Car abandoned in my yardThere is no city, because this is a rural home out in farm country. However, I will buttume the county will do the same. I'll call them. At least I got an answer...
I wasn't aware of the tranny pawl thingy and I will read up on it. I believe my habit of putting my vehicle in P when stopped prevented a lot of small incidents like bumping something infront or rolling down an incline. But it would not have prevented anything if hit hard. I haven't experienced any tranny abuse as I keep my vehicles well past the 300,000 km life and never had any problems other than a clutch plate replacement. They do wear out from high milage.
automatic. To think about it a lot of my driving habits are carryovers from standard transmission driving habits.
I had my share of fender benders that were not my fault. Only once had I been hit from the back when I was drivng a light truck with standard shift. I was stopped behind another vehicle making a left turn and therefore on the pbutting lane. Saw the next car coming from behind, the sun was low and into our eyes. I pumped the brake to signal her and then applied only light brake pressure when she couldn't stop in time. My reasoning was that when she hit my truck would move somewhat and let its inertia absorb the initial impact and I could always slam on the brakes harder should my truckmove too far infront. I had a car's length to go before hitting the car ahead. Worked like a charm. The aftermarket bumper was bent downwards and the panel below the tailgate dented - less than $300 damage which she paid and no insurance claim made.
Non driving tasks when in the driver's seat is not something I do regularly. Its the unexpected things one does occasionally that gets one into trouble because its out of habit. For example sometimes you need to pick up a dropped item. Putting it in P when stopped at the lights eliminates much of that risk of the car moving.
I develop habits so that I don't have to think about mundane tasks. Makes life simple and worry free. My overall car habits have worked well for me as I rarely have car trouble in any weather, it gets as cold as 40 below on rare occasions, and my maintenace-repair costs were minimal.
I get around by bicycle and the bus these days. I am retired and its not worth the expense of keeping a car.
