When driving my ICE people carrier I tend to put the car into N or P at traffic lights especially if I know I will be stationary for 30 seconds or more, a situation that is very typical in HK. When driving my MS I find putting the car into P a tad strange because the door handles would protract and the interior lights come on. Now, my question is, is it okay to leave the car in D and activate the Hill Hold function while the road is flat and doing it so frequently? Would I be putting stress on the brakes whilst the car tries to creep forward? I guess the other way of asking the question is, in what situation is the Hill Hold function designed for?
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Hill hold is basically meant to prevent the car from rolling when stopped and overrides Creep in Model S, it used to just be for inclines but now it's for whenever. Electric cars don't have an engine engaged and pushing forward like automatic ICE cars, in Model S creep is just emulated. It wasn't an original included feature. It won't be stressing your brakes, it'll basically just prevent gravity or an incline from making it roll forward/back.
Thanks, I am glad to hear it is okay to use Hill Hold even for flat roads. My habit of engaging P at long stops is primarily done to relief myself from the foot brake. Putting the car into neutral reduces the cabin vibration caused by the idling engine.
My wife just finished getting her drivers license, she was taught at the Hong Kong School of Motoring that if she doesn't switch to 'N' when parked at a red light she will lose points in the drivers test.
However, from a defensive driving point of view, when stopped at a red light, you should:
- #1 leave space in front of you so you can get out of the way if someone is barreling towards you from behind.
- #2 keep yourself in 'D' so you can react quicker.
However, from a defensive driving point of view, when stopped at a red light, you should:
- #1 leave space in front of you so you can get out of the way if someone is barreling towards you from behind.
- #2 keep yourself in 'D' so you can react quicker.
You would fail your driving test in every civilised jurisdiction if you went to neutral at a traffic light and if they are teaching that in HK I'm not at all surprised. After all this is the place where not using an indicator when turning is the norm. Then theres the people who reverse in a roundabout when they miss their exit...
its a strategic choice not to use them. if you indicate left, a taxi on the left lane 10 cars away will speed up to stop you from getting into his lane because even second counts. They fear the same would happen to them. Too many drivers are cxxts.
i'm glad that the instant acceleration means i can indicate and change into other's lanes without them able able to speed up just to block.
It's quite sad but true. Not just taxi drivers, where they would drive on fast lane 20-30 km/h slower than speed limit, when you overtake them, they speed up, and when you overtook them, they would flash their high beams. 90%+ drivers in HK doesn't even have fast/slow lane concept, that includes big trucks and P badged drivers.
I've always suspected the driving schools in HK is the culprit, and of course the attitude of the drivers, it seemed to me I was right.
Jeez...I know its a hijack of the OP but so happy to hear I'm not the only person frustrated by the lack of driving knowledge and maturity in HK.
Another to add to the list are taxis (and others) driving without their headlights at night "to save petrol/LNG"... idiots.
I love the idea of importing instructors from Germany....
Another to add to the list are taxis (and others) driving without their headlights at night "to save petrol/LNG"... idiots.
I love the idea of importing instructors from Germany....
Reason seems to be that it gives out too much information to the competition (other drivers on the road) and may impact your ability to cut them off. Similarly, don't leave too much space in front, otherwise someone else will just fill it in for you.
A perfect demonstration is to drive from TST towards the east. Just after the central tunnel exit, as traffic merges, stay in the right lane. You will need to turn right, but are stopped from changing lanes by a solid white line. 95% of the cars in that lane want to turn left (ie; get in your lane). Now for the experiment:
1] Try indicating right, to tell them you want to change lanes. 100% of the time, they will rush forward to get in front of you and will never let you in.
2] Try not indicating right. 95% of the time, they will hold back (scared that they won't be able to get in front of you if you don't need to change lanes).
Sad, but true. Put someone behind the wheel here, and they become rude and selfish.
I don't agree. When I first started driving school in 1998, I was told by my (English) AA driving instructor in the UK to put the (manual) car into neutral if I'm more than 2 cars from the traffic light, and to use the handbrake to keep the car at a standstill, but that if I were one of the first two cars in line, to leave it in 1st so I could get moving quicker in case I needed to.
It's been a while since then so I don't remember exactly why he said to do that, but I seem to recall it was mainly for 4 reasons. Firstly, you'd have to wait for the 2 cars in front to move first anyway, and you should always be paying attention to them and the traffic lights as part of general road conditions anyway. Secondly, if you were rear-ended while in gear and while relying only on your footbrake, you might end up hitting the car in front of you - whereas if your handbrake were on then there's little danger of that. Thirdly, having skid marks in such situation might help you with liability. Fourthly, why not allow your left foot a rest? Clutch wear and tear may have been the fifth reason, but let's assume that no longer applies, or never applied, and isn't a concern in relation to autos.
While I'm obviously biased, I also thought he was a very sensible guy who was very conscious of his responsibility to guide the next generation of drivers into good driving and buying/maintenance habits (reining in some of the bad habits I picked up from years of playing racing games), while also being a car fan. He did not just teach me "how to pass the test", but also about things like how to judge traction/understeer/oversteer - with an obvious focus on safety - as well as many driving concepts/tricks which most HK drivers seem to be oblivious of or simply choose to ignore (e.g. how to quickly figure out, without checking your mirrors, how your car is within the lane). He quickly figured out that roundabouts were my weakest link, so we did 2 entire classes on them in Milton Keynes (what a surprise), which I didn't enjoy at the time, but which in hindsight I was extremely grateful for. Then after I passed my driving test first time, during which I probably put the gearbox into neutral at a traffic light, he also took me on the AIM course, in preparation for which he passed me the Police Driver Training Handbook (or whatever it was called at the time) to read, and I had a revelation as I finally got to enjoy some great British B-Roads on the way to and from Stonehenge.
Don't get me wrong, the standard of driving on HK's roads is abysmal, but I think there are valid reasons to put a gearbox in Neutral in certain situations, and it is also far from the biggest "problem" we face as drivers in HK!
https://www.quora.com/When-you-stop-in-a-traffic-light-should-you-leave-it-in-D-or-switch-it-to-N-or-P-with-your-car-automatic-transmission
Should you really shift to neutral when stuck in traffic? | TopGear.com.ph
Topic: Should you stay in gear at Traffic Lights - Driving Test Tips
seem to be consistent with the above understanding/rationale.
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