Kia Niro UK Forums

In the UK, sitting with your foot on the brake in stationary traffic would appear to in contravention of Highway Code cl 114, and the Road Vehicle Lighting Regulations 1989, cl 27. It's also bloody annoying, but that's my opinion, I'm not saying I'm right.

I am neutral and parking brake if I can see other sets of lights meaning I can get pre warning of the change so I can get prepared.

However one important thing on an upward slope, if you just release the parking brake while the car is in Drive, it can roll back, you have to have the footbrake pressed to activate the hill hold.

AlanW55 wrote: ↑Sat Feb 23, 2019 10:35 pm In the UK, sitting with your foot on the brake in stationary traffic would appear to in contravention of Highway Code cl 114, and the Road Vehicle Lighting Regulations 1989, cl 27. It's also bloody annoying, but that's my opinion, I'm not saying I'm right.

I have to admit you have a point. Also, I now realise that the institute of Advanced Motorists advise waiting till the car behind you has stopped and then applying the handbrake. ( I don't know what their advice would be if fitted with a foot operated parking brake). All the material I can find from the USA seems to agree with my previous assertion that the parking brake is just that, only used when preparing to leave the car, not during driving, I stand by my previous assertion that I would have failed my Californian driving test if I'd done anything more than take my foot off the accelerator and onto the brake to hold the car stationary at junctions.

So I'm coming around to thinking that although the foot operated brake is perfectly acceptable in the USA, I agree that it isn't really fit for purpose in the UK (or probably anywhere in Europe). Unfortunately, no-one it would seem that no-one told the designers, who were, I believe, based in California.

I think that if I were to use the parking brake when stopping at junctions, it would take too long to pull away, and I'd be likely to either have someone go into the back or roll back into them; especially if I was also having to re-engage Drive each time. So, I don't think I'll be changing the way I drive - I suspect (and hope) that the Niro's brake light isn't bright enough to cause offence anyway.

Anything but traffic lights I am foot brake too. The parking brake is useless if you are gradually creeping forward at a T junction or roundabout for instance.

I was told by the chap at the dealership when having test drive, that the "Parkbrake" was not a subsitute for a handbrake and only use it when leaving the car, when stopped for long periods in stationary traffic to use "P", other wise use the footbrake.

Is there a time limit as to how long you can stand with your foot on the brakes before you are breaking the law

It would be interesting to hear from someone taking their driving test at the present time

I think that the law just relates to dazzling. I don't think the lights are allowed to be bright enough for that. So I don't believe there is any time limit. I also think that the advice from the Institute of Advanced Motorists is all about courtesy, not the law or safety. I might be wrong but..... if the brake lights are that bright, then when following their advice you'd run the risk that you'd be turning them off after the driver of the car behind had been dazzled and driven into you as a consequence!


On another forum, someone was upset because a police car kept its brake lights during an extended stop at lights. if it's good enough for them....

One final point,..I know someone who was rear-ended at a junction (not in a Niro). She had been using the footbrake before deciding to engage the handbrake instead. The driver of the car behind assumed she was pulling away....and drove straight into her. At least, if you keep your foot on the brake, you've removed that particular ambiguity.

Facelift to include electric parking brake

https://www.autocar.co.uk/car-news/moto ... design-new