Should You Shift to Neutral at a Red Light in an Automatic Transmission Car?
3 Answers
Whether to shift to neutral at a red light in an automatic transmission car depends on the specific situation. If the wait time is long, you should shift to neutral and apply the brake or handbrake; if the wait time is short, simply keep the gear in D and apply the brake. It is important to note that when shifting to neutral for a long wait, you must apply the brake or handbrake, as the transmission shaft has no restraining force in neutral, and the vehicle may move due to external forces, leading to potential hazards. An automatic transmission eliminates the need for the driver to manually shift gears, as the vehicle automatically selects the appropriate gear based on driving speed and traffic conditions. Generally, automatic transmission cars have six gear positions, arranged from top to bottom as: P, R, N, D, S, L.
Having driven automatic transmission cars for over a decade, whether to shift to neutral at red lights depends on the situation. For short red lights lasting 20-30 seconds, just keeping your foot on the brake is fine - shifting gears is too much hassle. But for extra-long red lights, especially when the AC is on in summer and the car shakes noticeably, shifting to neutral and engaging the handbrake feels much more comfortable, with significantly reduced engine vibration. Once I got stuck in city traffic for ten minutes without shifting to neutral, and my foot nearly cramped from numbness. However, for cars with start-stop systems, keeping it in D gear with the brake fully pressed (which shuts off the engine) actually saves more fuel than shifting to neutral. As for whether this harms the transmission, my mechanic friend says modern cars don't need worrying about that at all.
Last time I accompanied a friend practicing driving, we happened to discuss this. Personally, I decide based on the seconds: for red lights over 90 seconds, I definitely shift to neutral to free my right foot and prevent rolling. For short red lights, I stay in D gear with the brake pressed—the dashboard shows instant fuel consumption is only 0.8L/h, while shifting to neutral raises it to 1.1L. I remember once waiting at a light with the AC on—the entire center console was vibrating in D gear with the brake pressed, but switching to neutral immediately made it quiet. Don’t be fooled by online claims like 'shifting to neutral saves the transmission.' Modern cars with electronic shifters don’t have clutch wear issues.
