Lazy driver habits

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Originally Posted by BradC

There was one in the news last week that reportedly happened in 17/18. Woman in a RR Sport didn't put it in park and didn't put the brakes on. It ran over her and she died a couple of days later. Her husband is now suing LR as apparently the pop up gear selector thingo is too hard for people to see. "Not obvious" was the term from memory.

I've spent years saying some people shouldn't own boats, but it's becoming increasingly obvious some people just shouldn't be allowed behind the wheel.

On the other hand, I always leave the D3 in 1st, and it automatically applies the park brake when I take the key out should I forget to do that.

One of the school mums rocked up with a huge facial bruise. She was backing out of a very curved driveway in her new Audi when a car drove past on the far side of the road. The Audi detected it as a pedestrian and slammed on the anchors causing her head to slam into the window. Technology "for our own good" apparently.

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The push button for park on a RRS is counter intuitive. There have been lots of times I've put it in reverse whist trying to park it. On the plus side it selects park automatically if the engine is turned off.

Regards,
Tote

My D4 does the same thing and Park is selected automatically when the ignition is turned off. But I started this thread in an effort to see how many others don't bother using the handbrake/park brake/EPB or whatever else they want to call it.
Seems to me from my experience that many drivers are just too lazy to bother. Like the woman whose car rolled back into me on a slight slope because she had no idea of how to use the hand brake/foot brake and clutch to control her vehicle when pulling away at lights after being stopped.
She sure as hell weren't no lady from the foul abuse I got when I questioned her driving ability. :)
AlanH.

I am reminded of a whole generation who drove cars with parking brakes operated by Bowden cables that invariably seized after a year or two.

My b-i-l was a mechanic, who absolutely forbade his wife from using the parking brake - he had enough trouble getting it working for the annual roadworthy inspection, and knew that if left off it would at least seize in the off position, not half on and wear out the back linings.

This design of brake, most prevalent on US designs such as Holden and Ford gradually became reasonably reliable by about 1970, but there were a lot of them still being driven into the 1990s, and traditions about handbrakes not working, passed on by parents teaching their kids, last a long time.

I'm sure you're right about bad habits being passed from parent to kids. I've watched local kids being taught how to drive and now they too don't bother signalling at all, just like Mum and Dad. Must admit I've never owned anything with a foot operated park brake but did have a Torana or something like that as a company car years ago which had one.
I can't blame people for not using them as it was crap.
AlanH.

We have 4 XTrails we use as hire cars that have foot operated park brakes.
Stupid idea! Most people that hire the car just don't use them & when I'm driving I keep bashing my left leg on the bloody thing.
As an aside, when the first 2 XTrails arrived in Doomadgee they were in the back of a truck fridge van. Very dark in there, I had to crawl down the side of the cars to back them out. Took me 10 minutes to find & disengage the park brake on the first car. The truck driver though I had got stuck somewhere in there, not a lot of room.
Jonesfam

I first came accross a foot-operated parking brake in a Fairlane that was owned by the local servo owner in early-mid 60's. Never got to use it as I didn't have a licence yet.

Local Brigade had a IH D1310 4x4 with such a device, in mid seventies. Got my truck licence on that. The pedal was against the kick panel, the release handle was above that - therefore just under the dash and adjacent to the door hinge area. As well as being instant "off" - no chance to feather it, it was also out of reach for anyone other than the driver. No good in emergencies. It operated on the primary drive shaft.

A lot of the guys had difficulty in timing the release for a hill start, so tended to ignore it at any time. Other times they were late to release it, stalling the motor, until they got used to it.

I think later models had it against the central tunnel.

I see so many drivers driving at night without switching their lights on it is not funny. They seem to think that because they can see (due to street lights) it is alright. They do not realise that their car goes into the shadows and disappears.

I also observe many drivers who do not position their car properly for a righ-hand turn. Middle of traffic lane, or at an angle while all over the place, or with the front wheels turned. A lot also do not understand the use of a central median turning lane.

"I also observe many drivers who do not position their car properly for a right-hand turn. Middle of traffic lane, or at an angle while all over the place, or with the front wheels turned."
This is a very common problem here in WA. But when I was still working I was based next door to the police academy in Joondalup. Going to work one morning and indicating I was turning left at the roundabout, a big bloke on a bike complete with ear phones on, coming towards me on the footpath, decided to cross at the same time as I started turning left.
I just managed to brake in time to stop knocking him off his bike. Passenger window down and I gave him a gob full about being aware of other vehicles etc etc. Later that week I left work using the same roundabout and who should go across my bows with absolutely no idea I was there? This very same bloke driving a cop traffic vehicle and his road positioning was bloody shocking causing me to stop as there was no room to pass him as he turned right. That was just a few seconds after braking hard to avoid him at the roundabout.
His position at the academy was senior instructor.....
His own driving obviously hadn't advanced from what his parents drove like. Road behaviour is certainly taught to kids as they sit behind or even on their parents laps as they drive. :)
AlanH.