Automatics

[supapapa]

Why do drivers of automatics keep their brakes on at traffic lights?

[ethandron]

Personally I've never been dazzled, blinded or otherwise rendered incapable of safe driving by being behind a car with its brake lights on at traffic lights.
I fail to understand the problem some people have with this, do they perhaps have over sensitivity to lights or are they just grouchy?

[Prudie]

I agree ethandron, it's never even crossed my mind before. I find the people with those modern really bright headlights that dazzle with a hint of colours far worse - xenon headlamps are they?

[lozzer50]

youd be moaning if they didnt brake and hit you or someone else and cause tailbacks!! the cars with them awful blue white head lights are far worse esepcially when behind you on a dark night now they DO dazzle

[craft1948]

I'm just pleased I've noticed they've braked..............

[Khandro]

DJH; //i was always led to believe that switching the ignition on and off used as much petrol as sitting with the engine running for a few minutes.//
Interesting! how do you make that out?

[Playbill]

Apart from the dazzle aspect, according to the handbook of an automatic car i drove recently leaving an automatic in drive and with footbrake on puts additional strain on the gearbox. This makes sense when you consider the opposing forces involved.

[RATTER15]

Khandro, I heard this many times in the past about using more fuel to start a car, I think this was going back to the days when the engine would turn over a few times prior to starting and thus pump extra fuel into the carb that was not required, thus wasting fuel. I think that with modern cars starting at a flick of the key it would no longer apply.

[Khandro]

Ratter; Yes, I agree with what you say, also on the subject of fuel saving, Porsche tell me that it makes no difference if you accelerate quickly from start or drive away slowly, - you use the same amount of petrol. The principle being that when you accelerate hard, you are using more petrol per second, but you do it for less seconds. The same as whether you run or walk, you still burn up the same 100 calories per mile.

[RATTER15]

In our car we need to keep the foot brake on at traffic lights etc. as it doesn't have a handbrake, just an electrical handbrake switch in case automatic handbrake fails.