Drivers

[crabbyob]

now i dont enjoy driving a car, when i went up north a few weeks ago i really didnt enjoy the drive north but coming home it was raining hard for most of the journey, i came back thru the Tyne Tunnel, and was surprised to find no kiosks for payment, i had two pound coins in my hot little hand but no sign of kiosks... i found out why a week later whe i got the demand for non-payment...£62 if i didnt pay within 7 days, £32 if i did... it seems they have gone cashless and you should pay online or at a point 300 yards before the tunnel...mmmm.... what a rip-off....
now a car question, when you park your car do you set the hand-brake or simply leave it in gear...

[Michael Rolls]

That rip-off is getting a lot of stick, including trying to fine  a lady who was never north of the Thames in her life!
Always leave the car - an auto - in Park and with the handbrake on
Mike

[klondike]

I always use to set the handbrake. My current and almost certainly last car unless I win the lottery (which would be a real trick as I don't buy a ticket) is an automatic and it has an electric automatic handbrake. I can't take the key out unless I put it in park and sfaik that handles all that technical stuff.

If I was parking on a hill I'd probably turn the steering so any slippage would mean it had to mount the kerb to go anywhere. I don't really trust automatic stuff.

[Michael Rolls]

Same here

[Raven]

I always put the handbreak on and into first gear. If I'm on a hill facing down, then it's handbrake and reverse gear.

[Scrumpy]

I put my car in Park and Handbrake on..

[zoony]

In gear, handbrake on.

[crabbyob]

in the movies [American[ it seems as if they just put it in gear... did you drive much in the states Zoon, i have never driven an Auto, tho my scenic had an automatic brake it took me forever to get used to it, but my Citroen C4 Catcus has a handbrake, lol... i just wonder how long it might take for me to remember its there...lol

[Michael Rolls]

the Mondeo insists on being in park - which as I understand it, is the equivalent of leaving a manual in gear. Brake always on and if on a slope wheels on full lock towards the pavement
Mike

[klondike]

in the movies [American[ it seems as if they just put it in gear...

Don't forget that most American cars are automatics. They will be putting it into Park.

[Michael Rolls]

Oh, and leaving the handbrake on. Mary, my sister in law was up here over Christmas and the New Year. Put her car in my garage and didn't need to use. Came the day to leave and she found the handbrake had frozen on. Took three of us an hour to finally free it. Lesson learned
Mike

[GrannyMac]

In gear, handbrake on. Its really hilly here, so I just feel both plays it safe.

A few weeks ago there was a car nose first into the side of a skip on the street ours runs down to.  Not only was it quite badly damaged, it was blocking the road. No driver, it appears the handbrake failed.  Now, if it had also been in gear...

[Diasi]

Our drive slopes down towards the road but as the car gets very little use I won't leave the handbrake on as the pads will 'weld' themselves to the discs.

The result is that when the car is next driven it's the same as trying to drive off with the handbrake on, resulting in a loud bang & they crack off the discs.

I leave the car in reverse gear, handbrake off & wheel chocks under the rear wheels.

I use reverse gear as reverse has the lowest turning ratio & creates the most compression in the engine.

[Diasi]

now i dont enjoy driving a car, when i went up north a few weeks ago i really didnt enjoy the drive north but coming home it was raining hard for most of the journey, i came back thru the Tyne Tunnel, and was surprised to find no kiosks for payment, i had two pound coins in my hot little hand but no sign of kiosks... i found out why a week later whe i got the demand for non-payment...£62 if i didnt pay within 7 days, £32 if i did... it seems they have gone cashless and you should pay online or at a point 300 yards before the tunnel...mmmm.... what a rip-off....

The same applies to the Dartford Crossing.

When I last went down to where I used to live, Whitstable, I paid on line prior to the journey.