The new Menace.

[AF62]

Regarding the earlier post about the electronic handbrake illuminating the brake lights - this is IMO plain wrong and should not be allowed.

Firstly I can press the pedal if I'm stopped and need to warn someone approaching from behind, and once they are 8 feet away and stopped there is no need for me to shine 3 bright red lights in their face.

Secondly a lot of cars have their brake lights surrounding their indicators, and in bright weather it masks the indicator, especially if it is a white lens with an amber bulb. Lit brake lights makes it harder to spot hazard lights as well as indicators.

Thirdly, if someone is stopped in a layby and their brake lights are lit or light up, it is a hint they are NOT parked, and likely to move. On an auto (which most cars are now) brake lights coming on are a strong hint the car is being put into gear, if the lights stay on anyway that information is lost. No brake lights is a pretty good hint they are parked whether the engine is on or off.

Disagree. The second and third reasons you give are pretty weak, and as for the first, well frankly every driver of an automatic sits at the traffic lights with their foot on the brake with their brake lights lit up anyway.

Personally I choose the decisions which increase my safety, which I consider the brake lights being on when I am stopped do.

In the same way that I have coded my car so the rear lights come on at the same time as the front DRLs so they are on whenever the engine is running and you don’t get caught out be the automatic lights not coming on soon enough in poor visibility.

[DrFfybes]

well frankly every driver of an automatic sits at the traffic lights with their foot on the brake with their brake lights lit up anyway.

No we don't.

Paul

[swill453]

well frankly every driver of an automatic sits at the traffic lights with their foot on the brake with their brake lights lit up anyway.

No we don't.

I have to admit I sometimes do, but my (electronic) handbrake does make it very easy not to.

Scott.

[AF62]

well frankly every driver of an automatic sits at the traffic lights with their foot on the brake with their brake lights lit up anyway.

No we don't.

"We don't" - speaking for every driver of an automatic? I think you need to check with your automatic driving friends, because they are not telling you the truth.

[Mike4]

Another automatic driver here who does not sit at lights with my foot on the brake pedal.

I put my automatic in "park" at traffic lights specifically so my brake lights are NOT burning out the retinas of the car behind.

[richlist]

Wether you sit at traffic lights with your foot on the brake pedal surely depends on three major factors :
1. Wether the lights are about to turn green or wether they have just turned red.
2. The design of your electronic handbrake/ ease of operation.
3. Your driving habits.

[swill453]

I'd say a large proportion of drivers in cars with manual gearboxes also sit on the footbrakes at traffic lights, even to the point of rolling back slightly if it's a hill start.

(I know some cars have hill start assist these days).

Scott.

[feder1]

I,m sure that lots of drivers have had someone pile into the back of them when sitting at traffic lights because their brake light wasn,t on.

I have seen an unladen lorry skidding hard into the back of the car on my right at lights.

It seems to be a basic safe way of getting the car behind you to take their eyes off what they are playing with and look ahead in front them in order to brake in a controlled way.

[swill453]

I,m sure that lots of drivers have had someone pile into the back of them when sitting at traffic lights because their brake light wasn,t on.

I have seen an unladen lorry skidding hard into the back of the car on my right at lights.

It seems to be a basic safe way of getting the car behind you to take their eyes off what they are playing with and look ahead in front them in order to brake in a controlled way.

Of course the thinking person's way of doing it is to have the brake lights on if you're last in the queue, but not if you've got someone stopped behind you.

(PS. I don't always think )

Scott.

[Mike4]

I,m sure that lots of drivers have had someone pile into the back of them when sitting at traffic lights because their brake light wasn,t on.

I'd say that is NOT the reason for other vehicles piling into the back of stationary cars at traffic lights.

"The reason I drove into the back of the stationary queue at the traffic lights was, Your Honour, the car at the back of the queue did not have his brake lights illuminated. It was therefore his fault and I plead NOT GUILTY". doesn't really hold water, does it?

[moorfield]

Wether you sit at traffic lights with your foot on the brake pedal surely depends on three major factors :
1. Wether the lights are about to turn green or wether they have just turned red.
2. The design of your electronic handbrake/ ease of operation.
3. Your driving habits.

4. Eco mode. Our motor (usually) stops the engine when foot is applied to brake pedal stopping at lights, but if handbrake is then applied and foot relaxed the engine will restart. A design flaw which defeats the point surely. So I can sit at lights with brake lights on and engine off, or handbrake on and engine running.

[richlist]

Of you can do what I do every time I get in a car to use it......switch off the eco button......I hate it, never asked for it, have never knowingly used it.

I've even tried to find ways of permanently disabling the device. In my opinion the automatic default of 'eco on' is the wrong way round. I do understand it contributes to lower emissions and therefore lower road tax.......but I still don't want it.

[AF62]

4. Eco mode. Our motor (usually) stops the engine when foot is applied to brake pedal stopping at lights, but if handbrake is then applied and foot relaxed the engine will restart. A design flaw which defeats the point surely. So I can sit at lights with brake lights on and engine off, or handbrake on and engine running.

Mine stops the engine when you come to a halt at lights having pressed the brake pedal and stopped moving and taken your foot off the clutch. Then the the green 'handbrake is on, but you are not parked' light is illuminated on the dashboard and the brake lights are on. It is an electronic handbrake so there is nothing further to do.

On putting your foot on the clutch or the accelerator the engine instantly restarts.

Coming to a stop and turning the engine off then the red 'handbrake is on, but you are parked' light is illuminated on the dashboard.

Of you can do what I do every time I get in a car to use it......switch off the eco button......I hate it, never asked for it, have never knowingly used it.

I've even tried to find ways of permanently disabling the device. In my opinion the automatic default of 'eco on' is the wrong way round. I do understand it contributes to lower emissions and therefore lower road tax.......but I still don't want it.

Only time I manually turn mine off is if it is warm outside and I want the aircon to keep generate cold air (the fans still run but the air is obviously getting warmer the longer you sit there without the engine on).

Why else would I want to turn it off? Stopped = engine off. Wanting to move off = restarted in a fraction of a second. Going to be moving in a few seconds, then don't take your foot off the clutch.

As for turning it off permanently, on my car you cannot do it in the settings, but you can do it (along with changing lots of other things) with one of these - https://caristaapp.com

[swill453]

Mine stops the engine when you come to a halt at lights having pressed the brake pedal and stopped moving and taken your foot off the clutch. Then the the green 'handbrake is on, but you are not parked' light is illuminated on the dashboard and the brake lights are on. It is an electronic handbrake so there is nothing further to do.

So is there any way of sitting at the traffic lights and not having the brake lights on? (Without entirely switching the ignition key off.)

Scott.

[AF62]

Mine stops the engine when you come to a halt at lights having pressed the brake pedal and stopped moving and taken your foot off the clutch. Then the the green 'handbrake is on, but you are not parked' light is illuminated on the dashboard and the brake lights are on. It is an electronic handbrake so there is nothing further to do.

So is there any way of sitting at the traffic lights and not having the brake lights on? (Without entirely switching the ignition key off.)

Scott.

Not that I am aware of.

If you coasted up very gently so you rolled to a halt without fully pressing the brake pedal, the the electronic handbrake does not engage so the brake lights wouldn’t be on.

However that would obviously be poor practice as you would be sat at the lights without either the foot brake pressed or the handbrake engaged.

[richlist]

Mine stops the engine when you come to a halt at lights having pressed the brake pedal and stopped moving and taken your foot off the clutch. Then the the green 'handbrake is on, but you are not parked' light is illuminated on the dashboard and the brake lights are on. It is an electronic handbrake so there is nothing further to do.

So is there any way of sitting at the traffic lights and not having the brake lights on? (Without entirely switching the ignition key off.)

Scott.

At a wild guess I'd say switching off the ECO stop/start would allow engine running & no brake lights.

[AF62]

Mine stops the engine when you come to a halt at lights having pressed the brake pedal and stopped moving and taken your foot off the clutch. Then the the green 'handbrake is on, but you are not parked' light is illuminated on the dashboard and the brake lights are on. It is an electronic handbrake so there is nothing further to do.

So is there any way of sitting at the traffic lights and not having the brake lights on? (Without entirely switching the ignition key off.)

Scott.

At a wild guess I'd say switching off the ECO stop/start would allow engine running & no brake lights.

No. That just turns off the automatic stop-start. It has no impact on the electronic brake. And anyway I want the brake lights on.

[richlist]

My answer wasn't directed at you, it was in response to Scott who had asked the question.

Not all cars operate the same. On both my Mercedes & my Range Rover, turning off the start /stop allows me to stop on the footbrake, activate the electronic handbrake and release the footbrake. The result is car stopped, engine running, no brake lights. When the traffic lights turn green I just squeeze the accelerator and the electronic brake automatically releases.

[AF62]

On both my Mercedes & my Range Rover, turning off the start /stop allows me to stop on the footbrake, activate the electronic handbrake and release the footbrake. The result is car stopped, engine running, no brake lights. When the traffic lights turn green I just squeeze the accelerator and the electronic brake automatically releases.

Sounds like a lot of needless faff to do all that.

[swill453]

On both my Mercedes & my Range Rover, turning off the start /stop allows me to stop on the footbrake, activate the electronic handbrake and release the footbrake. The result is car stopped, engine running, no brake lights. When the traffic lights turn green I just squeeze the accelerator and the electronic brake automatically releases.

Sounds like a lot of needless faff to do all that.

No faff at all. Stop at lights, flip a switch. That's it.

(My automatic Astra is the same).

Scott.