What are the criteria for judging neutral coasting?

[LeAutumn]

When the car is in motion, as long as the gear is not in positions 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, or R, it is considered neutral coasting. Relevant details are as follows: Neutral coasting refers to the operation method where the driver shifts the gear lever to the neutral position while the vehicle is moving, disengaging the clutch between the engine and the drive wheels, and relying on the vehicle's inertia to move. Neutral coasting must be performed under conditions that ensure safety and normal vehicle technical conditions. Engine-off coasting is prohibited, especially when descending steep or long slopes, where neither engine-off nor neutral coasting is allowed. Impact: If the gear is shifted to neutral while driving and emergency braking is applied, the chassis transmission system is not connected to the engine, resulting in the absence of engine braking assistance. This can lead to poor braking performance (especially for overloaded vehicles), causing the vehicle to lose balance and slide sideways, ultimately leading to accidents due to loss of control. Moreover, the harder and faster the braking, the worse the braking force becomes, exacerbating the sliding effect.

[MacAlejandro]

As a veteran taxi driver with 20 years of experience, I've witnessed too many accidents caused by coasting in neutral. The traffic regulations are crystal clear - Article 62 of the Road Traffic Safety Law Implementation Regulations explicitly prohibits coasting in neutral when going downhill. The detection method is actually quite straightforward - they check if your foot is pressing the clutch or if the gear lever is in neutral. But the real issue isn't about getting fined; it's genuinely dangerous! Last month, my teammate Xiao Wang was coasting downhill in neutral when his brakes suddenly became stiff, nearly causing him to hit the guardrail. Modern fuel-injected vehicles don't save fuel by coasting in neutral - the ECU actually injects more fuel to maintain idle speed. The real fuel-saving trick is coasting in gear when the ECU automatically cuts fuel supply, a secret even many auto repair shops might not tell you.

[SanRemington]

When I was learning to drive, the instructor kept emphasizing: never coast in neutral. The evaluation criterion was very simple—if the gear is disengaged from the drive gear, it's a violation. But the deeper reason is that mechanical principles don't allow it. In automatic transmission vehicles, shifting to neutral causes a sudden drop in transmission oil pressure, leaving the gears unlubricated and grinding directly, which can ruin the transmission after just a few instances. Manual transmissions can be shifted to neutral, but without engine braking, the braking distance can increase by five or six meters. Our fleet's dash cams can monitor gear positions, and last week, Xiao Li was penalized safety points for coasting in neutral. Remember, engine braking is always more reliable than the brakes, especially in rainy or snowy conditions.

[LeahAnn]

From an automotive engineering perspective, coasting in neutral essentially breaks the power transmission chain. The diagnostic criteria focus on two data points: whether engine RPM and wheel speed become decoupled. When you shift to neutral, the ECU receives an abnormal RPM signal. The danger lies in the details: the brake booster relies on engine vacuum, and insufficient vacuum during coasting makes braking feel like stepping on a brick. Last year's test data showed that braking distance at 60km/h in neutral was 4.3 meters longer than when in gear. Current China VI vehicles are smarter - some models automatically trigger an alarm if neutral coasting exceeds 30 seconds. For real fuel savings, maintaining a steady 60kph is far more reliable than playing with gears.