Explain to me about hand breaks and automatics

[mollyfolk]

Got an automatic car this week. Was still putting the (button) hand break on at traffic lights or stopped on a slight hill ect. Gave a lift to a friend yesterday and she told me the automatic won’t roll back in Drive “mode” . Today I tried just having my foot on the brake but was paranoid that the car seemed to roll back a little in the spilt second between holding the foot brake and touching the accelerator.

So how do you use your handbrake in an automatic?

I'm confused - what's the distinction there?

Another automatic driver here that only ever puts the handbrake on when parked!

Yes, I wondered too.

My car releases the handbrake itself as soon as I press the accelerator so it's literally no different to sitting with my foot on the foot brake except that the car can't creep forward if my foot slipped for any reason, and my foot gets a rest.

I think the difference referred to above by pp is that of JUST using P and not engaging handbrake at all, and using both.

My car (and my last one too which was manual but had an electric handbrake as well) engages the handbrake automatically when I park and turn the engine off, so it's not even a consideration.

I guess not all automatics function exactly the same way as one another so some of the variety of answers is down to what particular car you have.

This is why I don't like automatics. I don't feel in control.

It would be good to overcome this. Electric cars are all automatic and several car manufacturers no longer produce manual ICE cars. Mercedes have mostly always been auto, Volvo and Mini now only make auto, and BMW will soon cease producing manuals.

Thanks for the explanation. To me the handbrake - which in my 20yo car is a whopping big, stiff lever - is not something you’d ever want to use while driving. Ditto putting the car into Park while in the middle of traffic. Both dangerous in my book. Park is for when you’re about to turn the ignition off, nothing else. My driving instructor certainly never suggested using either while at the lights and I learned to drive in a very hilly area.

I drive a dinted old car- there's no way I'd be able to afford an electric car any time soon 😂 If I did ever have to switch to auto, it'd have to be a permanent change.

Can't believe people are saying their cars don't have a handbrake. Oh yes they do - they're a legal requirement. And leaving an automatic in P with the handbrake off is asking for (expensive) trouble.

I drive our automatic for nearly a year and never knew it had a handbrake. I thought that's what P is. I guess there must have been a button somewhere but it was definitely not obvious.

Another reason I was happy to go back to a manual with a proper handbrake!

I always use the park button on my automatic when at lights. Always used the handbrake too when I had a manual car. If someone goes into the back of you you could injure your knee on the brake pedal moving suddenly, I know someone who this happened to. Plus, the brake lights at night, I hate being behind them, so am considerate of others. It's like one second to put it back in drive, so no delay.

Ours hasn’t got one, so it’s obviously not a legal requirement. It’s a hybrid, you just put it in Park mode.

Ours was a hybrid too so maybe it really didn't have one and I'm not just stupid.

Next stupid question: if some cars also have a handbrake then what is the point of P? When are you meant to use P and not the handbrake?

No, you’re not stupid. I think modern automatics/hybrids don’t have them because they’re unnecessary. Simple as that.

Does your car have a little button with a P on it in the centre console? This is your hand break.

I'm sure all cars have parking brakes. The fact they aren't all traditional hand operated levers probably throws some people. Mercedes and Bentley had foot pedal parking brakes for years.

Oh automatics certainly can roll!

Ours doesn’t. Our previous car - a Prius - had a foot pedal brake. Our latest one - a Corolla - has no parking brake. When you stop you put it into Park, then hit the ignition to turn the engine off. From the manual:

^The parking brake automatically activates through operation of the shift lever.
The parking brake automatically activates when the shift lever is put into the P position, and is automatically released when the brake pedal is stepped on, and transmission is put into any other position than P, such as the D position.^

It does have a parking brake then. What you've quoted from your car manual confirms what I posted previously, it doesn't contradict me.

The correct thing would be N and handbrake but honestly I do neither. I just put my foot in the brake until they change.

What gets on my nerves is the current trend of driving around with fog lights on in broad day light. Turn the fucking things off!

Ditto!