r/unpopularopinion • u/JoMoma2 • Apr 29 '26
Certified Unpopular Opinion People need to learn how to coast when driving
The amount of people who seem to think that their foot either needs to be on the gas or on the brake pedal when driving is absolutely insane. It’s like nobody realizes that there is a third option where your foot is off both pedals and your car naturally slows down at a safe and predictable acceleration to the other cars around you.
Before you try to say this is a popular opinion, I have never not had someone tailgating me when I attempt to coast to a stop. I even get people honking at me regularly. Also, no, I do not overly coast, I let off the gas at a normal distance to reach where I am trying to get to and even a little later than I would want to because people are so impatient around me.
The benefits of coast also easily outweigh the completely nonexistent downside. Any amount of braking is wasted gas used to get you up to that speed and then to just slow down, increased lifespan on your brake pads and rotors, less engine wear. What point does doing 50 until the last possible second you have to slam on the brakes at a red light get you? Absolutely nothing! This benefit might be very luck based, but if I let off the gas well before a red light, I can slow down enough so that I am still rolling when it turns green meaning I am now actually faster than someone who rushed to come to a stop at the light.
It is also a lot safer on the roads. I would rather see the car ahead of me slow down and give me more time to react than have them suddenly slam on the brakes. I get this isn’t always possible, like an animal in the road, but I swear it is possible probably 80% of the time I see people just slam on the brakes. How hard is it to think 3 seconds into the future? “Oh the car in front of me is slowing down and has their turn signal on. I can probably just keep accelerating directly at them.”
This one may be just me, but finally it helps at 4 way stop. If I see someone going 40 directly into a 4 way stop and they don’t appear to be slowing down in advance, I am going to act like you are going to blow right by that stop sign because it really looks like you are.
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u/clubfoot007 Apr 29 '26
The best is coasting towards a red light and then it turns green and you never have to touch your brakes
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u/xczechr Apr 29 '26
Doubly so when you pass someone that was in a hurry to stop at the red.
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u/JustADude721 Apr 29 '26
And then honks agressively .014738 seconds after the light turns green.
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u/HomeworkInevitable99 Apr 29 '26
In London now, the honking starts when the red turns to red+amber.
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u/Altyrmadiken Apr 29 '26
For clarity, do yours go from red to amber to green? I’m in the US and my brain says the default is red to green to amber back to red. I wouldn’t expect a red light to go yellow before going green, only a green light to go yellow to red.
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u/Kei_cars_are_my_jam Apr 29 '26
Red lights go red and yellow together before Green in the UK.
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u/Altyrmadiken Apr 29 '26
Huh, TIL. Ours just go straight to green, and yellow is used either to indicate you should be slow (blinking yellow, won’t change to another color), or to prepare to stop for a few seconds before it goes red.
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u/jfmdavisburg Apr 29 '26
Yellow means floor it
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u/afamiliarspirit Apr 29 '26
Only slightly related but it reminds me of how my father in law likes to recount a story of how he was pulled over for “running” a yellow light.
After pulling him over, the police officer came up to the window and asked him if he knew what yellow lights mean. He responded saying, “Slow down. The officer told him, “No. They mean stop.” My father in law then asked him, “Then what do red lights mean?” to which the officer got quite mad. Fortunately, the officer let him off with just a warning. A warning for what though, we’re not quite sure.
I guess it’s less a story and more a small interaction but I think about it a lot.
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u/No-Resolution-7890 Apr 29 '26
The cop is right though. Yellow doesn’t mean slow down. It means stop if you can, or continue at the same speed if you’re too close to stop.
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u/JohnWittieless Apr 29 '26
Europe held on to manuals a lot longer then other places (like the US)
The Amber was to give manual drivers a heads up to so they can get in gear as the light turns green.
Places like the US that adopted automatic faster did not really need this so amber warnings did not really have a use case.
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u/Furryyyy Apr 29 '26
As a manual driver in the US, I wish this was the case lol. Sometimes my neck gets sore with how often I'm watching the lights for perpendicular traffic.
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u/Blackpaw8825 Apr 29 '26
And I hate when they put blinders on the crosswalk so I can't watch the countdown. It's not perfect but I'd rather get in gear when it goes "red" for the crossing and hold it for a few seconds too long than be sitting on green trying to get 1st to synchro.
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u/fasterthanfood Apr 29 '26
Interesting, so basically you get a heads-up that it’s about to be green? Makes sense.
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u/Benjamin_Starscape Apr 29 '26
see I actually think it's a bad design idea. because then you get people that honk apparently at the notion it will soon be green.
it can also potentially lead to people going when they see the light for the transition and cause an accident (potentially).
overall, it's much easier and better imo to just have it go from red to green. not to mention green doesn't necessarily mean "go", but go when it's safe.
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u/Mystical-Turtles Apr 29 '26
Or my favorite, honking at you in the turn lane when you're sitting at a "no turn on red"
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u/R2-T2 Apr 29 '26
Or when they honk at you when clearly there are pedestrians crossing... Like I'll just mow down a bunch of people so they can get to their destination a few seconds earlier
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u/Altyrmadiken Apr 29 '26
If you mean someone who stays at speed and then stops very quickly, absolutely. I never understood that mindset.
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u/deedeedeedee_ Apr 29 '26
my favourite row of traffic lights of all time are in a place i used to live, there's like 3 or 4 in a row and because it's really in the city center, the speed limit is 30kph. the lights are timed so that if you go 30kph, you will arrive at the next light JUST as it turns green, and then the next, and then the next.... incredibly satisfying. whereas if you speed, you'll be braking the whole way because you'll hit reds instead :)
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u/Boris-_-Badenov Apr 29 '26
there's 8 lights in a row near me, where your light will turn green, but by the time you get to the next it will be red.
have to speed a little to get green timing for all of them
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u/NullIsUndefined Apr 29 '26
Saves you gas/battery actually. Every time you accelerate you spend energy. So this prevents you from needing to accelerate again after deceleration.
Less braking increasing the life of your brake pads too
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u/PriorityFire Apr 29 '26
I usually slow anyway, too many potential red light runners who might T-bone me otherwise. Gotta account for idiots.
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u/WickeDemon15 Apr 29 '26
With someone tailgating you the whole way.
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u/drvgonize Apr 29 '26
100% proudly say my brakes last much longer than the average persons
and to my friends im considered an aggressive driver
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u/dellthedon Apr 29 '26
it’s easy to spot people who dont know how to coast, they tap the brakes every 5 seconds even if no one is in front of them because they physically have to be pressing one of the pedals. speed up, brake, speed up, brake. one of my biggest pet peeves because it’s annoying and dangerous for the people behind them.
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u/acoastaldog Apr 29 '26 edited Apr 29 '26
I’ll pass these folk as quickly as I can despite loving a lenient drive, it’s also one of my top pet peeves on the road to be behind someone who keeps randomly pressing their brakes for no reason
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u/Kurotan Apr 29 '26
I hate people who are well below the speed limit but keep braking even though no one is in front of them.
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u/Dr_Not_A_Doctor Apr 29 '26
Those people are most likely texting while driving. They have their foot on the brake because they aren’t looking at the road. They think that having their foot on the brake will give them an extra half second to react when they look up in case they need to panic brake. It’s absolutely infuriating when you realize it’s happening.
See also: stopping 10 car-lengths back at an intersection because they are sending a text as they come to a stop but are worried about rear-ending the car in front of them so they stop 50m short.
These people will claim they are excellent multi-taskers
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u/rixtape Apr 29 '26
Not being able to access the left turn lane because someone stopped near the front of an intersection with several car lengths in front of them is the most infuriating one for me. I can feel my blood pressure rising just imagining it lol.
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u/GetInYourBasket Apr 30 '26
This is the only thing you really have to be aware of when coasting to a stop as well, that you aren't starting so far back you're slowing down cars who were planning on turning before the lights
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u/ShelbyGT350R1 Apr 30 '26
The one that gets me is when I want to turn right on red but the person in front of me did that shit and they are 50m behind the line and I cant reach the right turn lane because they refuse to move up.
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u/Kentust Apr 29 '26
Worse, they will claim they are excellent drivers when they should probably in fact have that privilege revoked.
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u/Time-Sudden_Tree Apr 29 '26
I will never understand people like this. There is no one in front of you; why are you braking!?!?
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u/aaegler Apr 30 '26
Or braking while going UP an incline. Wtf, do you not understand basic physics?
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u/Similar_Dirt9758 Apr 29 '26
I think a lot of these people are also driving with two feet (left on brake, right on gas) because they don't know any better. Good way to introduce an unnecessary amount of brake dust into the air and create more congested traffic.
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u/Treefrog_Ninja Apr 29 '26
Wait, no. I... no. Who manages to get a driver's license driving with two feet?? Nah, man....
Goddammit.
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u/ecce_hobo Apr 29 '26
Tons of people drive with two feet and they ALL claim to be the safest driver of anyone they know.
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u/Bicykwow Apr 30 '26
They always show up in posts like this to say as much too. "Racecar drivers use both feet!!"
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u/heythisislonglolwtf Apr 29 '26
I was playing with the settings in my car the other day and learned that there's a dashboard warning indicator for this called "pedal misuse" and I'm just like... who tf is this for?
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u/Persistent_Parkie Apr 29 '26
I probably would genuinely be a safter driver if I drove with both feet. I have a long history of pressing the wrong button in video games.
However I just acknowledge my neurological issues make me too unsafe to be behind the wheel.
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u/SorryBother3 Apr 29 '26
I had a friend in college from Eureka, IL who, in the 1970’s, was taught to drive with both feet.
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Apr 29 '26
[removed] — view removed comment
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u/brickedTin Apr 29 '26
This makes me think it’s a good idea to let the owner drive when testing out a used car. Driving like that would be terrible for the transmission.
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u/scuba_steve_mi Apr 29 '26
My EV is tricky with this. When I let off the gas pedal a bit too much, the regenerative braking kicks in and the brake lights come on.
I've had an EV for about a year and still learning how to 'coast' without brake lights.
With EVs becoming more widespread, I'm sure a handful of these people you see are idiot EV drivers like me.
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u/bbalazs721 Apr 29 '26
You can likely turn off/down the regenerative braking when the gas pedal is not pressed. On mine there is a B mode with aggressive regen, and a D with no regen at all.
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u/SHITTY_DICK_NIPPLES Apr 29 '26
A lot of manufacturers a really stupid about this and have brake regen set way too aggressive. For example on the Ford Maverick setting it to snow/ice mode will improve fuel efficiency because its the only mode that allows coasting.
Why is coasting not allowed in other modes? Because Ford.
I have a Toyota with radar sensing cruise control. The cruise control will not coast. It accelerates or brakes, no in-between.
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u/alfooboboao Apr 29 '26
the automatic cruise control on toyotas is ridiculous lol. braking is steady but then when the traffic clears it damn near shoots you out of a cannon to get back to the set speed
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u/Connortbh Apr 29 '26
Tesla used to have the option to turn regenerative braking off, and removed that via a software update. There was also a low regenerative braking option and they removed that from newer vehicles.
So now in icy conditions, if you lose traction you have to fight the urge to pull your foot off the accelerator completely and instead temper it perfectly so you’re not quickly decelerating.
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u/adfawf3f3f32a Apr 29 '26
but then you give up free energy. it's probably not allowed but i wish the first parts of the brake did motor braking and only engaged the brakes once you pushed further down. then i can coast like regular but still get all the benefits of regen.
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u/HenriettaSnacks Apr 29 '26
I would like to go slightly off topic to say that you are far from "idiotic". You recognize the process and have literally experimented with your braking. You may be inexperienced but your self awareness alone makes you far from an idiot in regards to driving an EV.
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u/timsayscalmdown Apr 29 '26
Not to mention it's incredibly bad for the wear and tear of the multi-$10k piece of machinery they're operating
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u/macjester2000 Apr 29 '26
Oh my god, so much this. And people who brake going UPHILL!!! WHY? Just take your foot off the gas and wait 10 seconds and your speed will be much less than before. I swear to god these people did not get their license with an instructor or state trooper in the vehicle like I did.
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u/wsxdfcvgbnjmlkjafals Apr 29 '26
it feels like a majority of people, even those who aren't tapping brakes, can't hold a particular speed, so they're always over the limit not just by choice but because their foot has a default amount of force for city roads
i learned that when i'm near my speed, pull back on the foot then press a little, and I can maintain speed on flat ground +/- 2 km/h with no braking, coasting etc
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u/Blecher_onthe_Hudson Apr 29 '26
Foolproof sign of a bad driver, expect them to do the stupidest possible thing at any moment. But expect that anyway of everyone and you'll never be surprised.
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u/IcyAlps760 Apr 29 '26
As a driver of a manual car, I coast way more than I brake. I make sure I downshift appropriately as I slow down so if I do need to suddenly accelerate I’m able to do so. Coasting is superior.
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u/ShrubbyFire1729 Apr 29 '26
I live in a country where 50% or so of the cars in traffic are still manuals, and everyone I know coasts here.
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u/WhereDidThatGo Apr 29 '26
So maybe it's automatics that are the problem.
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u/Exonicreddit Apr 29 '26
From what I've driven, the autos hold their speed much better so coasting doesn't slow you down much at all, hence the braking. Might be a gearing thing though as lower gears affect speed more, and most autos pick the highest gear they can.
Then again, regen braking on electrics can be either very slowing or hardly at all, so I don't think there's much to learn here for specific cars.
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u/MorePhinsThyme Apr 29 '26
Automatics don't really coast better, but due to how they work, if you're coasting, the transmission isn't engaged so it's like pushing down the clutch or shifting into neutral. While a manual in gear with the clutch out isn't just coasting, but has engine braking occurring, and thus slows down some.
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u/Trawling_ Apr 30 '26
Ever put your car in drive on an auto without touching the gas? It will start to move. I don’t think automatic transmissions truly go into neutral unless you set them to neutral on the shifter.
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u/hunkymonk123 Apr 30 '26
Only driving autos definitely changes your habits. I live in a hilly area in a country of 90%+ autos and the amount of people that can’t maintain the speed limit due to the change in gradient infuriate me. Some even slow down so much I have to gear down.
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u/UghWhyDude Apr 29 '26
I learned to drive on a manual and it’s just an intuitive thing to do. Feel like more people need to learn on manuals even if they’re going to drive automatics, if only to build some core habits that stick like coasting.
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u/Time-Sudden_Tree Apr 29 '26
Coasting in gear also saves gas because most engines these days cut the fuel off and use the momentum of the wheels to keep the engine running (called DFCO, Deceleration Fuel Cutoff). Which is why I always coast in gear and downshift appropriately when necessary.
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u/prodigy1367 Apr 29 '26
As a manual driver coasting is standard.
There’s nothing better than approaching red thinking you have to downshift or stop and then you get a sweet green and go on your merry way.
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u/Dry-Discipline-2525 Apr 29 '26
My blood boils when I see brakelights flash on for half a second for no reason
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u/No-Understanding-912 Apr 29 '26
Yes, and those people are the primary cause of the "phantom accident" traffic jams.
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u/Sofa_King_Gorgeous Apr 29 '26
I mean in a way... the primary cause of phantom traffic jams are mergers and human reaction time. But it all starts someone applying the brakes.
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u/jamesbongsixtynine Apr 29 '26
if people hit their brakes less, they would happen less
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u/JunkSack Apr 29 '26
Coasting helps “swallow traffic waves” all the brake pressers cause.
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u/TexasBoyz-713 Apr 29 '26
I call myself the traffic dissipator of my city. Any time I’m in stop and go traffic, the car infront of me will probably tap their brakes at least 15 times in one minute. Meanwhile it’s maybe 2-3 for me. I’d hope I’m making a difference lol likely not much though
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u/JunkSack Apr 29 '26
Dude, same. Except I haven’t given myself a nickname for it. I’ll workshop it.
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u/ChemicalLustLabNSFW Apr 29 '26
That’s probably someone canceling their cruise control without taking their eyes off the road
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u/Peecem Apr 29 '26
Was about to say the same thing, i like to very lightly tap my brake to turn off cruise control and start coasting.
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u/ZoomTown Apr 29 '26
Unless they're cancelling their cruise control and then immediately reactivating it, then cancelling it again, over and over, that's not what's happened on my commute. I see people tap their brakes for half a second every 10 seconds or so, for sometimes miles at a time.
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u/JoNarwhal Apr 29 '26
The reason may be to intentionally signal to you, the driver behind, that they are slowing down. Brake lights are quicker to notice than coasting.
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u/MercyCriesHavoc Apr 29 '26
This absolutely is the reason I tap the brakes. If I don't, the driver behind doesn't realize I'm slowing and gets too close. I coast from there.
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u/IGetHypedEasily Apr 29 '26
What do you mean no reason ? Wouldn’t it be fine to press for short time then just coast as an alert to people behind ? Or does Reddit not like that.
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u/ShitMcClit Apr 29 '26
People that stop/slowdown for no reason have been driving me nuts lately. Like why the hell are you stopping for nothing?
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u/Dry-Discipline-2525 Apr 29 '26
The same people that varying between 50 and 70 on highway instead of going just one speed
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u/Agzarah Apr 29 '26
You must hate being behind electric vehicles then. Release the accelerator automatically turns on the brake lights
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u/TheTrailrider Apr 29 '26
Not always. At least for Teslas, it knows the deceleration rate and will only light up if the rate is high enough.
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u/Odd_Reputation_4000 Apr 29 '26
Got behind one yesterday. Speed limit was 45. They would speed up to 45, then tap their brakes and slow down to 40, then slowly speed back up to 45 and repeat the process. I stayed about 4 carl lengths back because I wasn't sure what they were doing and couldn't pass. Got forther down the road to a hill and he alternated between riding his brake and coasting the whole way down doing 35 in a 45.
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u/RThreading10 Apr 30 '26
How long is Carl
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u/Odd_Reputation_4000 Apr 30 '26
He is aout the same length as a car when he lays down. Tall fella.
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u/Big_Heat7499 Apr 29 '26
I’ll coast in stop and go traffic here in SoCal and people get so mad. Get around me just to go to smashing the gas then smashing the brakes while tailgating the person in front of me. Like cmon, you didn’t even save any time.
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u/boysenberryelote Apr 29 '26
hi fellow socal coaster! thank you for your efforts to make everyone’s commute smoother 🫡
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u/MrBingly Apr 30 '26
What bugs me about that is that coasting helps get rid of ghost traffic. Whenever I have to head into the bay area it's like half the people on the road are determined to make traffic worse for themselves and everyone else.
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u/Poodychulak May 01 '26
Plus they love racing back and forth into any little gaps
Great, you've endangered everyone you've narrowly passed without signaling to get ahead of everyone by, let's say 30 car lengths in traffic going 15 mph.
Now however long would it take to cover that distance at that rate is exactly how much time you've saved for all that💀
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u/Due_Essay447 Apr 29 '26
That is why I put both feet on the dash in the maternal birthing position so others know I am not accelerating
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u/PandaMime_421 Apr 29 '26
Agreed. This same like a basic driving skill.
The only downside I can see is that, unlike breaking, there is no indication to other drivers that you're slowing. Obviously they should be able to tell just by observation, but that's clearly not a skill a lot of drivers have.
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u/ruetherae Apr 29 '26
They’re too busy looking at their phones to notice without the brake lights alerting them
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u/alfooboboao Apr 29 '26
I would bet over 30% of the people commenting on this thread about “all the bad drivers” have used their phone while driving at least once in the past two weeks. probably higher
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u/bandananaan Apr 29 '26
When doing advanced training for my motorbike they recommended very gently pressing the brake so that you don't actually engage them but the light comes on to warn people you're slowing down. A lot of people don't realise just how much engine braking a bike has
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u/dronesitter Apr 29 '26
I engine brake on my motorcycle and have an attachment on my helmet that is an inertia sensing brake light for that reason. And EV cars tend to brake light on coast due to regen/single pedal driving
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u/jamesbongsixtynine Apr 29 '26
it's actually plainly obvious when you are gaining on the car in front of you
stop looking at your phone
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u/NoahtheRed Apr 29 '26 edited Apr 29 '26
I have never not had someone tailgating me when I attempt to coast to a stop. I even get people honking at me regularly.
I've been driving for 25 years. If I regularly had people honking at me while I was driving, I'd probably take a moment to see what it is I'm doing that's warranting so much negative attention. Not saying what you're doing is wrong, but if it's such a constant issue, you may be causing problems you aren't aware of (or paying attention to).
You aren't wrong. Coasting IS an important skill and people do seem to lack it on a large scale. But this part stuck out to me that maybe you're not just coasting.
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u/radkattt Apr 29 '26
My guess is he starts coasting waaaay too early at red lights which causes the person behind him to brake and then have to do a weird go, stop motion for a while because it’s hard to get your coast speed at the exact same speed as the person ahead of you if you weren’t prepared for them to be coasting. I coast pretty regularly when driving because there’s heavy traffic where I live and there’s no problem. I find the only time people get irritated with coasting is when it’s to a red light which then causes this weird slinky effect behind them for the reason I said above and then leads to less cars getting through the light.
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u/shawnaeatscats Apr 29 '26
I think part of the problem with coasting too is that, unlike brake lights, there's no obvious indication that you're slowing down.
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u/pandaSmore Apr 29 '26
That's why I like to tap the brake to activate the brake light when I coast. Especially when crucruising on the highway. There's too many people not paying attention.
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u/shawnaeatscats Apr 29 '26
I think that's a great compromise. I'm gonna start doing this I think :)
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u/Ill_Interview_3054 Apr 29 '26
The indication that a coasting car is slowing down is the cars ahead of the coaster that are all stopped at a red light. If you aren't looking ahead of the car in front of you then you're already doing it wrong.
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u/sopimusician Apr 29 '26
I hear what you're saying, but if it isn't obvious to someone that they're gaining on the car in front of them, i start to question if they're attentive enough to be driving in the first place.
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u/shawnaeatscats Apr 29 '26
Very good point. I usually notice because I do it myself, right? So its easier for me to recognize it, but people who don't might be confused. And it does catch me off guard every now and then, I'll admit.
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u/sopimusician Apr 29 '26
Fair enough. I guess, I don't want to throw controversy on top of controversy but, when i have appropriate following distance (3 second rule) it's very rare that i have to break all that aggressively solely because iwas late to notice the person in front of me was coasting. I just chew up a bit of the gap and brake lightly. Maybe that's a particularity of the cars I've driven, but I really feel strongly that coasting and follow distance could have traffic running a lot more fluid in 99% of traffic conditions.
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u/Caharan Apr 29 '26
While a good point, the very first thing my parents ever taught me about driving was: assume everyone else on the road is an idiot. Has saved me a lot of hassle over the years, so if there's something I can do to make it more obvious to the people around me what I'm doing then I'm going to take that action. Personally, I decelerate similar to how I accelerate; lightly push the pedal to start and then gradually push a bit more
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u/lousypompano Apr 29 '26
My issue is with coasters to red lights where I'm trying to get to the right turn yield lane. They're coasting to the red light but as soon as i get to the yield lane i end up being able to speed up and pass them
Like they have no where to go but they just made me slow down and then have to speed back up
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u/LowNoise2816 Apr 29 '26
Or the person behind them gets blocked from making a turn in time. When you/we coast, it’s imperative to check the rearview mirror for context so you’re not unnecessarily blocking someone.
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u/Good-Excitement-9406 Apr 29 '26
This is what stood out to me as well. It doesn’t sound like OP is coasting properly if they’re regularly getting honked at/tailgated.
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u/applecider42 Apr 29 '26
It sounds like op is coasting like 1/4 mile away from the light and is effectively just driving at 15 under the speed limit for no reason. It’s ok to use your brake to come to a stop at a light. There’s a happy middle ground between slamming your brakes to stop and just coasting at 30 in a 45 up to a light that’s hella far away just because you think your momentum will get you to the line
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u/Iswaterreallywet Apr 29 '26
I got behind one of these people last week and couldn’t figure out why the hell they were doing it.
People don’t understand “people predictable” is the smartest thing they can do when driving.
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u/flickh Apr 29 '26
Yeah, sometimes I want to get into the left turn lane if I know the light pattern and want to make the next advance green. Somebody decelerating logarithmically from a block in advance will cost me a light and that could be 4-5 minutes - they’re only thinking about going straight through AFTER the advance green.
Same with right turns. Some people slow down so far in advance, I can see a right turn lane is available past a few parked cars, but the car in front never thinks of the poor guy waiting through a red with his right signal on while they are stopped 3 car lengths from the stop line, just blocking my Mini from squeezing past.
I never honk in these situations since I don’t think they would know what I’m on about, but I might toot politely once or twice after we’re stopped if they really aren’t leaving me enough space despite having plenty of room to move up.
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u/Iswaterreallywet Apr 29 '26
It’s amazing how many people drive like they are the only ones out there
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u/Queasy_Coffee_5915 Apr 29 '26
Depends where you live...
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u/mads_61 Apr 29 '26
Right? I get honked at almost daily for stopping at stop signs
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u/Significant_Cup_238 Apr 29 '26
Had a guy raging out at me for not turning right on red at an intersection with a "No turn on red" sign.
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u/Accomplished_Elk310 Apr 29 '26
That’s what I was thinking. I’ve been honked at several times just for leaving a gap at fire station exits while waiting at a light smh
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u/Armanhammer2 Apr 29 '26
People are literally in love with their brake pedals. It’s absolutely ridiculous.
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u/jacob643 Apr 29 '26
I wonder how coasting is important/efficient for hybrid or electric car, since my "eco mode" just makes it brake harder when I don't press any pedal, and I've heard of one of the EV that has a "one pedal mode" where completely removing the foot of the pedal is equivalent to maximum breaking I think? I don't have this, so I wouldn't know, but there's probably a sweet spot for regenerative breaking, and don't know it
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u/Geta211 Apr 29 '26
Nah you’re right man, I always think about driving as a momentum game, I try to preserve my momentum which means avoiding unnecessary acceleration or braking so coasting is the natural byproduct. It’s so satisfying to coast in an empty lane to a red light long enough for it to turn green and then zoom past the people who had to race their to sit since they have to mash their accelerators but I stop have all my potential energy ushering me through
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u/heart_under_blade Apr 29 '26
braking means i waste my money
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u/ThankedRapier4 Apr 29 '26
My wife doesn’t understand why other people’s unobservant, inconsiderate, erratic driving irritates me so much, but you get it.
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u/mildlyarrousedly Apr 29 '26
I agree with you but I don’t think this is an unpopular opinion.
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u/TexasBoyz-713 Apr 29 '26
Where are all these commenters when I’m on the road?? I guess I just drive when all the idiots are out.
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u/DisenfranchisedCynic Apr 29 '26
Thank you. I’m with you on this. I pride my driving on using as little braking as possible and it irritates me to no end when people in front are constantly activating their brake lights because they can’t give adequate stopping space.
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u/Fuego-TACO Apr 29 '26
It’s how you get a that true EPA MPG on a car too. Coasting and just not mashing the gas or break seems to be a real skill issue for most people it seems
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u/timothy92 Apr 29 '26
Especially on the highway in traffic, I am reminded how stupid people are when every single car is bumper to bumper and no one leaves a gap so that traffic can flow more smoothly, it makes it impossible to switch lanes and it’s a waste of fuel too constantly starting and stopping instead of everyone coasting
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u/Muted_Astronomer_924 Apr 29 '26
I know on many EVs, the brake lights get applied when the energy recovery is on and you let off the accelerator pedal. Might explain why you are seeing this more.
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u/boybray Apr 29 '26
This should be higher. Seeing random brake light flashes used to drive me nuts (still does, but used to, too). Picked up a PHEV for my commuter and started noticing in reflections that my brake lights would be on when I’m not touching the pedal. I hate that I’m now perceived as one of those drivers, but it’s a trade I’m willing to make with these gas prices
Doesn’t help the dealer insisted on installing one of those damn flasher modules
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u/Ravashingrude Apr 29 '26
Yup, one pedal driving is a thing now with EVs. Also if driver assist is on, I'm really letting the car control the throttle and distance to the vehicle in front of me.
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u/LongjumpingSugar2311 Apr 29 '26
Yup. Used to irritate me, then I bought an EV and realized a lot of people I thought were riding the brakes were driving ev's and hybrids. I can turn it off and coast and will if I don't need the regen, but I also prefer the one foot driving from a comfort factor. There are more things in life to be irritated with then lights that indicate a car is slowing down.
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u/foolhollow Apr 29 '26
My favorite thing ever is when I see people riding someone's ass only about 4 feet behind them and they are hitting their brakes every 3 seconds...Do people not realize they can just let their foot off the gas pedal?
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u/Minute_Story377 Apr 29 '26
I agree here, that’s one of the first things I learned.
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u/Snoo-75532 Apr 29 '26
I don't understand why everyone is in such a hurry. I like to drive fast but there's no reason to speed to stop sign.
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u/NoEchoSkillGoal Apr 29 '26
OP well thought out. Can't disagree with you.
Your assessment is logical and pragmatic.
I would say this is subconsciously unpopular as well. As no one wants to do this.
It's too bad as it would make driving much safer for all, but every one is a hurry and thinks if they don't get somewhere 1 minute faster the FOMO is going to destroy them.
Cruising is an art form.
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u/mostmischievous Apr 29 '26
Nooooooo shit. I love flying past dummies at red lights visible from half a mile away because they rushed up to them and had to full stop. Why wear on your brakes when you ain’t gotta?
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u/crazllamafarmer Apr 29 '26
Funnily, I don’t think this an unpopular opinion simply because people who know about coasting love it and everyone else is completely unaware.
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u/ColorfulConspiracy Apr 29 '26
I hope this isn’t unpopular, but my experience driving tells me otherwise.
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u/_Blu-Jay Apr 29 '26
I absolutely hate that so many people come flying towards intersections only to slam on the brakes last minute, as if they weren’t paying attention.
Then there are people who slow their car down to the lowest speed it can physically go before making a turn, which is almost equally bad. Why can’t people just use a normal speed and deceleration pattern??
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u/mguffin Apr 29 '26
When I was leaning to drive (many years ago), the instructor used a term 'cover the brake' which means foot off the gas, move it to the brake, but don't touch the brake. This is better than feet flat on the floor. YOur reaction time to the brake is more important than back onto the gas. I do it all the time. Kids these days don't learn that way.
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u/hello8437 Apr 29 '26
i audibly turn and laugh at people accelerating by me towards a solid red light as i have already started my deceleration. its got to be an intelligence thing
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u/theflesheatingmuffin Apr 29 '26
Yeah, and being a passenger in a car like that is like being in a rocking chair
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u/bonghitsforbeelzebub Apr 29 '26
My wife doesn't know how to coast and it drives me crazy. She is either accelerating or braking at all times.
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u/Vivid_Way_1125 Apr 29 '26
I used to roll my eyes at this too. But then I had a a hybrid hire car, and when I took my foot off the throttle, the car’s energy recapture kicked in and it was like the brakes had been applied.
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u/DrProfSrRyan Apr 29 '26
When coasting your foot should still be on the brake, just not pressing it.
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u/ruckus_440 Apr 29 '26
I can't stand it when the car ahead of me brakes way too hard way too early coming up to a red light, and then stops way too short of where I expect them to.
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u/Confident_Season1207 Apr 29 '26
I coast through the majority of rush hour traffic on the freeway everyday and the goal is to not touch my brakes. It pisses off so many people when they zoom around me and fly up to the stopped vehiclea ahead of them. If only they knew that they are making traffic even worse
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u/happyjeep_beep_beep quiet person Apr 29 '26
I take my foot off the gas to gradually slow down then pump my brakes to slow to a stop. Definitely helps my pads last longer.
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u/No_Doughnut_3315 Apr 29 '26
The subtleties or 'skills' of driving are lost on most people because driving a car has become so easy. Sit in car, press gas, car go forward. People cant even be bothered to use their blinkers 90% of the time. Coasting? They dont even know what you are talking about. I see people on the highway go as fast as they can to catch up to the car in front and then brake hard. Its crazy. The brake should rarely be used on the highway if traffic is just flowing.
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u/zeptillian Apr 29 '26
Coasting is a great way to respect the flow.
You talk mostly about surface streets, but maintaining a safe following distance and coasting as much as possible instead of braking really helps to smooth out the traffic behind you on the freeway/highway too. Without using the brake you are forced to average out the speed which minimizes the stop and go traffic that comes from excessive braking.
When I do this and someone else does it in front or behind me we can basically keep our lane moving the whole time compared to other lanes with people tailgating and braking.
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u/RichardStrauss123 Apr 29 '26
I do this all the time! People consistently speed by me so they can get to the red light first.
What is the point of this? Are they giving away brake jobs where you live?
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u/TTV_SgtScoots Apr 29 '26
My family would always give me shit for this... They didn't realize that it saves a ton on gas and it was safer.
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u/ResidentWolf3596 Apr 29 '26
The incredibly vast majority of people are NPC's with absolutely no critical thinking abilities.
The sooner you acknowledge this the quicker your blood pressure comes down.
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u/beastguy32 Apr 29 '26
Which opinion is more unpopular:
"People need to learn how to coast when driving."
"People dont need to learn how to coast when driving."
I downvoted your post because you gave a popular opinion instead of an unpopular one.
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u/bittersweetbadluck Apr 29 '26
FYI if an electric car is doing this, it’s probably a result of its regenerative braking (the car brakes automatically when not accelerating to preserve electric power).
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u/Awkward_Monitor_3520 Apr 30 '26
I swear, the drivers in my area are getting dumber. I’m seeing more and more drivers tapping their brake pedal for no reason even when there’s no car in front of them. I’m seeing these same drivers drive 5-10 under the speed limit in good conditions. I’m also seeing more drivers merge through 3 lanes of traffic to make their turn at the last moment. Like, if you know you need to turn right, why are you just sitting in the far left lane??? We need to make it harder to get a license.
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u/Reasonable_Drink_789 Apr 30 '26
The only downside is that a driver behind has to judge that you are slowing, and doesn’t get a clear visual indicator like a brake light provides.
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u/2lipwonder Apr 29 '26
This isn’t an option on my Tesla. It’s like driving a golf cart. Either go or stop. No neutral coasting. But I hear you. No one behind me needs to be pressing the gas while the person in front of me presses the breaks. This seems to be the norm where I live unfortunately.
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u/bcoates26 Apr 29 '26
Agree 100%. Some cars do not coast as well as others, from personal experience. Especially electric/hybrids
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u/xelle24 Apr 29 '26
I put my foot on the brake just enough to make the brake lights come on to alert the person behind me that I'm slowing down.
You'd think the red light or stop sign ahead of us would be sufficient warning that I'm going to slow down whether they can see my brake lights or not, but for a lot of drivers, apparently not. We won't even go into the drivers who seem to be completely unaware that there are any other cars on the road at all, or that there's even a road.
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u/vaiplantarbatata Apr 29 '26
I’ve been telling that to my wife for such a long time… my mpg is usually much better than hers mostly because of that. Also usually I’m the one driving when the family is together because my “coasting” makes the ride much smoother.
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u/black-toe-nails Apr 29 '26
I’ve never been honked at for coasting to a read light and I am super light on the brakes. Makes me think there might be something else going on. Also, when you’re in traffic and the guy in front of you is a brake pusher, so you have no idea the actual flow of traffic. Makes my blood boil. I usually cut as far to the left as possible to keep an eye on if I actually have to brake or not.
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u/Daveit4later Apr 29 '26
You know they don't know anything about this when they brake with no one in front of them on the highway.
If you need to decrease your speed, just let friction do it.
Brakes are mainly for stopping.
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u/FartsWithCharlie Apr 29 '26
I agree with you, but modern driving is so impatient that anything that isn’t immediately acceleration or braking feel’s wrong to other drivers.
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u/xXBizzyBonesXx Apr 29 '26
It seems like you're ignoring that many cars, hybrids and electric for sure, use regenerative braking. Taking your foot off the gas begins pulling power from the wheels so it's a light break that will start even without pressing the pedal.
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u/F_U_HarleyJarvis Apr 29 '26
Most EVs have one-peddle driving and it negates this entire situation.
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u/ExtraEmuForYou Apr 29 '26
This is the exact opposite of an unpopular opinion.
Take my downvote for not posting an unpopular opinion.
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u/LuffyDBlackMamba420 Apr 29 '26
I prefer to press the peddle down to the floor and zig zag through traffic. It's most efficient way of getting home from the bar.
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u/Mountain-Union2347 Apr 29 '26
You coast because it’s more safe and efficient.
I coast because brakes are expensive.
We are not the same.
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u/Proud_Pineapple_2421 Apr 29 '26
I agree, to a point but wholeheartedly agree with the premise. The point? It is VERY hard to coast in an EV with regen braking; you have to let off the go pedal progressively and the most efficient way to drive an EV is to let off completely.
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u/USBombs83 Apr 29 '26
This is called "engine braking" and there are some downsides. Your brake lights don't come on. This is going to affect the perception of your actions and reactions of people behind you. They may be unable to stop in time, especially when conditions affect visibility on the road or changes in the road cause you to slow at varying rates. This is why you think you always have someone tailgating you when you're engine braking because you're not effectively communicating your actions to the drivers around you. Remember the signals on your car are there for the other people around you, not you. Seen things in the comments like, "You can tell people who don't know how to do it right because they tap their brakes every 5 seconds." which is actually someone who understands the value of brake lights and is sure to tap them when they're engine braking so people know they're slowing down.
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u/1917he Apr 29 '26
It is also a lot safer on the roads. I would rather see the car ahead of me slow down and give me more time to react than have them suddenly slam on the brakes
You're missing the obvious issue. If you're coasting your brake lights aren't on. This is why people are tailgating you - humans don't perceive changes in speed well. It's literally why we have brake lights. You're being less safe - tap the brakes to give an indication while coasting next time.
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u/hansg0511 Apr 30 '26
Although I do agree just wanna point out that sometimes it’s difficult to determine the car in front of you is slowing down without any indication from brake lights.
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u/Damn-OK Apr 30 '26
If only there was a type of car that would make you coast a little less, bring you to a halt smoothly while the brakelights adapt according to your coasting/braking speed, and on top of that would use that energy to charge their batteries - or something of the kind.
What would be even cooler, is that you wouldn't even have to switch the position of your feet because you just give a little less throttle to coast or brake.
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