# When you park an automatic automobile, do you personally... **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [June 30, 2012, 7:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-you-park-an-automatic-automobile-do-you-personally/626841 "2012-06-30T19:33:23Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![Dallas\_Jones](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dallas_jones/32/3277_2.png) [@Dallas\_Jones](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dallas_Jones)\ **Post date:** [July 1, 2012, 3:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-you-park-an-automatic-automobile-do-you-personally/626841/41 "2012-07-01T03:21:13Z")
I always use the parking brake. Come to a stop, hand moves gear shift into park, hand goes from gear shift directly to engage the parking brake, turn the car off. Since I built a garage a few years ago I am thankful that I developed this habit. I leave the car running to get out and open the door and have occationally left the car in drive and the parking brake holds the car, saved the garage door that way or the car would have idled into it. It is a _parking brake_, for parking, not an \*emergency brake \*and some people refer to it as. Why wouldn’t you use it? ---
**Author:** ![AClockworkMelon](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aclockworkmelon/32/10803_2.png) [@AClockworkMelon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AClockworkMelon)\ **Post date:** [July 1, 2012, 7:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-you-park-an-automatic-automobile-do-you-personally/626841/42 "2012-07-01T07:17:34Z")
> [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](#): > > AAAAAGH! :mad: Hey, gimme a break, I was posting at 2pm, I’d likely just woken up. ---
**Author:** ![Noone\_Special](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/noone_special/32/2863_2.png) [@Noone\_Special](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Noone_Special)\ **Post date:** [July 1, 2012, 7:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-you-park-an-automatic-automobile-do-you-personally/626841/43 "2012-07-01T07:54:02Z")
Park **and** Brake. Habit, pure and simple. I learned on an automatic, in level country. Drove a manual for about a decade somewhere along the way, but have been driving automatics for the past 15 years. I have never lived in a really hilly area since college (and I didn’t own a car back then,) although Tel Aviv isn’t exactly flat, either. ---
**Author:** ![Kenm](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/bc79bd/32.png) [@Kenm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kenm)\ **Post date:** [July 1, 2012, 10:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-you-park-an-automatic-automobile-do-you-personally/626841/44 "2012-07-01T10:08:39Z")
> [@Nametag](#): > > Not to mention that I was taught when very young that relying on the parking pawl was a good way to fuck up the transmission. Hell, I got a lecture for setting the gear before the brake. Ever since then, I have set the brake, released the foot brake, then set the gear, always passing through neutral to let the weight settle on the brake. > > > [@Leaper](#): > > > > Wow… Really? This is a serious problem? Who else does this for this reason? Me, and for the same reason that caused a problem with my parents’ car 40 years ago: My dad parked on a steep driveway and put the gear in park. The tow truck he called had only to push the car up the hill enough (half an inch, if that) to take the weight off the pawl. > [@Rick](#): > > You do realize that early auto trans did not have a park position, right? Didn’t reverse, in GM’s early Power Glides, anyway (before PRNDL, when reverse was at the bottom), serve as park by locking the wheels until the engine was started? I don’t think Chrysler’s push-button automatics of the late '50s had a park selection. Reverse may have been the solution with those, as well. I wonder whether Edsel had a button for park. ---
**Author:** ![PandaBear77](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/edb3f5/32.png) [@PandaBear77](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PandaBear77)\ **Post date:** [July 1, 2012, 10:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-you-park-an-automatic-automobile-do-you-personally/626841/45 "2012-07-01T10:19:22Z")
I never use the emergency brake unless I’m parking on a hill. ---
**Author:** ![Rick](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/9f8e36/32.png) [@Rick](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rick)\ **Post date:** [July 1, 2012, 1:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-you-park-an-automatic-automobile-do-you-personally/626841/46 "2012-07-01T13:24:37Z")
> [@Kenm](#): > > Me, and for the same reason that caused a problem with my parents’ car 40 years ago: My dad parked on a steep driveway and put the gear in park. The tow truck he called had only to push the car up the hill enough (half an inch, if that) to take the weight off the pawl.Didn’t reverse, in GM’s early Power Glides, anyway (before PRNDL, when reverse was at the bottom), serve as park by locking the wheels until the engine was started? > > I don’t think Chrysler’s push-button automatics of the late '50s had a park selection. Reverse may have been the solution with those, as well. I wonder whether Edsel had a button for park. I don’t know about the early GMs but the Chrysler push button had a park lever that did engage park. ---
**Author:** ![Jman](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jman/32/4416_2.png) [@Jman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jman)\ **Post date:** [July 1, 2012, 1:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-you-park-an-automatic-automobile-do-you-personally/626841/47 "2012-07-01T13:42:37Z")
I always put the emergency brake on. However, I primarily have driven manual transmission cars (of the four cars I’ve owned in 18 years, only one has been non-manual (a CVT in my Honda Civic Hybrid I had for 2 years)). So, I do it out of habit. Though, in my car, I do leave it in gear and then apply the emergency brake. When I drive my wife’s car, which is an automatic, I always put it on, but I don’t really even think about it. ---
**Author:** ![WhyNot](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/c77e96/32.png) [@WhyNot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WhyNot)\ **Post date:** [July 1, 2012, 2:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-you-park-an-automatic-automobile-do-you-personally/626841/48 "2012-07-01T14:03:32Z")
> [@Rick](#): > > It has been rumored around here that I know a tiny bit about cars, and I call bullshit on using park will fuck up a transmission. So, \*should \*I be using the parking brake on my automatic transmission ('03 Subaru Forester, if it matters) on flat land? Because this… > [@pulykamell](#): > > I voted the first option. I used to never ever set the parking brake on automatics except in hilly situations. I was never taught to (that I remember) in my driver’s education class (except for hills), and I don’t know of a single city driver (ETA: in the flat Midwest) who does so. That said, since I’ve been driving sticks for the last 15 years or so, I do sometimes set the brake on an automatic. Not always (as I do on a manual), but about half the time. …matches my experiences exactly, and \*\*pulykamell \*\*and I live in the same area (although I don’t know if he took driver’s ed around here or not.) In driver’s ed, we used automatics, and were never instructed to use the parking brake. At home for practice, Mom made me use her manual so I’d learn to drive both, and I \*was \*instructed to use the parking brake but told by the guy teaching me (who is a huge car nut/restorer/collector) that I didn’t have to use the parking brake when parking an automatic unless it was on an incline. Mom agreed with him, and has never that I’ve seen used the parking brake since she started driving automatics. Pretty specific education there. Manual=parking brake; automatic=parking brake sometimes. Were they wrong? I ask because I’ll change my habits if I have to for safety or for easing wear and tear on the vehicle, but of course like any habit, I’d rather not go through the effort of changing my ways (and inevitably taking off with the parking brake still engaged at least once or twice along the learning curve) if it’s not actually required. And I trust your opinion, **Rick** , because yeah, you seem to know a thing or two about cars. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![Attack\_from\_the\_3rd\_dimension](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/b38774/32.png) [@Attack\_from\_the\_3rd\_dimension](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Attack_from_the_3rd_dimension)\ **Post date:** [July 1, 2012, 2:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-you-park-an-automatic-automobile-do-you-personally/626841/49 "2012-07-01T14:08:27Z")
I’ll often set the parking brake while clipping along at speed, to do a moonshiner’s turn. That didn’t get a poll option. ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [July 1, 2012, 2:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-you-park-an-automatic-automobile-do-you-personally/626841/50 "2012-07-01T14:16:16Z")
> [@WhyNot](#): > > …matches my experiences exactly, and \*\*pulykamell \*\*and I live in the same area (although I don’t know if he took driver’s ed around here or not.) Yep, took driver’s ed at my high school, way down on south Pulaski. Glad to know it wasn’t just a matter of me forgetting my driver’s education. Then again, I suppose we could both have had bad driving instructors. I just looked at the Illinois Rules of the Road, and it’s certainly not stressed there. Even for hill parking it just says “In either situation, you must set the parking brake or put the gear selector in “Park”.” ---
**Author:** ![WhyNot](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/c77e96/32.png) [@WhyNot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WhyNot)\ **Post date:** [July 1, 2012, 2:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-you-park-an-automatic-automobile-do-you-personally/626841/51 "2012-07-01T14:25:49Z")
> [@pulykamell](#): > > Yep, took driver’s ed at my high school, way down on south Pulaski. Glad to know it wasn’t just a matter of me forgetting my driver’s education. Then again, I suppose we could both have had bad driving instructors. I just looked at the Illinois Rules of the Road, and it’s certainly not stressed there. Even for hill parking it just says “In either situation, you must set the parking brake or put the gear selector in “Park”.” Okay, I took it at my high school in Tinley Park. So yes, within 20 miles for sure. I was glad to see your post, too, because the other replies had me feeling somewhat horrified and ashamed that I’ve been Doing It Wrong all these years! At least I can rest assured that, even if I have to change my ways, it’s not because I was an idiot who forgot or ignored an important instruction when I learned to drive. ---
**Author:** ![Do\_Not\_Taunt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/do_not_taunt/32/2968_2.png) [@Do\_Not\_Taunt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Do_Not_Taunt)\ **Post date:** [July 1, 2012, 4:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-you-park-an-automatic-automobile-do-you-personally/626841/52 "2012-07-01T16:36:19Z")
In an automatic, I skip the parking brake on flat areas, and only use it with a significant incline. I live in a pretty hilly city, but generally park on something flat. However, for a manual, I always put it in gear _and_ set the parking brake, so I was baffled by this: > [@Stranger\_On\_A\_Train](#): > > I do not leave the transmission in gear due to the damage that can result from impact or tow, and also because it will not prevent the car from rolling in any situation in which the hand brake is likely to fail. I’ve never heard of this. Can you elaborate? ---
**Author:** ![Loach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/loach/32/350_2.png) [@Loach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Loach)\ **Post date:** [July 1, 2012, 5:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-you-park-an-automatic-automobile-do-you-personally/626841/53 "2012-07-01T17:07:21Z")
Only if I’m on a hill. Most of the time I don’t. ---
**Author:** ![DMark](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e68b1a/32.png) [@DMark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DMark)\ **Post date:** [July 1, 2012, 5:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-you-park-an-automatic-automobile-do-you-personally/626841/54 "2012-07-01T17:14:56Z")
Flat area here in Las Vegas. My brother borrowed my car once and parked it in the driveway…we have maybe a 1 degree slope…and put on the parking brake. I couldn’t even find the parking brake release on the car! I had to get out, get on my knees and look around under the steering wheel to see how to release it. And to be honest, I have forgotten again how to use it or release it. ---
**Author:** ![Procrustus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/procrustus/32/2994_2.png) [@Procrustus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Procrustus)\ **Post date:** [July 1, 2012, 5:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-you-park-an-automatic-automobile-do-you-personally/626841/55 "2012-07-01T17:38:15Z")
When driving an automatic, i seldom use parking break. Exception for steep hills like those in downtown Seattle. ---
**Author:** ![Thudlow\_Boink](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thudlow_boink/32/320_2.png) [@Thudlow\_Boink](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Thudlow_Boink)\ **Post date:** [July 1, 2012, 5:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-you-park-an-automatic-automobile-do-you-personally/626841/56 "2012-07-01T17:48:21Z")
> [@DMark](#): > > Flat area here in Las Vegas. > My brother borrowed my car once and parked it in the driveway…we have maybe a 1 degree slope…and put on the parking brake. > I couldn’t even find the parking brake release on the car! > I had to get out, get on my knees and look around under the steering wheel to see how to release it. > And to be honest, I have forgotten again how to use it or release it. Makes me wonder what other standard features on their cars people never use and don’t even know how to. I remember a thread from a few years back where somebody asked why/when you’d ever use high beams. And in all my years of driving automatic transmission cars, I don’t think I’ve ever once used those lower gears—just Drive, Reverse, and Park. ---
**Author:** ![Taomist](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/53a042/32.png) [@Taomist](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Taomist)\ **Post date:** [July 1, 2012, 5:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-you-park-an-automatic-automobile-do-you-personally/626841/57 "2012-07-01T17:50:05Z")
I live in flatland, and don’t use the e-brake. My father in law ALWAYS uses it, but sometimes I wonder why, as I’ve seen that car go up to 60 miles an hour with it on, and you can’t tell unless you’re actually driving it. (Apparantly MIL can’t tell at ALL, lol) ---
**Author:** ![Kenm](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/bc79bd/32.png) [@Kenm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kenm)\ **Post date:** [July 1, 2012, 5:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-you-park-an-automatic-automobile-do-you-personally/626841/58 "2012-07-01T17:54:56Z")
I occasionally come across a story saying use the parking brake at least once a week, month, whatever, to prevent rust from seizing the cables. Sometimes this includes the warning that rusted cables might work when applying the brake but not releasing it if it was required in a certain situation, in which case the driver is doomed to walk. ---
**Author:** ![Novelty\_Bobble](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/a3d4f5/32.png) [@Novelty\_Bobble](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Novelty_Bobble)\ **Post date:** [July 1, 2012, 7:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-you-park-an-automatic-automobile-do-you-personally/626841/59 "2012-07-01T19:10:05Z")
For those who only use it on an incline I have to inform you that probably aren’t as diligent as you think you are. Simple human nature. If it isn’t an automatic (ha!) action when you don’t need it, then you are certain to forget it sometimes when you do. And that is the point. Having it as part of your parking drill, no matter what the car type or gradient situation means you are far less likely to forget to apply it when required. ---
**Author:** ![missred](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/missred/32/14096_2.png) [@missred](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/missred)\ **Post date:** [July 1, 2012, 7:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-you-park-an-automatic-automobile-do-you-personally/626841/60 "2012-07-01T19:48:04Z")
When I drive an automatic, I seldom use the park brake. When I do, it’s on a significant incline and the vehicle is both in Park the wheels turned the correct way and the P-brake on. Mostly, I drive a manual though. I always park it in gear and only use the P-brake with a little incline or more and wheels turned to take me off the road if both should happen to fail. I learned to drive in the flat midwest on a manual, took driver’s ed there on an automatic and have been mostly driving manuals in the Nashville area for the past 17 years. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-you-park-an-automatic-automobile-do-you-personally/626841.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-you-park-an-automatic-automobile-do-you-personally/626841.md?page=4)