People who sit on their brake lights give me the rage

[Tusktusk]

When I’m stuck in a traffic jam and it’s dark, I inevitably end up behind a huge car with super bright brake lights and the driver just sits there for the whole wait time - a good 15 minutes tonight as I was caught up in traffic leaving a big football match - with their foot on the brake, half blinding me with their brake lights!

It seems most people do this now and most modern cars have these super bright in your face brake lights - especially big family 4x4 type of cars. I find it really inconsiderate. Why don’t people use the handbrake in these situations? It’s so much nicer to take all your feet off the pedals and relax while you wait. Plus you won’t be blinding the poor soul sitting behind you!

Is it just me?

Our car hasn’t got a handbrake. Unless you turn the engine off the brake lights stay on when the car’s stationary.

@ForReasonsUnknown I was being sarcastic to make a point. If it’s fine to ignore one part of the Highway Code we may as well ignore all of it.

But for many that's the issue - the cars are seen yes, but they blind so drivers can't see. I want to to be able to see, but struggle with some of the really bright lights.

There is some kind of midway between the lower lights of the past and the ultra bright lights of some cars.

I drive on country roads and really hate it at night these days due to some cars lights. Not all cars - just some.

Not a problem as long as they aren’t designed in such a way to hurt my eyes when I’m sitting behind you.

Threads and petitions dont add up to "staggering" in numerical terms. Certainly not even 10m, much less 10 percent, for example.

And suspect on that basis, car makers and policy makers are happy to leave current light output unchanged for now.

I was taught that constantly changing from Neutral/Park to Drive wears the gearbox out on an automatic car much quicker. As someone who a) has to drive an automatic due to disability and b) can't afford a shiny new car so currently has a knackered Focus with over 100k on the clock, I need to take care of my gearbox.

I can remember the days when massive HGVs would have 2 tiny, dim, dirty rear lights right down the bottom so in poor conditions you wouldn't see them until you were almost on top of them. Not the safest when on an unlit motorway! I agree that some do seem to be very bright in recent years, but in my case the diagnosis of cataracts and the subsequent lens replacements have had a massive difference to the glare (positively).

Yeah same, I get beeped for taking too long if I do that. Foot on brake, back into drive before I can release the handbrake and then gas to move off. Just takes too long when you're at traffic lights that change in literally seconds.

If I leave it in drive and just hold the brake it keeps revs up a little and moves off as soon as I release it. But then, I've never been bothered by brake lights personally, never seen any that bright.

It's these knobheads driving around with fog lights on in the middle of a blazing 30 degree day that irritate me. And LED headlights. Wtf needs headlights that bright? But it's not the fault of the driver, it's the manufacturers making them so overly bright and not angling them downwards far enough.

Auto hold engages when you come to a stop - you can take your foot off all pedals - it can still roll unless auto hold is engaged

I drive an auto and I don't have P on my lever - I only have D N & R. My car only goes into P if I actually press the separate button or it's on auto hold and I turn off the engine

Get your eyes checked.

Well this thread explains a lot. I was always confused when I rode with someone from Europe or the UK. I’d never seen the handbrake (I’m assuming this is the same as the parking brake) applied at a stoplight except for those areas.

yeah we don’t do that here (US), you just use the (foot) brake when you’re stopped unless it’s a really bad traffic jam (at about the 15 min mark) when you’d just put the car in park. For a manual I think most will just take it out of gear but yeah still using the brake. I’ve always driven an automatic and can’t say I’ve ever used the emergency brake before… the only time I’d use it I guess would be parking on a hill…and I’ve always lived in flat places.

Weirdly just came across this post on threads. Interesting point about not reading the car handbook anymore.

link

@Blushingm What is “auto hold”? My cars are between 2011 and 2024 and none have this. Not even my 34 year old SL300 Merc. There’s a “handbrake” lever or button and there’s P. There’s D which will hold on a hill with the engine going. N would let it roll with foot off brake. What control is auto hold?

Most cars don’t have dazzling lights. I think a few people need eye tests.

Precisely.

And which is why, despite petitions etc, its unlikely that rules and regulations around vehicle lighting strengths will be changed any time soon.

Yes same here. New car, handbrake is just for parking. Car holds itself in brake at traffic light automatically

Our Audi q5 has auto hold (don’t know the correct term) but if you break on a slight incline at traffic lights then it holds itself until you press drive again. I don’t know if it’s because it an automatic or something

"Threads and petitions dont add up to "staggering" in numerical terms. Certainly not even 10m, much less 10 percent, for example.

And suspect on that basis, car makers and policy makers are happy to leave current light output unchanged for now."

www.express.co.uk/life-style/cars/1993484/drivers-bright-headlights-warning/amp

www.rac.co.uk/drive/news/rac-news/government-confirms-igo-ahead-with-research-into-impact-of-headlights/

89% of the rac drivers surveyed said they found the new lights too bright - quite the staggering number I would suggest...

You can say it's not a problem all you want. And I'm glad for you it isn't. Sadly though for many it is. And not just drivers either.

Hopefully the government will actually do something about it. Given the conservatives also said they would commission research it seems to have cross party support.

RAC surveyed 2000 people. Or 0.00004% of the 50m licensed drivers in the UK.

Proof that its not "staggering".

In addition, whatever comes out of this research, it wont be legally binding on car manufacturers - the majority of whom produce cars outside of the UK, but then are imported into the UK under EU rules.

Think many European, Chinese, Japanese and other car brands. In isolation - this Govt research and its findings is unlikely to have the muscle to make unilateral changes.

You do know how surveys and polls work, right?

Is it so hard to accept that many people struggle with these ultra bright lights?

And that they cause a danger to road users?

Yes, but out of that number, 80% voted the same way. That is statistically significant. That's how polls work.

Not a single post of mine in this thread/topic has dismissed peoples struggles.

I agree that bright lights are an issue, however, this thread is about brake lights, not headlights.

The OP claimed car OEMs exceeded the brake light brightness rules (for aesthetics or some other claptrap), yet has provided no scrap of evidence to back that statement up.

The rather single-pointed point I've made is about car OEMs conforming their lights to the regulations/policies laid out to them.

@HelplessSoul the thread moved on to discuss lights in general.

So what if it did - I'm merely talking about the OP and the gripe about brake lights.

People could complain about solar lights for all I care, but thats not what the OP started the thread about (nor what I am discussing).

When driving an automatic you should be putting the car in neutral when stopped with the engine running at traffic lights. Use the cars handbrake for the duration of the time stopped. You should only be using park once the car is stopped and you intend turning the car off.

Moving into and out of neutral won't wear the box but sitting with it in and foot on brake drive does put pressure on the torque converter in the gearbox.

I worked in a garage for a number of years and the proportion of auto cars that failed the mot due to park brake not operating was unreal as they never got used.