# Auto transmission drives without foot on the pedal. Why is this still an issue? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [March 28, 2016, 7:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/auto-transmission-drives-without-foot-on-the-pedal-why-is-this-still-an-issue/750477 "2016-03-28T19:12:55Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Bear\_Nenno](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bear_nenno/32/3358_2.png) [@Bear\_Nenno](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bear_Nenno)\ **Post date:** [March 28, 2016, 9:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/auto-transmission-drives-without-foot-on-the-pedal-why-is-this-still-an-issue/750477/21 "2016-03-28T21:57:58Z")
That’s what every driver wants: more annoying bells. ---
**Author:** ![LSLGuy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lslguy/32/5813_2.png) [@LSLGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LSLGuy)\ **Post date:** [March 29, 2016, 12:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/auto-transmission-drives-without-foot-on-the-pedal-why-is-this-still-an-issue/750477/22 "2016-03-29T00:12:03Z")
As \*\*jz78817 \*\*said, the cars already make that noise and have for 10 years. As brake systems become drive-by-wire with a computer between the pedal & the mechanical systems, it will be easy to reprogram brakes to act as the OP desires. No pressure on either gas or brake pedal means the brakes are gently applied to prevent the idle drag in the transmission from moving the car. As gentle gas pedal pressure is applied first the transmission takes up the slack and then the brakes release. This is pretty much how railroad locomotives are operated. You start to pull against the brakes with power and then release the brakes. We do something similar in big aircraft. The intent is to prevent any rolling backwards. An automatic feature like this would save the OP and folks like that from themselves. Except for one thing. … As soon as cars won’t roll away with the transmission in Drive (or Reverse) and nobody at the controls, folks will begin hopping out of their cars with the engine on and transmission engaged while loading or unloading kids, or talking to the neighbors, or dashing inside for a Starbucks. The problem with adding a belt-and-suspenders safety feature to cars is as soon as you add a belt, the folks stop using their suspenders. When airbags first came out, \*millions \*of people _stopped_ wearing their seat belts. The ones we’d spent untold years and dollars convincing them to wear. When your user base is that stupidly short-sighted you’ve got to be more concerned about second order effects than you are about the primary effects of any proposed change. If we really wanted to solve the OP’s use case, opening \*any \*car door with the transmission in Drive or Reverse would instantly clamp on the brakes at max, shift it to Park, and kill the engine. Which of course would have people coming to their parking place, and simply getting out of the car expecting that it will shut itself down properly as they walk away. We can’t have self-0driving cars too soon in my book. The sooner we get 250million incompetent drivers off the road in the US the safer the remaining 20 million drivers will be. ---
**Author:** ![Seanette](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/seanette/32/9139_2.png) [@Seanette](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Seanette)\ **Post date:** [March 29, 2016, 1:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/auto-transmission-drives-without-foot-on-the-pedal-why-is-this-still-an-issue/750477/23 "2016-03-29T01:43:42Z")
Until a virus hits at rush hour. 🙂 I’m not sure I trust self-driving cars yet. Wouldn’t want to be in a car that couldn’t be controlled by a human when it decided to blue-screen at 65mph. ---
**Author:** ![Arrendajo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/e0b2c6/32.png) [@Arrendajo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Arrendajo)\ **Post date:** [March 29, 2016, 2:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/auto-transmission-drives-without-foot-on-the-pedal-why-is-this-still-an-issue/750477/24 "2016-03-29T02:21:29Z")
> [@LSLGuy](#): > > We can’t have self-0driving cars too soon in my book. The sooner we get 250million incompetent drivers off the road in the US the safer the remaining 20 million drivers will be. Testify!!! ---
**Author:** ![snfaulkner](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/snfaulkner/32/433_2.png) [@snfaulkner](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/snfaulkner)\ **Post date:** [March 29, 2016, 2:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/auto-transmission-drives-without-foot-on-the-pedal-why-is-this-still-an-issue/750477/25 "2016-03-29T02:42:18Z")
Did you guys know that if you took the top off the blender and stick your hand in it, there is not any safety lock on the buttons that would prevent you from blending your own hand? What kind of world are we living in? ---
**Author:** ![gkster](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gkster/32/14107_2.png) [@gkster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gkster)\ **Post date:** [March 29, 2016, 3:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/auto-transmission-drives-without-foot-on-the-pedal-why-is-this-still-an-issue/750477/26 "2016-03-29T03:00:31Z")
I started driving automatics 40 years ago and have yet to encounter any such “self-propelling” cars. ---
**Author:** ![Balthisar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/balthisar/32/2825_2.png) [@Balthisar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Balthisar)\ **Post date:** [March 29, 2016, 3:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/auto-transmission-drives-without-foot-on-the-pedal-why-is-this-still-an-issue/750477/27 "2016-03-29T03:37:37Z")
FWIW, we auto companies listen to our stupid customers, too, and the good (???) news is that a lot of cars (Ford, Honda, VW) now offer “auto hold” systems. ---
**Author:** ![cochrane](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cochrane/32/10441_2.png) [@cochrane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cochrane)\ **Post date:** [March 29, 2016, 3:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/auto-transmission-drives-without-foot-on-the-pedal-why-is-this-still-an-issue/750477/28 "2016-03-29T03:45:38Z")
> [@gkster](#): > > I started driving automatics 40 years ago and have yet to encounter any such “self-propelling” cars. Really? Nearly every automatic I’ve driven in the last 40 years moved itself when I took it out of Park. ---
**Author:** ![SpyOne](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/82dd89/32.png) [@SpyOne](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SpyOne)\ **Post date:** [March 29, 2016, 4:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/auto-transmission-drives-without-foot-on-the-pedal-why-is-this-still-an-issue/750477/29 "2016-03-29T04:14:47Z")
> [@Machine\_Elf](#): > > IME, this is not a common situation; most people I know would not elect to put themselves in such a scenario. On average, once a day a car hits a convenience store somewhere in the US. The two most common causes are hitting the gas instead of the brake and getting out when you thought the car was in park but it wasn’t. This is common enough that many chains are installing bollards to keep vars from hitting the building. While I have never forgotten to put a car in park, I did once get ahead of myself while parking and put the car in park before it had come t a stop, which is similar. I think designing a mechanical link that would keep the car from rolling without pressing the gas pedal but would still allow taking your foot off the pedal when the car is moving at speed, for instance using engine braking while going downhill, would be very difficult. ---
**Author:** ![SpyOne](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/82dd89/32.png) [@SpyOne](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SpyOne)\ **Post date:** [March 29, 2016, 4:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/auto-transmission-drives-without-foot-on-the-pedal-why-is-this-still-an-issue/750477/30 "2016-03-29T04:19:02Z")
> [@filmore](#): > > At a minimum, I would think they could easily add a bell for when you open your door with your car in park. Many cars often have a bell anyway when turn your car off and have the keys still in the ignition when you open the door. It seems like the cost would be negligible to also ring the bell when the car is in gear and the door is opened. That bell exists. The problem is that it sounds just like the second bell. If the person meant to open the door with the keys in the ignition (engine running, even), then they were expecting to hear the bell and the bell tells them nothing. There are limits to how far we should go to protect people from their own stupidity. I think in this area we have reached them. ---
**Author:** ![pool](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pool/32/4152_2.png) [@pool](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pool)\ **Post date:** [March 29, 2016, 5:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/auto-transmission-drives-without-foot-on-the-pedal-why-is-this-still-an-issue/750477/31 "2016-03-29T05:49:20Z")
I was caught off guard when I bought my new Subaru WRX which is a manual transmission. After years of driving manuals and starting on a hill I was used to the slight roll back and had gotten good at going up hills without drifting back much at all, but when I tried it in my new car it magically didn’t roll back apparently it’s a newish feature in some manuals that on a hill the brakes automatically lock in so you don’t drift backwards, I felt like it was kind of cheating at first but I like it now especially since some people love to stop there car right on the ass end of the car in front of them. ---
**Author:** ![eschereal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/eschereal/32/18939_2.png) [@eschereal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/eschereal)\ **Post date:** [March 29, 2016, 6:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/auto-transmission-drives-without-foot-on-the-pedal-why-is-this-still-an-issue/750477/32 "2016-03-29T06:11:10Z")
The thing that bothers me is how they intend to implement electric cars. I drove my mother’s Prius a few times: when it is stopped, the gas engine shuts off, but Toyota decided it needed to have the creep effect that everyone is accustomed to. So the car is dead still, not making a sound or vibration (maybe the radio or A/C), so you easily c_ould_ forget to stick it in park, but if you take your foot off the brake, it will start to silently roll forward. ---
**Author:** ![core](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/d26b3c/32.png) [@core](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/core)\ **Post date:** [March 29, 2016, 6:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/auto-transmission-drives-without-foot-on-the-pedal-why-is-this-still-an-issue/750477/33 "2016-03-29T06:18:43Z")
Pool- That sounds like a nifty system. Until something breaks and the car thinks it’s stopped and on a hill when it’s really not. OP- Your car has a parking brake, no? You might consider using it for its intended purpose as a routine matter, especially when the car is running. That would be 2 things you’d have to flub up before the car goes on an unattended killing spree. ---
**Author:** ![panache45](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/panache45/32/64_2.png) [@panache45](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/panache45)\ **Post date:** [March 29, 2016, 8:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/auto-transmission-drives-without-foot-on-the-pedal-why-is-this-still-an-issue/750477/34 "2016-03-29T08:56:54Z")
> [@filmore](#): > > Why is this still allowed to happen? Because Darwin. ---
**Author:** ![bob\_2](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bob_2/32/3341_2.png) [@bob\_2](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bob_2)\ **Post date:** [March 29, 2016, 8:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/auto-transmission-drives-without-foot-on-the-pedal-why-is-this-still-an-issue/750477/35 "2016-03-29T08:57:46Z")
Cars today may not look too much different from those five and ten years ago, but they are very different mechanically. Fluid transmissions are replaced by computer controlled gearboxes with dry clutches. Park brakes are just a switch. Open the door with the transmission in gear and the car will have a hissy fit. Stop with your foot on the brake for more than a few seconds and the engine stops. The engine will not start without a foot on the brake. Interestingly - the ‘creep’ facility is retained. Clearly we appreciate the ability to inch forward with minimal engine revs. ---
**Author:** ![Telemark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/telemark/32/372_2.png) [@Telemark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Telemark)\ **Post date:** [March 29, 2016, 9:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/auto-transmission-drives-without-foot-on-the-pedal-why-is-this-still-an-issue/750477/36 "2016-03-29T09:26:59Z")
> [@core](#): > > Pool- That sounds like a nifty system. Until something breaks and the car thinks it’s stopped and on a hill when it’s really not. Subaru has had the Hill Holder since the 70’s. It works just fine. ---
**Author:** ![Hail\_Ants](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/dc4da7/32.png) [@Hail\_Ants](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hail_Ants)\ **Post date:** [March 29, 2016, 11:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/auto-transmission-drives-without-foot-on-the-pedal-why-is-this-still-an-issue/750477/37 "2016-03-29T11:11:16Z")
> [@Telemark](#): > > Subaru has had the Hill Holder since the 70’s. It works just fine. Sorry, but I’m old school. ‘Hill-holders’ are gay. If you can’t manipulate a standard transmission & clutch on a hill you have no business driving a stick… ---
**Author:** ![kayaker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kayaker/32/441_2.png) [@kayaker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kayaker)\ **Post date:** [March 29, 2016, 11:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/auto-transmission-drives-without-foot-on-the-pedal-why-is-this-still-an-issue/750477/38 "2016-03-29T11:43:59Z")
> [@Bear\_Nenno](#): > > That’s what every driver wants: more annoying bells. The first thing I do with a new car is disable the annoying chimes. I _know_ I should wear my seatbelt; I sometimes choose not to if I’m just moving cars around my yard. > [@Hail\_Ants](#): > > Sorry, but I’m old school. ‘Hill-holders’ are gay. If you can’t manipulate a standard transmission & clutch on a hill you have no business driving a stick… The second thing I did with my latest Jeep Wrangler was to disable the “hill holder”. I had never even heard of such a thing, and I’ve always driven manuals. Our Kubota lawn tractor has so many safety interlocks that it’s difficult to use. I finally had someone run wires bypassing all the safety stuff. It’s probably the most dangerous tool in the garage, but at least it’s usable. ---
**Author:** ![Colibri](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/colibri/32/1841_2.png) [@Colibri](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colibri)\ **Post date:** [March 29, 2016, 3:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/auto-transmission-drives-without-foot-on-the-pedal-why-is-this-still-an-issue/750477/39 "2016-03-29T15:15:06Z")
> [@Hail\_Ants](#): > > Sorry, but I’m old school. ‘Hill-holders’ are gay. If you can’t manipulate a standard transmission & clutch on a hill you have no business driving a stick… **Moderator Warning** **Hail Ants** , this is inappropriate for GQ. This is an official warning for being a jerk. Don’t do this again or you may find your posting privileges under discussion. Colibri General Questions Moderator ---
**Author:** ![JRDelirious](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jrdelirious/32/9531_2.png) [@JRDelirious](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JRDelirious)\ **Post date:** [March 29, 2016, 3:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/auto-transmission-drives-without-foot-on-the-pedal-why-is-this-still-an-issue/750477/40 "2016-03-29T15:36:19Z")
While I would not disable/override safety systems (or even merely labor-saving systems) for the sake of making things feel more “manual”, at the same time I know that I should not lean on the systems having my back as a crutch to ignore proper operating procedure. Stop the motion of the car, disengage moving gear, set the handbrake, that is the drill for whenever the driver has to get away from the controls. Pretty darn simple. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/auto-transmission-drives-without-foot-on-the-pedal-why-is-this-still-an-issue/750477.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/auto-transmission-drives-without-foot-on-the-pedal-why-is-this-still-an-issue/750477.md?page=3)