Didn't enjoy it that much, but I made the cardinal sin of reading the book first. Not only was it better, but the story (not the JFK bit) totally different. Interesting that Stephen King was the executive producer on it, so he must have approved it. Maybe he wrote another version of the book and the other went to print?
The way I was taught. It emphasises that you are in control of your speed, without the need to incessantly tap your brakes, like so many do these days. For me, a driver constantly braking, isn't fully controlling his clutch/accelerator use, and speed. The brake lights are a visual aid to those behind, that you are braking, but those behind should always be reacting to any drop of speed ahead, through being aware that they are "catching" the car in front, and as such should be reducing their own speed to maintain a safe gap.
Me thinks you are looking for an argument. Firstly, I would counter that by saying those who can't control their car's speed, through gear and accelerator use, shouldn't pass their test in the first place. Secondly, I don't "slam" my car into a lower gear. I read the road ahead, maintain a safe distance behind preceding cars, and ease off the accelerator then drop down through the gears. It's call driving. Thirdly, anyone who isn't paying enough attention to the car ahead, and fails to notice that the preceding car has slowed down, as evident by the fact that their car has moved closer, is either travelling to close, in the first place, or driving without due care and attention.
Your fuel consumption, and concomitant pollution, must be astronomical if you use "engine braking" as it used to be called, especially if you still double declutch whilst changing down. That way of driving, I would guess, hasn't been taught for a very long time. Brakes on modern cars are designed to be used to slow the car down as well as for emergency stops. I absolutely agree that anticipation and deceleration gently in gear on motorways etc. are essential, however.
If you've ever followed a car who's brake lights aren't working, it's bloody dangerous! Even leaving a good space between you and that car and driving with due care and attention you can never react to him slowing down and getting closer like you would with a nice bright red light! Use your brakes!
the reason those drivers are incessantly tapping their brakes is because they are driving too close to the car in front - very annoying too - but those are the people who will shunt you up the ass if you decelerate without a nice bright red light!
That's a bit different. If your brake lights aren't working you are stopping quicker than if you just naturally slow down.
I went through several miles of continuous road works on the way to Worthing once. I dropped back, so I was travelling at the same speed as the other drivers but much further back. I never had to apply my brakes...whereas I could see the other drivers brake, brake, braking as the traffic slowed. My journey was peaceful compared with theirs and yet we arrived at the end of the road works separated by only the odd minute.
Absolutely agree! the only problem I find with leaving a luxurious gap between you and the car in front is that the boy racer behind you is having palpitations because he can see that gap and wants to be in it! so at the first opportunity guns it past you and swerves in front of you reducing the gap to 2 metres. Then you have to slow down to make your nice safe gap again til the next one does it!
I was taught by an excellent Scottish driving instructor who got me to pass my test 1st time after 5 lessons. He said, use the brakes to slow down, they're cheaper than gearboxes. Worked for me. Of course, nothing is cut and dried. You learn to be in the correct gear at important points while driving. But never use the engine braking to be the major ******er of progress unless you're in extreme conditions like ice and snow. I remember being taught how to double de-clutch quickly. I doubt if I could even do it effectively these days. No point anyway. You can hear old bikers blip the throttle when changing down occasionally [mind you that was probably due to making sure the engine didn't quit]. That's about the last evidence I've seen of engine braking and getting gearbox shafts to spin at similar speeds. That's because old bike brakes were generally terrible. Not so these days.
I was shown how engine braking worked, but it was never even mentioned as a 'preferred' technique. I learned to drive 5 years ago.
If you don't mind me asking St Badger, how old are you.? It's just that drivers were taught engine braking and changing gear as a means of ******ing progress much more decades ago, because brakes were relatively poor. Nowadays, modern engines don't have that much engine braking anyway, because of things like near square or over square bore and stroke, etc.., unless you shove the thing into a ludicrously lower gear. And brakes and tyre grip is fantastic now.
I don't double declutch. Never been taught that way. My fuel consumption is very low as well. I just maintain a decent gap ahead of me, decelerate as the need arises, then change down into the now better and more appropriate gear for the speed I am now travelling at. If I need to use my brakes, I use them. Simples. For what it's worth, and my personal view, if I am constantly tapping my brakes, in order to avoid getting too close to a car in front of me, then I don't consider myself to be sufficiently in control of my car. Constantly braking also indicates, to me, that a driver is not maintaining a safe gap from the car ahead, so needs to constantly slow down to avoid an accident, being caused by being too close to another car's rear bumper, not by the car ahead of him driving slower. I really don't see why people are getting their y fronts in a twist, over this.
You're dead wrong on fuel consumption (and therefore polltion) because a braking engine uses less fuel than a de-clutched engine How so, you may say? When the engine is engaged there is no fuel being delivered by the idle jet and with no accelerator applied no fuel being delivered by the main jet. You are therefore using ... NO FUEL. When the engine is de-clutched you are using the fuel delivered by the idle jet and apparently old people need to be re-trained
Football related: Watched "Looking for Eric" yesterday. Gritty and looked in danger of heading for straight "dysfunctional family" horribleness but ends up quirky and well worth watching. 9/10 for me. I won't give away anything at all about it (I hate people doing it to me) but it's worth a watch - not with the kids, though. And it involves football. In a witty way. Vin
