Can an automatic car be shifted into neutral while driving?

[DiBrielle]

Automatic cars should not be shifted into neutral while driving. Here are the reasons: 1. Shifting an automatic car into neutral while driving will reduce the vehicle's braking force, which can easily lead to rear-end collisions. When the car is coasting in neutral, the connection between the engine and the drive wheels is lost, and the car moves forward solely by inertia. In emergency situations requiring braking, all braking force must be provided by the brakes alone. When coasting in gear, the engine itself provides some braking effect, which, combined with the brakes, shortens the braking distance. Additionally, coasting in neutral can easily cause the engine to stall, leading to failure of the brake booster and reduced braking performance. 2. Shifting into neutral does not save fuel and can sometimes even consume more fuel, which is related to the working principle of electronic fuel injection engines. Electronic fuel injection engines can determine the amount of fuel injection based on the computer program. When coasting in gear, if the driver releases the accelerator, the computer will put the car into coasting mode, during which the engine does not inject fuel for a long period. However, if coasting in neutral, the computer will put the car into idle mode, and the engine continues to inject fuel. This is why coasting in neutral sometimes consumes more fuel.