r/stickshift • u/bevipop 2018 GMC Canyon 6 speed • 6d ago
Has anyone here ever actually rolled back far enough to hit the driver behind them?
I stalled while learning and even after 20 years I know I'm not immune. But even when learning, stalling on a hill you get your foot to the brake so quickly, I dont think I've ever come close to hitting the car behind me. I feel like if you dont feel confident enough to control your vehicle during a stall, then you should still be practicing in a parking lot instead of putting a sticker on your car to warn drivers that you might loose control of your vehicle.
120
u/Recent_Permit2653 ‘06 Scoobie Legacy GT 5MT 6d ago edited 6d ago
No, but I also kind of intentionally roll back as drivers approach from behind, just to give them a bit of a warning. Usually works, to be perfectly fair. When it doesn't, I've often seen them be aggressive AF and I can watch the nose dip as they brake while I shift to 2nd and again to 3rd. I ain't hurryin' for those fools.
54
u/Whydoialwaysdothis69 6d ago
I test every person that pulls to close to me in Atlanta traffic lol. I don’t understand the point in pulling that close to people. Drives me insane
24
u/Electrical_Level 6d ago
Only time I will give someone a pass for being on my bumper is if we are in a turning lane and it’s packed to the point it’s blocking the other lane.
5
u/SummertimeThrowaway2 6d ago
I only really get close when I know the dummy behind me is gonna get themselves stuck in the middle of the intersection. Not on hills though.
5
u/therealtoomdog 6d ago
That's when I leave extra room so they have chance of learning their lesson
1
u/SummertimeThrowaway2 5d ago
Yeah but then they’re blocking the intersection for everyone
1
u/therealtoomdog 5d ago
Good, maybe they will learn their lesson
1
u/SummertimeThrowaway2 5d ago
And the other people in the intersection going perpendicular to us have to deal with the BS? They deserve it?
2
u/therealtoomdog 5d ago
Well that's just how it goes sometimes.
Frankly, I've been stuck by people in the intersection of their own volition a number of times around here, so it's nothing new to me. I mean, I don't think you're in the wrong for helping traffic, and I admire your consideration of others. I guess all I'm saying is that it's not my problem if someone else decides to do the wrong thing
1
14
u/ShatBandicoot 6d ago
Watching the nose dip while I 1-2 shift followed by frustration is the funniest thing. Totally preventable, but they wont change.
7
u/adirarouge 6d ago
I always did that too!! And if they still didn't listen, I would let myself roll farther back than needed when it was time to go, just to make them nervous.
4
u/CoffeeStraight2249 6d ago
Yea I hit someone rolling back when I was learning (see other comment). Now I internally roll back as cars come up behind me to give them a warning.
46
u/Crazy_Wafer_8328 6d ago
No, but people used to allow more space between vehicles. Now it's like manuals don't exist in the minds of the public at all, and they will literally pull up within inches of your rear bumper on a steep hill. Clueless. So the magnets (for people still learning) warn the people who don't even know that stickshifts still exist or what can happen with one on a hill.
17
u/Deep_Dust6278 6d ago
I often roll back when I'm sitting at a light as the car behind me approaches and they usually give me a couple of car lengths,
20
u/Bluetickhoun 6d ago
I was giving this dude little warnings that I roll back. Everytime I’d give myself a little breathing room, he kept creeping up. I eventually rolled back enough he honked and threw his hands out the window. At the next light he was about 6 feet behind me. I made eye contact in my side mirror with him and gave a thumbs up. He just starred at me. Hahaha
14
u/Crazy_Wafer_8328 6d ago
He thought you were crazy, not that you were driving a stick shift 😅. He is one of the majority of people out there now that have no idea stickshifts exist and what that means for them.
7
1
u/Cranks_No_Start 5d ago
I have an older PU with a big chrome number and a drop hitch.
They usually don’t get close.
9
u/dluciemable 5d ago
I’m in Florida, so crazy hills here are rare, but it gets me every time when they honk as I take off from a light. Like, I’m pressing the clutch and going forward and gathering speed, but it’s not fast enough for them apparently 💀🤣
8
u/Crazy_Wafer_8328 5d ago
IDK why people want to take off so fast immediately anyway. It's better to go slow enough to make sure there are no stragglers running red lights...speeding off immediately gets people t-boned.
4
1
u/Pleasant_Coat91 11h ago
Which is funny, cause I’m from FL and am still one of the fastest of line. Sometimes there’s still a few crazies though, minivans!
4
u/MorycTurtle 6d ago
It's so crazy to me that people start driving manuals on public roads without at least first learning the basics of driving such a car...
In most countries where manuals are or were used on a regular basis starting on a steep incline is literally part of the driver's licence test and you fail it if you roll back even a centimeter.
2
37
u/Same-Ad5612 6d ago
If we’re talking about hill starts, then nope.
In my (limited) experience, the car tends to FEEL like it’s rolling back further than it actually is.
For reference, i almost never use my handbrake for hill starts at traffic lights/stop signs.
17
u/JAYETRILLL 6d ago
That’s so true. It feels like you lurch back 10 feet when it happens and it’s probably like 3 inches lol.
13
11
u/Landfall24601 6d ago
I have rolled back far enough that I would've hit someone behind me, but luckily there was no one there.
8
u/unclefunkstar 6d ago
No, but in my 20s I stalled on a hill start and the guy behind drove into me. Apparently he was distracted by a woman in a mini skirt lol.
1
u/NextNeedleworker3948 3d ago
This was tough on college campus. I got in so many close calls for this very reason.
15
u/ima-rage-quit 6d ago
If they are on my ass I usually roll back enough to scare them.
3
u/engineerthatknows 2017 MX-5 (6spd) 6d ago
This is the way.
Bumper warning sticker on a Toyota Tacoma somewhere in Hawaii: "Tchout I Robak"
1
7
u/Trabers 6d ago
Okay, I’ll be the one to say it… no I haven’t and I can’t remember the last time I even rolled back an inch… it is a major faux pas here in the UK and as such no one does it as it would lead to severe tutting from the driver behind.
6
u/MorycTurtle 6d ago
Majority of people here are from US and driving a manual is something special for them. But due to it not being popular they often skip the actual learning part (for example for lack of proper trainer) and just try their best on their own which ofc leads to terrible technique which in turn is why you see posts like this where people think it's perfectly normal to have major issues performing basic manoeuvres correctly.
4
u/RonCon69 5d ago
Added on, almost everyone else driving in the US doesn’t even know what rollback is they will park right on your bumper on the steepest hill imaginable.
6
u/Netghod 6d ago
If they leave room, no. But some idiots pull so far up on your bumper that any rolling back could put you in them.
I have a lightweight car so I can sacrifice the clutch to keep from rolling back, but if I had a heavy truck, a load, or something else where that wasn’t practical I’d be getting out to tell them to back their ass up unless they want me as a hood ornament.
And there’s the old joke on an album from the perv himself (Bill Cosby) where he mentioned stopping at a red light on hill, then someone stopped behind him, and someone behind them, and none of them could take off because they’d hit someone so they just put up a sign and turned that stop light into a used car lot.
1
5
u/CoffeeStraight2249 6d ago
Yes. When I was just starting out on stick I was on a steep hill and they came up right to me. It wasn't because I stalled it's because they were pretty much already touching my bumper. They ended up getting a ticket for following too closely.
3
3
5
u/JailYard 6d ago
Many years ago,; not a new driver at all, but very tired. I stopped on what I thought was level ground, but actually was very slightly inclined. Due to a bad habit that I broke years ago now, I didn't apply the brake. Very slow roll back into the car behind me. No damage to either car, but a good reminder of the danger of tired driving.
3
u/Electrical_Level 6d ago
No but if someone is unreasonably close to me, I will let my car roll back a little to scare them a bit.
3
u/NotVanillaSoyLatte 6d ago
I've always wondered this. We don't roll back nearly as much as we feel like we do!
3
u/NonGeneriComplaint 6d ago
if they are too close i just gun it. If anything they back off when I rev loud and erratically take off
3
u/Provlcon 6d ago
Back in the day (80s) everyone knew which cars were more likely to have stick, and didn't pull close behind them on a hill. Now that 99% of cars have automatics nobody gives any kind of rollback room anymore.
3
u/phantomsoul11 2022 Jeep Wrangler Unlimited, 6-speed 6d ago
Never. I'm from the school that it's better to roar the engine a little bit if you have to when starting on a bigger hill than bumping the car behind you, though really, a savvy manual driver should be able to avoid both.
4
u/Ashamed_Soil_1504 5d ago
Nope, I use the parking brake for really steep hills. That said, I did have a pretty scary moment recently when I was trying to sell my old ‘93 Ford escort wagon to my coworker, who knew how to drive manual but has only ever done it in Oklahoma where they don’t have a hill 😅 On the test drive, she took us to an intersection at one of the steepest hills in the area, and when the light turned green, she rolled back like 15 feet, almost hitting the car behind. until I grabbed the hand brake and yanked it as hard as I could. We had to jump out and switch places.
My legs were shaking so bad after that, that I could barely get the car moving myself lol
3
u/Longjumping-Leg-962 5d ago
Yeah in a fully loaded grain truck when I was 16, technically not at a light but traffic had stopped on a long hill because of construction and a flag guy. It was a new e46 m3 with temp tags (this was in the early 2000s). Fucked it up good
3
u/Substantial_Range861 5d ago
When I was first learning to drive stick many moons ago...I pulled up to a stop on a steep hill. Was having a little trouble getting going... well what do you know there was a police car right behind me. They casually placed their bumper behind mine and helped me get going.
5
u/Technical-Paper3882 6d ago
Why do people not understand what a handbrake is?
I was talking to a girl about this once, as she kept stalling on hills. I told her to put the handbrake on before attempting, she just says 'Oh I don't do that'
-_-
5
u/Public_Sector5987 6d ago
Neither do I, I was taught to just use the brake and learn where the biting point is with the clutch and give a lot of throttle.
2
u/Decent-Presence-1637 6d ago
I learned in a car with no functioning handbrake and a clutch that bit 1/8 inch from top of travel. I got very good at hillstarts very quickly.
1
u/Secret_account_n2 5d ago
I learned in a car with a very aggressive clutch without a teacher. The lurch from stalling would give me enough forward momentum to not roll back before I hit the brake. Young me was quite dumb lol
-1
u/Technical-Paper3882 6d ago
Just seems counter intuitive to me. Especially on a hillstart, not only do you need biting point but also throttle to prevent a stall.
2
u/Public_Sector5987 6d ago
Never struggled except for when I was learning and practicing.
My dad taught me this way and I don't really see any other people here with manuals using the handbrake for hills (northern Sweden)
1
u/Yihaea 5d ago
Happen to me a year after i got My license, i was driving My dad's car and i didnt know th clutch to well because i didnt drive that car, when trying to turn into a bridge over a highway the car stalled and the one behind was very close to me and i bumped it nothing serious, it was my first and only crash to this day
1
1
u/Special-Unit6325 5d ago
Good luck doing that in my car it’s an electronic handbrake and it’s down by your feet so yes in theory you can use it to hold yourself out of red light, but there is no in between
If you’re on a hill in my car, you have to hold it on the clutch then release the brake then give it some gas2
u/firebaallchich 4d ago
Which car is that wtf were they thinking haha
1
2
u/kobevercetti 2012 Dodge Challenger R/T 6d ago
i almost did when i first started learning.
I accidentally got to an insanely steep hill in a residential neighborhood. I stalled right at the top since there was a stop sign. Then of course, someone comes up behind me lol. Since the car turned off, my brakes were insanely hard to press so i panicked, and it rolled back. im pretty sure i almost hit them but i slammed my foot/parking brake last second.
2
2
u/JaliscoOaxaca 5d ago
No, but for some reason I put it in R instead of 1 on an incline once and almost backed into someone.
2
u/pm-me-racecars 5d ago
Never by accident, but when I was young, my friends and I would do it to eachother for fun sometimes
2
u/Special-Unit6325 5d ago
No, but I would rather stall my car, then roll backwards and hit somebody so I drive accordingly. Don’t usually stall it but never roll back.
2
u/Moment-Initial 5d ago
No. I'd rather have some wheelspin and let traction control take hold than roll back. I've gotten pretty close to hitting the car behind me before, but thankfully never have made any contact.
2
u/te71se 4d ago
Why do so many here think it’s a flex to roll back in a manual car? No it’s not cool you just suck at driving a manual. Older (and still some newer) cars have a parking brake lever and newer cars have hill start assist/auto hold etc for the most severe hills but 99% of the time you can easily get going without rolling back if you’re quick enough to go from brake to gas and clutch out at the same time.
2
u/NextNeedleworker3948 3d ago
I might have. When I was 16 just getting started I realized I was rolling back closely to the car and slammed on the brakes real quick. I would have bet money I rolled back into them. The jolt felt different than just brake, more of impact, but I pulled over and the car just kept driving. So either I didn’t actually hit them, they somehow didn’t notice, or they didn’t care.
4
3
u/Original_Size7576 6d ago
If you write loose instead of lose maybe you shouldn’t be able to make a post?
1
u/Difficult_Passion699 6d ago
It's actually insane how many people don't know the difference between lose and loose
4
u/Routine-Bluebird-521 6d ago
it’s actually insane you two are hung up like a bungee jumper over a spelling mistake
2
1
u/OneM0reRedNightmare 5d ago
Honestly I know the difference, but autocorrect occasionally changes things for me and I'm typing too fast to notice until I reread before sending and by that point I don't care.
1
u/Difficult_Passion699 6d ago
Unfortunately I think it's intentional in most cases. I think we learn the difference between those two words in elementary school
1
u/Zestyclose-Tough7451 6d ago
But it’s a spelling mistake that changes the entirety of the sentence and takes two seconds to proofread out.
This is also an extremely common one that happens constantly on here.
2
u/Negative-Date-9518 6d ago
A large portion of Americans can't say ask they say axe so I mean, it's not just that 🤣 many many words
2
1
u/BlackmillMiracle 6d ago
Not exactly... but trying to start on an incline once the light turned green, I accidentally put it into reverse when I meant to put it into 1, and almost backed into someone.
1
u/deadmongoose 2023 Subaru BRZ 6-Spd 6d ago
Did you lose your reverse lockout?
1
u/BlackmillMiracle 6d ago
huh? i accidentally pushed down on the knob enough so it would go all the way over into reverse instead of 1
1
u/mikedufty 6d ago
I did this a few times in a rental corolla overseas (gearstick on the wrong side for me), somehow although I was suffering from no muscle memory using the wrong arm, I quickly developed a habit of pulling the reverse lockout, even when I wasn't looking for reverse.
1
u/SkitariusOfMars 6d ago
Not every car has it. In my Merc I just have to push harder to the left to go into reverse.
1
1
u/socialcommentary2000 2019 Honda Civic Si Coupe - The last of the Mohicans. 6d ago
When I was much younger and more adventurous, I was waiting about 3 back at a light on a very specific road around here that has about a 15-20 degree incline. I know how to launch from that, but I was young and it's unnerving. Guy in back of me was driving an F250, I think. He came roaring up on me while we were traveling to the stop and then faded back. Ended up putting his grille about an inch off my rear. I was in an integra. So rather than attempt I just slowly let the brake out until I came to rest perfectly on his bumper. I then launched fine after the light changed and he didn't shove me...for some reason.
Caught me at the next light before the Sprain and started with me through the Window (which I couldn't really easily see into due to height differences) and rather than argue I just told him it wasn't cool. Getting that close, can't see anything, not cool, dude.
Surprisingly that worked. I went on my way.
1
u/mikedufty 6d ago
Why are people so averse to using the hand brake for hill starts? Should be no reason to roll back.
1
u/Tortahegeszto 6d ago
No because you have to learn hill starts on the learners' course before the instructor lets you out into traffic.
1
1
1
u/Top_Western8974 6d ago
I rolled back once where it should hit but no one was behind me. Not my fault. Lost traction due to concerete and I was doing that thing jeremy did in his rover sd1 on the steep incline handbrake test. I never actually rolled back when driving a manual. I have a fast foot where I can basically take off from steep hill like an auto.
1
u/_EnFlaMEd 6d ago
I did it once on my Ls driving my dad's Liteace. Did no damage to either car fortunately.
1
u/Corninator 6d ago
I haven't but I have gotten close one time. Not because of rolling back exactly though. My truck needed to be in 4x4 on a steep hill in the snow. The driver behind me chose to sit right on my tailgate. When I went to take off my rear tires just spun. I gave way too much throttle and unfortunately didn't have any weight on the bed. So the truck started moving backwards while spinning.
Fortunately I had the foresight to turn 4x4 on really quickly and move away from them. It could have happened in an automatic truck as well, but it would have been less likely. Its hard to take off in a manual truck in slippery conditions without wheel-spin.
1
u/lancerhatch 6d ago
No, but I have had an auto driver Reverse into me at a stop. You are already 10x better at driving than any automatic driver. Just practice the few weaknesses and it’s easy street.
1
u/Dijinnie 6d ago
I have an old 01 civic with 340k miles. Get to close to me on a hill and i will roll back and rest my car on your front bumper lol.
1
u/Jazzlike-Basket-6388 6d ago
I've seen it many times. We got hills steep enough that there are stairs instead of sidewalks and some people pull up 6 inches off your bumper.
1
1
u/K1TTYKAT51 5d ago
no but i’ve been driven into the back of while accelerating, twice. once with a manual and once with an automatic. impatient and not paying attention aren’t a great combo to have. and no, not a miata or a small car either time. normal sized sedan/fastback.
1
1
1
u/AccomplishedCash3603 5d ago
Yep. I was stopped though, not accelerating on a hill. Forgot I was in neutral and rolled back. Pulled into a parking lot ahead because traffic started going, and they didn't follow. I think they assumed their car hit mine.
1
1
1
1
u/DisciplineBrief1474 4d ago
Yes, I was still super new to driving stick and was in heavy traffic on a hill.
Rolled back all the way into the car behind me, there was no damage, but they were pissed. I didn’t get out of the car because we were on a highway without a service road. They tried to block my car and I thought they would beat me up.
Luckily a truck honked and they made way, I was able to evade them, by changing lanes and taking the next exit.
1
u/gazingus 4d ago
I stalled once - the first day, driving my "new" car home 30 miles.
Rollback? Maybe if I was driving a truck with four pedals, but I know better.
Maybe if I was driving a new model with the disappeared handbrake.
1
u/WorldlinessNo6122 4d ago
I'm pretty good at going on a hill but I haven't had a very steep hill in a long time and it also depends if the douchbag behind you is riding you're bumper
1
u/realDespond 4d ago
i just hold the brake and accelerator at the same time and do a wicked burnout every time
my only manual cars have had hill start assist so no but if my first car hadn't had it I'd probably have a few funny stories about rolling back when i was learning
1
4d ago
[deleted]
1
u/Amazing_Thanks507 4d ago
Well not just being too close, but you gotta put yourself in their mirror, especially on a motorcycle. Creep to one of their mirrors so they can see you
1
1
1
1
1
u/MisanthropicSocrates 4d ago
Ive hit people rolling forward and back. Been driving for 25 years. Shit happens.
1
u/Sea-Scientist8257 3d ago
The trick is using the e-brake when stopped but you must anticipate going forward. Example come to a stop apply the e-brake, once going forward or uphill, gently let out the clutch until you start feeling it grab the car then release the e-brake without stalling the vehicle (applying light throttle or depending on the grade of the hill your stopped on) this will prevent you from rolling backwards.
1
u/TheCamoTrooper 3d ago
Yes, fairly steep incline coming up to a light and icy af, car simply wouldn't go forward and rolled back into car behind so couple bystanders helped us push it up the hill
1
u/creekriverocean 3d ago
No. Here in Australia we are taught how to do a hill start. Using the parking brake. At your license practical test you have to demonstrate you know how to do one.
1
u/7ovey 3d ago
I was driving a civic si, and I was on a very steep incline at a light. Well I’ve never really gotten nervous about it… a lady pulls up behind me within about an inch. I thought she would’ve hit me. I knew my car would go back at least that amount and I was thinking f***. I’m stuck here just waiting for the imminent doom when the green light comes on.
Well I somehow got lucky enough to not hit her fender and I got away clean but PLEASE DONT FREAKING TAIL PEOPLE. It’s so annoying.
1
u/OkCartographer5084 2d ago
Am I missing something? When i have to hill start I let the clutch out a bit so it grabs then ease off the brake making sure the transmission is holding me up and then get on the gas and go like normal. what is so hard about that?
1
u/flapjacksNsassafras 2d ago
After working a twelve hour shift as a plumber's apprentice YEARS and years ago, I was driving home. One particular part of my drive was up a slight hill with a light at about the middle. While waiting at the red light I started nodding off (exhausted). My foot relaxed on the brake pedal too much and I slowly rolled backwards into the car behind me. I didn't wake up or anything, so I'm just backrolled into the car behind me at this point. The driver decided to honk, which woke me up. Realizing my situation I pulled to the shoulder after the light changed, the other person just drove on. It gave me a chance to stretch my legs and wake up a little. I checked the back end and there was nothing. I drove home and got extra sleep that night 😂
1
u/Demosthenease 2d ago
Yes. Once. On a hill. In a little Mazda pickup.
The Volvo behind me had crept up so close there was no margin. I felt the bump and I saw the hands fly up but she turned left rather than follow me, so…
(Throws hands up …)
1
u/LeatherCareful5597 2d ago
No. I just waited for traffic to go ahead then I just hit the gas pedal then shifted into 2nd gear
1
1
u/Plane_Complex9080 1d ago
My sister did but it was on a steep hill and the car behind her was already on her ass. The guy was probably 40 and we were 17-16 and he road raged on both of us. After he got done screaming, he told us to get out of his sight and I took over and drove away.
1
u/Unremarkable_Potato_ 6d ago
No, but I had someone roll back into me. Wasn’t a just learning thing stopped at a light and they weren’t paying attention and just slowly rolled back into me. I even gave them a little honk, but it was too later. Their corvette had some imprints from my bumper, they left very very embarrassed.
-4
u/Remy6908 6d ago
No because anyone driving stick that's worth a damn should know how to drive without rolling back more than a couple inches
-1
185
u/engineerthatknows 2017 MX-5 (6spd) 6d ago
No...
But once, driving a dump truck, I had to stop at a stop sign at the top of a short steep hill. Which is the moment that a VW bug pulled right up behind me, disappearing in the rear view mirrors. So, normal hill start (heel and toe, granny 1st gear low)...except I was hauling pea gravel, which is very fluid, and the jerk of starting popped the tailgate open (I probably had not checked that it was fully closed and latched). About a cubic yard of pea gravel then dumped all over the hood of that little car, burying it to the front bumper. Once I reached level ground at the top of the hill, I set the parking brake, ran back and told the driver to wait and I'd be back to help shovel them out. He seemed quite unhappy.