Originally Posted by Crash

I don't recommend this. It's not a good practice. It takes a bit of learning, but you will eventually be able to just let off the break and know exactly where your clutch's engagement point is and be on the gas before rolling back. I'm on hills all the time, and if I roll back at all, it's not more than an inch. It's just a matter of knowing your car. If you're in someone else's car, sure, use the e-brake, but don't ride the clutch.

Best practice is that you should never sit at a light or stop in neutral for the following reasons:

A) If you're a good driver and you leave enough space in front of you while you sit behind a car at a stop, you'll have a better chance of getting out of the way in time if a car is coming up behind you too fast to NOT hit you. (Let them hit the person in front of you, but get the hell out of the way!)

B) When you're on an incline (hill), it takes longer to put the car into gear. Having the car in gear with one foot on the clutch and one foot on the brake will save you plenty of time and you'll be ready to just get on the gas to prevent roll back. (Remember, you must be in total neutral for more than a second before the car picks up speed on a roll back.) So the time between your right foot getting to the gas from the brake peddle is VERY short.

C) Staying in the habit of always being in gear will help prevent forgetting you're not in gear at a light, or forgetting to clutch in at a stop.


I'm sure there are more reasons, but these are the reasons I personally keep the car in gear at all times.