As an automatic newbie I've had an uncomfortable experience a couple of times lately that wouldn't have happened in a manual car. Once in my own LEC and once in the awful borrowed A160 I've stopped at a barrier to take a ticket from a machine, only to find that the transmission's urge to keep going meant I didn't stop quite where I intended. This left my hand on the button and slowly disappearing behind me, with attendant discomfort in my right shoulder.
So, should I contact a solicitor - or the Daily Mail?
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BSM might be more appropriate.
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When you get to a certain age and you cant control the car anymore, it is time to hang up the keys.
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Easy to do, particularly if it's in D and the handbrake isn't on! You stretch a bit, release the pressure just a tad from the brake pedal......done it meself.
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...done it meself...
Hope neither of you are ever behind me in the McDonald's drive-through.
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As it's you iffy, I feel obliged to ask whether you agree that 'neither' is singular;-)
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...As it's you iffy, I feel obliged to ask whether you agree that 'neither' is singular;-)...
Mmm, I've often said it's best to cough the job after making a balls-up rather than wriggle on the hook, so consider me well and truly coughed.
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>>I feel obliged to ask whether you agree that 'neither' is
>> singular;-)
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Usually, and probably in this case. But the alternatives can themselves be plural:
"Neither the people behind nor those in front were prepared for the alarming antics of the elderly driver in the automatic"
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Aaaargh. Cliff prompted me to Google the neither thing. Came up with...
"Hello this is my first post here...me and my coworkers have a doubt, when using neither...nor ....do you use singular or plural...?
For example, if we say " Neither Paul nor James were at home yesterday"
is that correct?
Others said " Neither lisa nor Julie likes icecream"
so, wich one is correct?
Thanks very much"
www.usingenglish.com/forum/frequently-asked-questions/70827-neither-nor-singular-plural.html
I didn't read far but nobody seems to have pointed out the glaring solecism in the first line. Nothing grates with me so much as "...are you coming with Nellie and I?" or "me and her are going to the pub".
I know we get some stick for so-called pedantry, but we do suffer. How does anybody get to adulthood without twigging the difference between I/me and she/her?
You might say it doesn't matter, but I wouldn't be employing them. If I had a job myself that is. Maybe I need to dumb down a bit. (shuffles off mumbling).
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>> But the alternatives can themselves be plural:
I was taught 'O' level English.
1. Never start a sentence with a preposition.
2. There can only be one alternative.
Nowadays I don't really care much, except for glaring errors which amuse me, but as this thread's degenerated into a pedant's delight..............
;>)
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>> 1. Never start a sentence with a preposition.
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>> 2. There can only be one alternative.
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I love starting sentences with But or And. It's a useage that long predates O-levels.
And an alternative can be collectively singular but composed of multiple independently-acting individuals.
I'm an anti-pedant, or rather, my delight is in discovering when pedants are wrong. :)
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...behind me in the McDonald's drive-through.
Fear not, Iffy, we have more self-respect than that.
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...Fear not, Iffy, we have more self-respect than that...
Which makes you a snob as well as a rubbish driver.
Of course, the burgers are nutritionally suspect, but the drive-through is a good source of a cheap and reasonably drinkable cup of coffee.
Tea's not bad either, now that they use PG Tips and will give you real milk if you ask for it.
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Which makes you a snob as well as a rubbish driver.
Touchy, Iffy! If it's any comfort I have my own four-letter terms of endearment for you. And as soon as you can tell me how hot coffee (I believe the McDonald's cup has a warning for the hard of thinking) is compatible with safe driving you can criticize my driving all you like.
Anyway, to return the very slight point of the discussion, before Iffy detected a hint of disrespect to his precious tabloid and got all flustered and over-defensive, I'm not even sure what I do in a manual car but I suspect it involves having my hand poised on the button as the car comes to a stop. What's caught me out is the tiny difference in timing required to do this in an automatic.
I think engaging the parking brake is overdoing it in either car; the LEC's brake hold is perfect for this situation, it just requires a more deliberate stop-hold-hand out procedure than I've got used to. When I visit a place that requires me to exchange ID for a parking pass, it's the full parking brake-neutral routine to ensure no movement while my attention is elsewhere; I'll even do that if I ever drive through a McDonald's.
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' the LEC's...'
The what?
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>> The what?
I think it's a mode of conveyance owned by one or two of the forums plutocrats.
:)
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I got that bit, I meant what does it stand for?
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Large Estate Car. Blame Humph?
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...I believe the McDonald's cup has a warning for the hard of thinking...
So it does.
There's a loyalty scheme on, buy six, get the seventh free.
I'm just enjoying a £1.19 cup now, because the other thing McDonald's does is free wi-fi.
Bit noisy in here today, it's the school holidays so there are a lot of dustbin lids about.
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Isn't that what the handbrake is for?
Using it would avoid the problem.
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>> Isn't that what the handbrake is for?
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>> Using it would avoid the problem.
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Agreed. I'm going back to the days when I first got it about 5 years ago, but I'm sure most of us don't bother with the handbrake for a 5 second halt. I do now, living in Austria with a RHD car is a pain in the proverbial at barrier car parks when you're on your own. When I hop out, as I usually need to do, I put it in N and put the handbrake on.
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Does Will's car have that odd foot operated handbrake fitted to some Mercs?
I've only tried one on a test drive, but couldn't get on with it.
Not sure how it work for a short stop at a barrier.
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>> Does Will's car have that odd foot operated handbrake fitted to some Mercs?
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>> I've only tried one on a test drive, but couldn't get on with it.
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>> Not sure how it work for a short stop at a barrier.
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>>
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If Americans can use foot operated handbrakes, any normal person can..:-)
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>>Isn't that what the handbrake is for?
No, its what P is for.
The handbrake, parking brake, emergency brake, is for when the car will be stopped some time or is in a hazardous position (e.g. just about anywhere in San Francisco).
The Americans have no issue with foot brakes because they wouldn't dream of using it when they're driving (you know what I mean). At the most its for when you're out of the car.
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Is your car fitted with 'SBC Hold' WdB? I had an '04 version of a large estate car which did have, and though I think most of the SBC functions were dropped at the facelift I thought the 'Hold' feature was kept.
If so, a sharp push on the foot-brake pedal will hold the car on the foot-brake until the accelerator is pressed, avoiding unwanted creep
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This is just like the old days in 'the other place'.
In 30 years of driving autos of many different types the described problem has never happened to me once.
Maybe WDB needs longer legs?
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>>This is just like the old days in 'the other place'.
ooo, ooo. Fancy a go at a left-foot braking discussion?
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The whole SBC system was dropped at the 2006 facelift, Peter, so what you and I have now is plain old hydraulic braking (and yes, Brake Hold, not SBC Hold) although with a lot of computer control. I have tried out the Speedtronic limiter on mine, and it's quite disconcerting to feel it autonomously applying the brakes on a steep hill.
But all this is for when I've already stopped the car. My problem, such as it is, is that a couple of times, once in each of two cars, the car and I have disagreed by a few centimetres about where that stop should be. It's OK, I'll just brake a bit more deliberately until I get used to it.
}:---)
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>>ooo, ooo. Fancy a go at a left-foot braking discussion?<<
NO. I haven't done that in 30 years either.
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Automatic transmission and shoulder injuries - Iffy
