Always on the effing brakes!!

[Ham_and_Jam]

Minor rant. Why do some drivers jump on the brakes at every opportunity.

Been behind a few recently, today was a classic example.

Oldish Mitsubishi 4x4 driving through the city suburbs into large village. Every slight bend brake, every parked car thet had to be passed on the left brake, every car that came towards on them on the other side brake.

fk me, they must change their brake pads every six months. Don t understand it.

[FlyingPanda]

It's known in Driver Training circles as Comfort Braking. Not actually intended to slow the car down, but (usually) shows a nervous driver who has their foot hovering over the brake all the time.

I'd give them more room!

[kambites]

If it was an Outlander PHEV, it will illuminate its brake lights when the driver lifts off the throttle due to regen exceeding whatever the deceleration limit is (it's surprisingly low).

Of course that's not to say it wasn't the driver braking, I've certainly seen plenty of people driving non-electrified cars doing exactly what you are describing.

[Megaflow]

Not a clue, I also want to know how they can seemingly not slow down while doing it. I have been following people who are ‘braking’ yet I am slowly down more than them just by lifting off.

[scorcher]

And the ones that brake as soon as you start to overtake them despite them only doing 25 mph in the first place and nothing else in sight to come into conflict with

[InitialDave]

Megaflow said:

Not a clue, I also want to know how they can seemingly not slow down while doing it. I have been following people who are braking yet I am slowly down more than them just by lifting off.

Could be they're just covering the brakes, if it's a older FWD performance car, theres an outside chance they're left-foot braking (as in the driving technique, as opposed to "retiree with an auto")

[Nickp82]

It is highly annoying, I wonder if it’s perhaps drivers with poor eyesight who can’t judge space all that well.

[Ham_and_Jam]

kambites said:

If it was an Outlander PHEV,

Not sure TBH, it was fairly old so don’t think so.

I have a PHEV, is my brake lights always coming on? That would be amusing given my rant.

[2 sMoKiN bArReLs]

I had a TVR Tuscan. Each and every time I hit a small bump it flashed the brake lights

(We only discovered this when my other half was following me on a road trip)

[Ham_and_Jam]

kambites said:

If it was an Outlander PHEV, it will illuminate its brake lights when the driver lifts off the throttle due to regen exceeding whatever the deceleration limit is (it's surprisingly low).

I m not sure. It was quite old so I don t think so.

I have a PHEV, are my brake lights always coming on? That would be amusing given my rant.

[kambites]

Ham_and_Jam said:

I have a PHEV, are my brake lights always coming on? That would be amusing given my rant.

Probably!

[Scabutz]

I hate people who brake like that.

Now I have an EV and I drive with regen on full Im worried I've inadvertently become one myself.

[BorisnBertie]

scorcher said:

And the ones that brake as soon as you start to overtake them despite them only doing 25 mph in the first place and nothing else in sight to come into conflict with

I prefer those drivers to the ones who accelerate when you try to pass

[MC Bodge]

Comfort braking.

Bend (even if going very slowly), oncoming car, road sign, pedestrians on sidewalk, hill, car.

-all result in a tap on the brake pedal.

The only occasions that they don't brake are when they go from 40 in a 50/NSL to 40 in a 30/20......

[timberman]

Scabutz said:

I hate people who brake like that.

Now I have an EV and I drive with regen on full Im worried I've inadvertently become one myself.

Same here

I go from wondering if they're coming on every time I ease off of the accelerator pedal so people behind think I'm a lunatic,
to wondering if they don't come on at all unless I actually press the brake pedal risking someone rear ending me because they don't realise I'm slowing down quite quickly

[Ham_and_Jam]

timberman said:

Same here

I go from wondering if they're coming on every time I ease off of the accelerator pedal so people behind think I'm a lunatic,
to wondering if they don't come on at all unless I actually press the brake pedal risking someone rear ending me because they don't realise I'm slowing down quite quickly

I’m getting my daughter to follow me tomorrow, I need to know

[Boringvolvodriver]

timberman said:

Scabutz said:

I hate people who brake like that.

Now I have an EV and I drive with regen on full Im worried I've inadvertently become one myself.

Same here

I go from wondering if they're coming on every time I ease off of the accelerator pedal so people behind think I'm a lunatic,
to wondering if they don't come on at all unless I actually press the brake pedal risking someone rear ending me because they don't realise I'm slowing down quite quickly

You also see it on the motorway which I presume is the adaptive cruise control braking the car to keep the distance rather than easing off the accelerator. Worse on down hill sections as well i would imagine

[the-norseman]

Does my head in, the people that do it on motorway as well. Absolutely no reason at all and they brake.

[Pica-Pica]

Boringvolvodriver said:

You also see it on the motorway which I presume is the adaptive cruise control braking the car to keep the distance rather than easing off the accelerator. Worse on down hill sections as well i would imagine

This is my assumption. It ends up being like 'the boy who cried wolf' and betys ignored until it is real.

[DickyC]

My youngest daughter uses the brakes a lot. One afternoon I had to follow her home for a few miles from a garage in the sticks. As an experiment I counted how often she braked. Country road, broad daylight, next to no traffic. The first time I braked was for a right turn at a mini roundabout in town by which time she had braked fourteen times.