"NY" wrote in message
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"Andrew" wrote in message
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On 14/09/2019 18:53, Harry Bloomfield wrote:
I drove my first 'stop/start' vehicle today. Press the brake pedal down
and the engine stops, apply the handbrake and release the foot-brake and
the engine restarts - what a pointless system for anyone who drives
properly and uses the handbrake.

Apart from hill starts, who uses the handbrake these days ?.
I just leave it parked in 1st gear hand brake OFF, unless
I happen to be parked (rarely) on more than a slight gradient.

I apply my handbrake whenever I come to a halt and anticipate being
stopped for more than a couple of seconds - but then I had

Highway code rule 114

"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."

drummed into me. I also put an automatic (on the rare occasions I drive
one) into neutral when I come to a halt, to avoid having to keep my foot
on the footbrake to prevent the car creeping forwards.

On a hill I always leave the car in gear - first if I'm facing uphill or
reverse if I'm facing downhill, so that if I accidentally start the car
without checking whether it's in gear, the starter motor will propel it
uphill rather than downhill into the adjacent car.

Cant happen with mine, the car wont start unless your foot is on the clutch.

Main downside with that approach is that if your car wont
start and you manage to stall on a railway crossing, you
cant use the starter to get the car off the railway line.

That's as a supplement to the handbrake, just in case the cable happens to
stretch over time.

Mine hasn't. The Getz is now 13 years old and the handbrake
has never been adjusted. Its so good that the car just sort of
squats if you manage to try driving off with the handbrake on.