British traffic signal lights 1812Yes it is part of the driving test to use the handbrake in appropriate suggestions like starting off on hills, at stop signs and traffic lights, but how many people in the U.K actually drive...
Of course you're not supposed to hold a car on a hill for minutes on end using just the clutch and accelerator pedals. But you are supposed to be ABLE TO!!! Before you learn how to do that, you are dangerous, and probably shouldn't be given a license, unless it is a restricted license, specifying automatic transmission ONLY.
But when stopped on a hill, you don't necessarily need to keep the clutch pedal depressed and a forward gear engaged. However, you should STILL be ABLE to take off from a dead stop on a hill without rolling backward and without using a hand brake!!! The leaving the car in gear and clutch pedal depressed is an entirely different topic.
It's relatively easy to get a manual tranny vehicle rolling uphill on a steep hill from a dead stop without using a hand brake and without rolling backward. Yes, it takes a little practice, if you've never done it before. But if you can't perform that very basic driving skill, you shouldn't be behind the wheel of a car with a manual tranny. Or for that matter, I'd suggest someone without that skill shouldn't be behind the wheel, period. But that's just IMHO. -Dave
