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OTOH a lot of people don't use their handbrake, ever - especially those who drive an automatic transmission. The risk here is that unless it's regularly used, the handbrake cable will be seized/severely rusted, and it just might snap when you do try to use it. Or it'll stay applied when you try to take it off.
My dad worked as a mechanic for over 4 decades, and his advice on that topic is, if you never use it, don't start out of the blue--for the reason stated above.
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Don't you always set the hand brake when parking your car? In many countries, it's required by law, and it's always a good idea - especially if parking on a slope.
Freedom is the freedom to say that two plus two make four. If that is granted, all else follows.
-- 6079 Smith W.
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Whether I do it or not isn't relevant to the matter at hand. I'm just repeating what a guy who fixed cars for decades for a living had seen countless times.
[Edit]
Apparently not in this country (I'm in Canada)--or else there's a lot of lawbreakers. Besides, how do you enforce that?
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That's what you are supposed to do, unless you are born with three legs! 
In the uk, it's a requirement as set out in the Highway Code:
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
"I have no idea what I did, but I'm taking full credit for it." - ThisOldTony
"Common sense is so rare these days, it should be classified as a super power" - Random T-shirt
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It's no wonder that so many former British colonies are cursed with bureaucracy.
Minimizing glare to road users behind a stopped line of vehicles? What could be more important?
If you have an automatic, what are you supposed to do? Put it in neutral and do this? I'd venture it was written before anyone had an automatic and hasn't been revised.
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Put it in "Park", apply the parking brake, and take your foot off the brake pedal.
"I have no idea what I did, but I'm taking full credit for it." - ThisOldTony
"Common sense is so rare these days, it should be classified as a super power" - Random T-shirt
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They want the parking brake on even though it's in "Park"?
At least it'll present anyone who rear-ends you with a nice repair bill.
But you're trolling me, right? Right??
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Not even slightly. Unless an auto is in Park it's effectively in neutral, and can roll back to hit the car behind. Since you are supposed to use your right foot to work the brake and throttle, you need the handbrake on to pull away.
Don't blame me, a lot of serious grey men in serious grey suits nibbled biscuits and sipped tea really quietly for weeks while discussing (in committee of course) every nuance of those rules ...
"I have no idea what I did, but I'm taking full credit for it." - ThisOldTony
"Common sense is so rare these days, it should be classified as a super power" - Random T-shirt
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A former colleague, from a former colony, first got his driving license in the UK. To turn a corner, he was taught to push and pull on the steering wheel.
When he came to Canada and took his driver's test, he failed because of this. On this side of the pond, you're taught to turn using the hand-over-hand method.
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OriginalGriff wrote: Unless an auto is in Park it's effectively in neutral, and can roll back to hit the car behind.
Not in a Tesla. By default, when you press the brake until/when the vehicle is stopped, it stays in "Hold" mode until you depress either the brake or accelerator. [This is an option that can be configured away, but this is the default behaviour.]
I'm retired. There's a nap for that...
- Harvey
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Wow, there are coding guidelines for traffic? 
I just skimmed over the start of it, and already stumbled over some curiosity (IMHO) among the pedestrian guidelines:
Quote: 2. If there is no pavement, keep to the right-hand side of the road so that you can see
oncoming traffic. You should take extra care and
- be prepared to walk in single file, especially on narrow roads or in poor light
- keep close to the side of the road.
It may be safer to cross the road well before a sharp right-hand bend so that oncoming
traffic has a better chance of seeing you. Cross back after the bend.
Does anyone actually do that? I mean, walking on the right side of the road (in a country where cars drive on the left side) makes total sense. But then, crossing to the left side and continuing along the long side of the curve when you encounter a right bend If anything, I'd do the opposite: cross over to the left sight upon encountering a left-hand bend, to cut a corner!
GOTOs are a bit like wire coat hangers: they tend to breed in the darkness, such that where there once were few, eventually there are many, and the program's architecture collapses beneath them. (Fran Poretto)
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Stefan_Lang wrote: Does anyone actually do that?
Nah, of course not. Pedestrians seem to assume that drivers are blessed with X-Ray vision - and usually choose to wear dark clothing on the unlit country lanes with no pavement.
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OriginalGriff wrote: 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
Wow, Did not know it was supposed to be like this?
cheers,
Super
------------------------------------------
Too much of good is bad,mix some evil in it
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super wrote: Did not know it was supposed to be like this?
It's not, but it is.
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If that blew your mind, wait until I tell you you're supposed to turn your fog lights off when cars are behind you too.
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In Germany I got stopped by the police because I hadn't turned off my fog lights once I got out of the fog.
- I would love to change the world, but they won’t give me the source code.
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That's indeed a law in Germany, but only the back fog light, because it's so bright. More precisely, you are only allowed to switch it (i. e. the back fog light) on when you can't see past 50m.
The front fog lights may be switched on any time.
And it does make sense - I don't know about cars in other countries, but in germany, the back fog light is so bright, it's worse than a car coming your way with high-beam head lamps pointing your way! You pretty much have to avert your gaze, or else you'll see nothing else on the road.
GOTOs are a bit like wire coat hangers: they tend to breed in the darkness, such that where there once were few, eventually there are many, and the program's architecture collapses beneath them. (Fran Poretto)
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There are also rules on the use of headlamp flashers which are the exact inverse of what they are actually used for in the real world.
In theory - and you have to know this and demonstrate that on your driving test - you only use the headlight flashers to warn other drivers of your presence.
In practice you flash others to say "come on through, I'll wait until you are past", or "get out of my way, I'm faster than you"
"I have no idea what I did, but I'm taking full credit for it." - ThisOldTony
"Common sense is so rare these days, it should be classified as a super power" - Random T-shirt
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OriginalGriff wrote: "get out of my way, I'm faster than you"
Sounds fine to me: you simply
OriginalGriff wrote: warn other drivers of your presence
GOTOs are a bit like wire coat hangers: they tend to breed in the darkness, such that where there once were few, eventually there are many, and the program's architecture collapses beneath them. (Fran Poretto)
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As you not used to drive that way, you will try to go on with handbrake locked... 
"The only place where Success comes before Work is in the dictionary." Vidal Sassoon, 1928 - 2012
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I do that at draw bridges - you can get quite old waiting for them to finally return travel to the land vehicles. Actually, I shut the engine off, altogether.
Just something I've done in the past: since we've owned nothing but standard transmissions for many years, we (myself and Mrs. Wife) are quite used to driving with both feet. For a time, however, when we had the kids at home, etc., we needed a vehicle with bench seats and ended up with an automatic transmission. I trained myself to drive that with both feet instead of one doing all the work - in anticipation of returning to standard transmissions.
This might work for you, depending upon which leg is angry with you. In US (and most of the civilized world), the accelerator and break pedal is operated with the right foot and the left foot either works the clutch pedal or does nothing. Maybe you can adapt to other-foot breaking?
| Ravings en masse^ |
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| "The difference between genius and stupidity is that genius has its limits." - Albert Einstein | | "If you are searching for perfection in others, then you seek disappointment. If you seek perfection in yourself, then you will find failure." - Balboos HaGadol Mar 2010 |
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The first time I hired a car in the UK, I was afraid the pedals would also be inverted. Fortunately, no. I thought shifting with my left hand might be difficult, but again no. The main problem was looking the wrong way when entering traffic, so I almost wore out my neck double- and even triple-checking.
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For me, it was roundabouts in France - not only did I have to remember to go round the wrong way and exit at the wrong exit, but I had to struggle with " Priorité à droite" which meant that (on some roundabouts) you give way to traffic joining instead of traffic already going round.
"I have no idea what I did, but I'm taking full credit for it." - ThisOldTony
"Common sense is so rare these days, it should be classified as a super power" - Random T-shirt
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There aren't many roundabouts on this side of the pond, but fortunately more are starting to show up.
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The alternative is watching cars passing left and right who won't make way for you as long as you don't move. (yes there are pedestrian crossings, and they are being used... by the tourists