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| Home | > | Driving Information Centre | > | Automatic transmission | > | 'Park' or 'neutral'? |
'Park' or 'neutral'?
From time to time you will stop in traffic. On these occasions you need to make sure that the car is secure.
Whether driving a manual or automatic, it's a good idea to use the handbrake to secure the car when you stop for more than a moment.
This helps to prevent the car from being shunted forward if hit from behind.
In an automatic it's even more important to use the handbrake than in a manual car; if you are hit from behind the car will try to take off! Stay in drive so that you are ready to move and apply the handbrake firmly.
The footbrake is not an effective means of securing your car.This is because your foot will lift off the brake if you are hit from behind Using the footbrake is also antisocial and can be dangerous because brake lights can dazzle the driver behind, especially at night and in poor weather conditions. |
If waiting a long time, apply the handbrake and then select neutral. This removes the chance of 'creep' if the handbrake is not securely applied (nobody's perfect!).
When parking use the 'Park' position as soon as you stop. This locks the transmission.
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