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?

Ah. Google told me it was only on inclines and I'd never heard of it till yesterday.

Another new-fangled bit of kit I'm not looking forward to having to learn. I like using the proper handbrake at lights or traffic jams of any length.

My previous car - a 2021 Audi and my current car 2024 Tiguan both gave this feature

Hill assist and auto hold are completely different.

Auto Hold is an extension of our electronicparking brake system1. It stops your car from accidentally rolling backwards when you're stationary, or setting off on a hill. That means you won't need to keep applying the parking brake manually, check whether you've applied enough braking pressure, or worry about rolling back as you prepare to move off.
It's convenient, more comfortable, and safer in situations where your car needs to be kept stationary with the engine running - in slow moving traffic, for example.
The system is operated via the ABS/ESP hydraulic unit. When you brake your car to a stop, Auto Hold keeps the braking pressure you last applied. You can take your foot off the brake pedal and all four wheel brakes will stay on.

Yes. I now see some cars have this. My i3X does (just looked it up!) and the brake lights would stay on I assume. Therefore annoying others. I’ve also looked at car forums where opinion is divided on it. I’m going to practice on a quiet road but I don’t queue very often as Im in the country. Most people posting on the bmw forum aren’t that bothered about it but some love it. The ix3 is our first electric but we’ve had autos for a long time.

If the "outrage" about bright brake lights is about as effective as the one on headlights, then its fair to say neither the car regulators or the manufacturers are going to change the current set up.

The button to bring the handbrake on is just a modern replacement for the traditional handbrake. You shoud be using that along with putting the car into neutral if stopped in traffic. The 'P' on the gearbox is for when you are stopped and turning the car off, getting out.

Electric cars don't have neutral, they don't have a gearbox to put into neutral, they have motors on each wheel.

I have drive, reverse and park.

The car autoholds the brakes if I'm stopped more than a couple of seconds in drive, for instance at lights or in traffic.

I cannot control the brake light in the way that OP wants me to, if I'm stopped then it is on.

I think what is being talked about here are more traditional cars, But you are quite right fully electric cars operate in a different manner.

Neutral and handbrake is overkill if the "stop" in traffic is less than a couple of mins.

(Unless a driver has cramp or something in their leg/s).

The lights will annoy you if your eyes are tired or more sensitive. I wear glasses for computer work now and they are a godsend for bright-light night drives.

Would you sit with your foot on the clutch in a manual car in the same position?

Yes and I have done in my previous manual cars.

Especially in trundling motorway traffic when its crawling.

Now I have an Auto so the clutch is not an issue any longer.

As far as I can see we are talking about the vehicle being stopped. At traffic lights etc. If you were stationary and using the clutch you were putting excess wear on it. Just the same as an automatic.

Moot point in my case now that I dont have a manual car.

@Chariots77 You absolutely do not legally have to put an auto car in park when waiting at lights, I only do that as an extra safety measure when pulled up on side of the road. You should use the handbrake though at traffic lights and if switching between drive, park, natural, reverse.

I've never seen an auto where you had to put it in park first to use the handbrake, you can use it when the car is in drive just fine to stop it creeping.

I use neutral and handbrake at a lot of red lights. Definitely for stops of less than two minutes. One minute is plenty long enough for me to hold down the footbrake and clutch. I still move off and get up to road speed a lot quicker than plenty of others ahead of me.

Amazing and incorrect "fact".

Do you have a link to the official government guidance/law where it says this action is mandatory please?

If not, might be an idea to refrain from peddling such BS.

Theres a lot of porkies on this thread, but this one is up there for first prize!

I mean, it's literally been quoted already. From the government website. You must feel pretty embarrassed right now, given your level of confidence, incorrectmess and unnecessary rudeness 😂

Maybe your resolution.for 2025 should be to read up on the highway code? Oh and maybe just being less rude, might do you some good all round ☺️

I think some modern LED headlights are too bright but I've never felt this way about brake lights tbh.

So in other words you cant provide a link to the law you claim exists.

And if it does, please do tell us how this law is enforced and what the penalties are for non-compliance.

PS - wasnt rude to you at all. You on the other hand....

Embarrassingly (for you) the link referenced and quoted further up this thread doesn’t say you ‘must’ apply the handbrake when stationary at lights. Therefore it’s not mandatory at all, and never has been.

Now, unlike you, I am happy to be proved wrong by someone highlighting the ‘rule’ they think says that the handbrake must be applied at. But they won’t, because they can’t. What the Highway Code says is that you ‘should’, once the following traffic has stopped. But ‘should’ in the context of The Highway Code is not mandatory.

Should in the highway code doesn't make it law, but it does say..... should. So people... should! Out of consideration for others. Which is what it says in the guidance. So @Tusktusk has a valid point backed up by highway code.

But nice to see everyone is still in the spirit of the season and enjoying a polite disagreement with each other 🙈😂

The blurb in the Highway Code is out of date anyway. As of now, it was last updated in Sept 2023!

"In stationary queues of traffic, drivers should apply the parking brake and, once the following traffic has stopped, take their foot off the footbrake to deactivate the vehicle brake lights. This will minimise glare to road users behind until the traffic moves again."

I mean, its so bloody wrong its amazing - as evidenced in this thread, that many modern cars will still have their brake lights illuminated when the "parking"/handbrake is applied.

"Should" is the keyword that @Chariots77 misses out. Must feel pretty embarassed eh....

As ever, I am right, and you are wrong. So yeh, my confidence was right on level.

Perhaps for one of your 2025 resolutions @Chariots77 , you hould be to read up on the Highway Code and understand what it says instead of spouting BS pretending its "fact" ?

Best-o-luck 👍

September 2023 is only 15 months ago! Obviously the foreign designed cars so many of us drive don’t conform to the HC, hence the brake lights remaining on until the accelerator is pressed again. And not having a parking brake.