yes nevada thats right
I should have known better…Some threads are better just being left alone…One would think that even Peugeot would install a clutch safety switch…
Poscablue, Where Are You ? I’ll Betcha That If You Look In The “206cc 53 Plate Owner’s / Operator’s Manual” Under The Heading “Moving Off” Or Some Such British Thing . . .
. . . it will admonish one to depress the clutch pedal before starting the engine. It may even say to sit in the car first, but it’s pretty difficult to depress the clutch when you’re outdoors, at any rate, right ?
The proper operation of a specific motor vehicle, according the manufacturer, will fall within the guidelines set forth by the “Highway Code.”
In other words, sorry, it was 100% your fault.
CSA
caddyman i wish they had installed a safety switch
Hindsight is always 20-20…
Another vote for leaving a parked manual transmission in 1st or reverse when unattended - for all the reasons previously noted.
I don’t care what the highway code says. Codes like this are supposed to set a minimum standard, and my standards are higher.
OK, From “The Highway Code” (Note: I’m not yelling at you in here, the highway code is):
Parking
239
Use off-street parking areas, or bays marked out with white lines on the road as parking places, wherever possible.
If you have to stop on the roadside:
- do not park facing against the traffic flow
- stop as close as you can to the side
- do not stop too close to a vehicle displaying a Blue Badge – remember, the occupant may need more room to get in or out
- you MUST switch off the engine, headlights and fog lights
- you MUST apply the handbrake before leaving the vehicle
- you MUST ensure you do not hit anyone when you open your door – check for cyclists or other traffic
- it is safer for your passengers (especially children) to get out of the vehicle on the side next to the kerb
- put all valuables out of sight and make sure your vehicle is secure
- lock your vehicle
252
Parking on hills. If you park on a hill you should
- park close to the kerb and apply the handbrake firmly
- select a forward gear and turn your steering wheel away from the kerb when facing uphill
- select reverse gear and turn your steering wheel towards the kerb when facing downhill
- use ‘park’ if your car has an automatic gearbox
=============================
While it doesn’t say not to put it in gear (except on hills), it doesn’t say not to, either. I learned to drive in the UK (London, specifically), and whether I parked on a hill or not, I always applied the parking brake, and left it in gear. But that’s just me. I also learned to ride before I learned to drive (in the late 70’s), so maybe my view is jaded.
Chase
thanx chase no it doesnt say not to put it in gear and i never have done i wasnt tought that way but thanx very much for putting that on.
joanne
Posca, it became habit for me, primarily because just outside London, you can find very few roads (and even parking areas) that are “flat”. I thought I had eveything right once…until i came back from shopping (my girlfriend made me do it!) to find my car leaning against a wall. I was thankful it wasn’t another car, and something I’d have to pay for. Ever since then, it’s been brake and gear. My wife now does it like that ll the time, too. She didn’t learn to drive in Englend with me, but she did learn to drive a manual, so of course, she got my lectures.
As for starting, I do know my owners manual (for the manual transmission cars I’ve owned) always tells me to depress the clutch before attempting to start the motor.
Chase
chase i thought i had it right also but in future i shall be doing this ha ha thank you my boyfriend will be loving this
joanne
I have seen some high end sports cars that will start without applying the clutch, but only if the car isn’t in gear. Economy cars sold in the U.S. these days come with just a clutch safety switch, so you have to press the clutch whether the car is in gear or not.
I’ve frequently wondered if it is just a matter of saving money or if you can actually do harm in these economy cars by starting them in neutral without pressing the clutch. Is there a difference, on a hypothetical car without a clutch safety switch 
between starting it in neutral without pressing the clutch, and starting it in neutral with the clutch pressed?
Wow, go out to lunch and all heck breaks loose. A little culture shock here. Since you have a highway code that specifies how a car should be parked, you might have a very slim case, if the car was parked on the highway and not in the mechanics parking lot. Otherwise, I don’t think the highway code would apply.
I can see where a busy mechanic would park a car, shut off the ignition and just get out. I think that in the future, you might assume that they all do that.
cdaquila, to address your earlier post where you took caddyman to task- the original poster did not ask for help. he asked if it was the mechanics fault. He became offended by the answers and a lot of his replies were not responsive to the question asked of him. P am starting to understand why there is so much less traffic on this site now.
By the way, I have never seen this many replies to a single post in this short of time. Has poscablue set a record here?
To texases, Whitey, Caddyman, poscablue, piter_devries, and CSA: just for the record, I deleted the posts (or portions of posts) that a) engaged in the namecalling/attacking/whatever you want to call it, b) referred to the namecalling, or c) called for the deletion of those posts. I took out those pieces to preserve the continuity of the discussion. I’m sorry for the confusion that I contributed, and I will try to be more careful with my words. If you want to talk about it further, please send me a private message.
cdaquila has a job like an airline pilot - hours of nothing new punctuated buy minutes of all heck breaking loose!
At least no one’s threatened to sue her for violating their First Amendment rights yet. That’s a pretty common thing for mods to encounter.
Actually it is quite common on a manual transmission to put it in gear as an added precaution if the hand brake doesn’t hold. Proper procedure for starting the car is put it in neutral, depress the clutch, depress the brake, and start the car. Then select the gear you want. You are entirely at fault.
Highway code? Common sense is the rule plus, your owners manual. The state driving code is only for all drivers. Not special drivers. Never start a car in gear.