Handbrake and gear order

[mawallace]

I have been drving a car with an automatic handbrake and got into bad habits!!

Which is the correct order? Is i, when you put the car out of gear

Out of gear

Handbrake or...

Handbrake

Out of gear.

I know that when you pull off it is Gear

Handbrake off!

[ScoobyChris]

The "correct" order is

- Handbrake
- Neutral

ie you stop the car and then take it out of gear.

[ROG]

Secure the vehicle is the first priority because if anything goes wrong after that then it aint likely to be much of a problem

[martine]

Some talk of 'long stay' = handbrake, gear (neutral) or 'short stay' = gear (first), handbrake.

'Long stay' would be: parking, red traffic lights etc i.e stationary more than a few seconds.

'Short stay' might be used at a t-junction or roundabout where you are likely to be waiting very briefly to check left/right, or during a turn in the road (i.e. between each forward/reverse phase).

[Gareth]

Clarifying 'short stay', that might be when the control is maintained with the foot brake and the hand-brake is only needed to stop rolling prior to moving off.

[Standard Dave]

Control of the vehicle with the foot brake ??? other than bringing a vehicle to a stop you don't control the position of a car with the foot brakes in a junction.

You'll be holding it on the bite point for a prolonged period next then gently rolling back and forth on the clutch.

[daz6215]

S- steering
H- handbrake
A- and
G- gear

Always tickled me when you remind them about the need to 'shag' !

[Slink_Pink]

That's odd, I always thought (although never do) that one should release the gear first (i.e. change to N) before applying the handbrake. The reason being that you shouldn't be in gear in conflict with the (hand)brake.

[Mr Cholmondeley-Warner]

My Rospa examiner said he didn't really mind about the order on my last retest.

[vanman]

This, I am told is Unsystematic according to IAM. for stopping at a red lignt for instance:-
I personally slow in the gear I'm in i.e. 3rd, 4th or whatever, then select 1st as I roll to a halt, keeping the brake lights/foot brake on This allows me to move IF someone comes up on me that can't stop to move forward. Once someone stops behind (with a good gap) I then apply the handbrake and select neutral. All this of course takes time and usually the lights have turned to a happy green colour and I'm off.

The systematic way apparently is to stop in the gear your in, apply the handbrake and then select neutral.

With an auto I would remain in drive as long as I could and hold with the handbrake.

[gfoot]

This allows me to move IF someone comes up on me that can't stop to move forward.

I've never really understood how you can make that decision - could you expand on it? When people pull up behind me they frequently do so fairly abruptly, and I wouldn't want to pre-empt that they might overshoot and rear end me - because most of the time I'd be wrong, and the act of beginning to move forwards might send them exactly the wrong signal, leading to them reducing their braking assuming we're going to move off now.

Right now when I approach red lights I either reduce speed from a distance (usually changing down to second gear on approach) and hope they change to green by the time I arrive, so I won't have to stop (and start...) at all, or I plan to brake firmly to a stop as a single action without changing gear, then apply the handbrake, shift into first, and keep the clutch down. I've been told I should prefer neutral in the latter case, in case my foot slips. I generally avoid showing brake lights in queuing traffic as I don't see the need to improve my visibility in this case - if people can't see the back of a traffic queue then there are a million other things they won't see either and this feels like a rather minor one to try to address.

Which I pick (slowing early to a low speed and drifting, vs braking all the way to stop at the lights) depends on the situation, and I'm not entirely sure how I decide - I think the proximity of following traffic is a factor, as is ambiguous signals to other drivers, and the prevailing mood (what everybody else is doing).

All this may change of course as/when I get on with advanced training - but for now, that's what I do and I'd be interested in critique.

[gannet]

This allows me to move IF someone comes up on me that can't stop to move forward.

I've never really understood how you can make that decision - could you expand on it? When people pull up behind me they frequently do so fairly abruptly, and I wouldn't want to pre-empt that they might overshoot and rear end me - because most of the time I'd be wrong, and the act of beginning to move forwards might send them exactly the wrong signal, leading to them reducing their braking assuming we're going to move off now.

I like to think you can tell from the speed at which they approach from behind and the body language from the car - as to whether you perceive them to have seen you.

I always leave a little more than the "2 inches of road" in which to move into should you need to.

As you say though slow yourself on the approach and hope not to have to stop.

[gfoot]

I like to think you can tell from the speed at which they approach from behind and the body language from the car - as to whether you perceive them to have seen you.

I see - I can't tell that yet, maybe one day. Though if I see the whites of their eyes, open wide in panic, that's probably a good cue to try to get out of the way!

[vanman]

The reasoning for my approach is that IF I need to move forward, I am in gear and able to do so. A couple of instances that remind me that this is vital:- had to stop for a red on liquid diesel just about made it, the following car was not yet in sight, by the time they started braking/sliding towards me I was moving. Second instance, on a winters morning I stopped for a pedestrian on a crossing, my neabours son (new to driving) locked up and started sliding, I was able to move just six feet or so and avoided swapping deatails.

I suppose the nub of this is stop a fair distance before the stop/give way line to allow that little extra space,Cheers gannett), by all means move up once traffic behind is stationary, but I like to take a run at a green , one of my little foibles.

[ROG]

If approaching a red light then hold well back so as not to stop but if a stop is inevitable then slowly take the hand off the wheel and drop it so you have the option of handbrake or gear if the situation changes
Many drop the hand off the wheel too quickly

If you stop and are the last in the queue then leave extra space in front and apply footbrake with it in 1st gear as this does give you options
When another joins you behind then ease forward into that extra space just before they come to a stop

Being last in queue showing brake lights is recommended in my book where there is the possibility of another approaching from behind

Does that lot make sense?