :(
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agree.. especially with the new super bright LED tails on the new mercs etc.. blinds people behind!
 
When you're sitting in a low down car behind a newish car with blinding LED rear clusters at your eye level then yes it is definitely annoying.

Since brake lights and rear fogs are the same intensity, it's odd that one would annoy you but not the other?
 
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