Should You Press the Brake or Shift to Neutral at a Red Light?

[VonTyler]

When waiting at a red light, if it's only for a few seconds, you can use the foot brake to control the vehicle for a quick start. However, if the wait exceeds 20 seconds, it's best to shift to neutral. The specific reasons are as follows: 1. If the wait exceeds 20 seconds, using the foot brake for an extended period is highly impractical—the vehicle wants to move forward, but the brake forces it to stay still. During this prolonged struggle, both the brake pads and the transmission will heat up and overheat, causing damage to both. Therefore, neutral should be used instead of the foot brake. 2. When the vehicle is damaged and needs to be towed, shifting to neutral and lifting the drive wheels off the ground prevents damage to the transmission. For example, in a front-wheel-drive vehicle, the front wheels should be lifted off the ground, while the rear wheels can remain on the ground when in neutral. 3. Additionally, whether it's a manual or automatic transmission, coasting in neutral downhill is strictly prohibited. During neutral coasting, if an emergency requires sudden braking, the chassis transmission system and engine are not well-prepared, and the vehicle may lose balance and control without the engine's assistance.