to not park my car in gear?

[CrazylazyJane]

DH and I are at odds on whether you are supposed to park your car in gear or not, so settle the argument for us.

He maintains that he was taught to always leave your car in first gear when you park it incase the hand break fails

I was taught to leave the car in neutral when parking. The only exception being when you're parked on a steep hill, you may consider leaving your car in gear to prevent it from rolling.

I drive DG's car a few times a year and today jumped in it and bunny hopped as I turned on the ignition. Yes, yes, one should always check the gear stick before turning the engine on but I don't routinely as I would always leave a manual car in neutral. So AIBU for being annoyed that he keeps doing this?

(Neutral felt fine way back when in driving instructor’s car because it was much newer and consistently maintained than any car I’ve owned!)

In gear on a slope, otherwise in neutral.

Park in neutral is fine, as others have said, it feels like an age thing- my dad told me parking in gear is a thing when I learned to drive but my instructor said neutral as default.

But I voted YABU as its not a massive deal and you should wobble the gear stick before you turn the ignition every time.

Dh and I have had this exact disagreement and I agree with pp that this is an age thing. My dh was told my his dad to park in gear and so always did - I am 5 years younger than dh and didn't learn to drive till I was 25 - in the intervening 12 years things must have changed, because I was taught to park in neutral (I'm 40 now).

We drive autos now so it's irrelevant.

Intervening 13 years! Crap maths.

My handbrake failed - at work! Luckily due to being in work early I had parked in a spot facing the pavement so my car rolled out of the space and rolled forward where it bumped into the pavement and stayed put in the middle of the track road behind the security barrier.

Some kind person who arrived in the afternoon squeezed in gehindvmy very obviously handbrake failing car and pinched my spot and didn't even bother reporting that my car had rolled out!

Definitely taught to park in neutral, learned 10 years ago. I live in a very flat area.

I drive an automatic so it's irrelevant, but I had actually completely forgotten you're meant to park in gear on a steep hill (which is what I was taught). If I'd suddenly had to drive a manual there's no way I would have remembered to do that.

Always in gear. I have driven a succession of old bangers with crappy handbrakes

I saw a 10 year old run over by a car when the handbrake had failed on a hill. She's okay now but had some awful injuries

I was taught by a driving instructor to park in neutral but my dad always said to leave it in gear. Seems obvious to me that you should leave it in gear. Even if the risk of handbrake failure is low, why take it?

I always park in gear. It’s one more layer of safety at no extra cost in time or effort.

I have seen a car roll into the side of a house having been left either without a handbrake adequately applied and also seen someone crushed between their car and the wall after they got out and it rolled. In both instances I suspect they were distracted and didn’t apply the brake properly.

I also grew up in a fairly hilly area.

Well no because your taught to park in neutral!!!

DH's failed not long ago.

Luckily he was parked in gear so nothing bad happened.

On a modern car this isn't needed.

I only passed my test five years ago and was taught to park in gear all the time, even on the flat.

My instructor said he teaches it because there's zero harm in leaving your car in gear but it can save an awful lot of problems should your handbrake fail.

Parking in neutral seems dangerous to me

My driving instructor told me to always park in gear...that was 30+ years ago. My kids weren't taught this when learning to drive so they know to always check that it's in neutral before starting a car.

I think you mean that you were taught that, surprisongly maybe to you we didnt all learn to drive at the same time as you with the same instructor

Cars rolling on hills is quite common, I wouldn't risk it when there's a simple way to eliminate that risk

Always park in gear but our cars don’t allow you to start unless in neutral or your foot is on the clutch so no danger of bunny hopping. They’re not even that new (both 2017) or fancy cars, is this not standard now?

In gear. Every time.

Why is that? I live on a relatively flat road and one morning I saw a neighbours car that had rolled down their drive during the night, luckily into a fence so not too much damage but it was a fairly new car

I always leave it in gear, DH doesn't, both of us always check before we turn ignition.

Neutral on a flat surface. In first/reverse if I'm on any incline.

My cousin had handbrake failure and her car rolled away and crashed so it definitely happens.

I park in neutral, unless on a hill where I turn the wheels and park in gear. But giving the gearstick a wobble is also now an automatic part of my routine so it doesn't really make a difference

My handbrake on my 12 year old car often needs tightening so I always park in gear

I was taught to check the gear stick is in neutral before starting engine

My dad, in 2008. Skoda Octavia.

Rolled off the drive, across their road, smashed through a fence, down a hill (Yorkshire valley) and completely destroyed the bedroom of a flat at the bottom of the hill. Thank god the occupant was out.

I never park in gear, nor was I taught to. My handbrake isn't the best, though, and the car will roll if I don't pull it up extra tight, so I will perhaps park in gear in future if on a hill.