The Parking Brake

You should normally apply the parking brake whenever your vehicle is stationary.

Follow the instructions in your vehicle’s handbook, and when stopped at traffic lights or in a queue, select neutral and apply the parking brake — unless the stop is likely to be very brief.

Keeping your foot on the footbrake alone can be risky: your foot could slip (for example, if your shoes are wet or if you’re bumped from behind), potentially pushing your vehicle forward into another car or pedestrian.

Always leave a safe gap between your vehicle and the one in front, especially on hills. This provides room to manoeuvre if the vehicle ahead rolls back.