Should You Shift to N or P Gear at Traffic Lights?

[BenjaminFitz]

At traffic lights, you should shift to N gear and apply the handbrake, rather than shifting to P gear. Here is some information about traffic lights: 1. Traffic Lights: Traffic lights, also known as Traffic Signal Lights, are indicators that instruct vehicles and pedestrians whether to proceed or not. 2. Location: They are usually installed at intersections and other places requiring traffic control, typically consisting of red, green, and yellow lights. The red light means stop, the green light means go, and the yellow light serves as a warning. 3. Types of Traffic Lights: Common types include vehicle signal lights, non-motorized vehicle signal lights, pedestrian crossing signal lights, directional indicator lights (arrow signal lights), and flashing warning signal lights.

[DeCamila]

I've been driving for over ten years, and I always shift to N gear and pull the handbrake at red lights. If you shift to P gear and get rear-ended, the transmission's locking gear can jam, leading to repair costs that often exceed tens of thousands. Once, I saw a car in front of me shift to P gear and get hit—the transmission was completely destroyed. Shifting to N gear for short stops reduces impact on the transmission, and you can start faster—just shift to D gear when the light turns green. For long traffic jams, you can use the auto-hold function to give your foot a break. Remember to press the brake firmly when parking on a slope to prevent rolling and hitting the car behind. Now, I always keep a sunglass clip in my car to tidy up the dashboard while waiting at lights.

[DelVera]

As a mechanical enthusiast, I've studied automatic transmission principles: when shifting to P (Park), the parking pawl engages with the transmission gear teeth. Frequent P gear shifting at red lights can easily deform the pawl. Shifting to N (Neutral) allows planetary gears to idle, which is most fuel-efficient and better for transmission fluid temperature. Last time I used an OBD scanner to test, N gear reduced fluid temperature by 2°C compared to P gear. For traffic lights exceeding 1 minute, I usually turn off the AC compressor and shift to N gear for fuel savings. Vehicles with auto start-stop function are most convenient - just press the brake firmly to shut down the engine without gear shifting.

[ValeriaFitz]

I run a milk tea shop in the city center and make deliveries every day, passing through over thirty traffic lights. The first thing I do when getting in the car is turn off the auto start-stop system. At red lights, I only shift to N gear and step on the brake. Shifting to P gear is slow and wastes fuel—last week when stuck in traffic for half an hour in P gear, the displayed fuel consumption increased by 0.8 liters. When making morning deliveries and in a hurry, starting in N gear gets me two seconds ahead of the car behind. Remember to use the handbrake when waiting on slopes—I once experienced the car rolling backward while delivering on a slope, which was terrifying. Now when training new employees to drive, I make sure they develop the habit of using N gear at traffic lights.