Should You Shift to Neutral When Stopped at a Traffic Light?
3 Answers
If waiting for a long red light, it is best to shift into neutral. For short stops at traffic lights, shifting to neutral is unnecessary. Below are precautions regarding shifting to neutral: Apply the brake after shifting to neutral: After shifting to N (Neutral) gear, you must engage the handbrake or step on the brake pedal. Since the car is in neutral, the driveshaft has no restraining force, and any external force can affect the car's movement. Especially on slopes, inertia can easily cause the car to move unexpectedly, leading to accidents. Do not shift to P (Park) gear at a red light: Do not shift into P gear when waiting at a red light. If the car is rear-ended by another vehicle, it may cause damage to the transmission.
After years of driving, I believe one should be cautious about shifting to neutral at traffic lights. In automatic transmission vehicles, it's generally sufficient to stay in D gear and apply the brakes—there's no need to shift to neutral. Switching to neutral can cause additional wear on the transmission and may lead to delayed reactions: if the light turns green, you'd first need to shift back to D before accelerating, and those few seconds of delay could easily result in a rear-end collision. I've personally witnessed cases where drivers habitually shifted to neutral, only for their cars to roll downhill or slide forward due to an improperly engaged handbrake—a truly frightening scene. This is even more common with manual transmissions, where many shift to neutral to reduce fatigue from holding the clutch too long, but this also introduces risks: you must re-engage the gear before moving, delaying a safe start. The general recommendation is to maintain your current gear for short stops, ready to move at any moment; only consider shifting to neutral and applying the handbrake for red lights exceeding 30 seconds—this saves a bit of fuel while minimizing risks. Remember, safety comes first—cultivate good habits to avoid accidents.
As a daily commuter, I focus on fuel consumption and environmental concerns. Shifting to neutral at traffic lights saves fuel by reducing engine load, especially in manual transmission cars where engine RPM drops in neutral, minimizing idle combustion. However, automatic transmissions don't need this: when in Drive (D) with brakes applied, the system manages energy efficiency automatically, making neutral shifts unnecessary and potentially stressing the transmission. For city driving, I keep the gear lever in place for short red lights but shift to neutral and engage the handbrake for prolonged stops (e.g., over 1–2 minutes) to optimize fuel efficiency and reduce emissions. Note that frequent gear changes may strain start-stop systems and battery life. Adapt flexibly to traffic light timing for eco-friendly, cost-effective driving.
