I was surprised that it doesn't advocate slipping it into "N" and applying the handbrake at the lights. This always "feels" like a more "secure" way to wait and I do it whenever I'd slip a manual into neutral. Not blinding the buy behind or warping your brake disks when hot is a good side-effect too.
Only problem is, it takes a second or two for the gearbox to engage when you move into "D".
Kevin
This was a point I raised with a driving examiner a couple of years ago, when I had to show my driving was upto a standard good enough for TD'ing.
Put it in N or P and handbrake applied or leave it in D with foot on brake.
Examiner replied what ever you want to do........
Im pretty sure that when i learnt to drive (in a manual) I was taught......at traffic lights, handbrake applied and 1st gear selected (clutch pressed obviously) while you wait for green.
I also asked about left foot braking.....as its suppose to be faster.......and some driving schools teach this in autos.
Again examiner replied what you feel comfortable with.
I use my right foot for braking.
The tutor I was allocated for my RoSPA training, is the chief trainer for the West Midlands Fire Brigade.
His advice is if you are stationery for more than 20 seconds, leave the car 'D' and apply the hand brake, to avoid dazzling the car behind with your brake lights, and also, if you are rammed from behind, you are less likely to be shunted into the car in front.
Always leave a gap between you and the car in front, i.e. 'Can you see his rear tyres on the tarmac?'.
You are marked down if you do not observe these rules.
He told me that most of the modern fire tenders now have auto boxes, and there is less wear and tear on the auto box if you leave it in 'D'.
None of that D stuff works on mine, I have an extra pedal, but I do have a handbrake 
This business of being rammed into from behind (OK, OK, no pun intended...), has more to it than meets the eye. It is true that if you apply the footbrake then your foot may fly off the pedal if someone crashes into you. On the other hand, it is not always a good idea to have the brake applied, it rather depends on the circumstances.
If you are braked, you will take the full impact of the crash. It is better than being rammed into the vehicle in front of you, and it is also better than being pushed into a busy road if you are the first car at the traffic light. But... if the road in front of you clear then you will be better off if your vehicle gets pushed forward rather than having the vehicle behind you embed itself in your car.
A few years ago I was a passenger in a c-class merc, we were splashed by a passing lorry and the windscreen became muddy in an instant (the merc's single wiper isn't efficient enough!). The driver lifted his foot from the accelerator sharply, but did not brake. A fully loaded cement mixer crashed into the back of the merc - the driver was going way to fast for his load and the road conditions, and obviously had no warning because our car did not actually brake - and we were thrown forward around 50 yards or so. Apart from a whiplash we were both OK. But had we braked, the cement mixer would have climbed on top of us and i wouldn't be writing these lines...
Having said that, I am not advocating wither way just pointing out the issues. This is because even given our case, we were actually pushed into the opposite lane. This was not a problem as there was no oncoming traffic, but had there been a lorry there...
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Topic: Info on Auto Gearbox Driving (Read 3329 times)