Neutral safety switch

I started driving my CJ5 when I was 8 years old, and the only time I hit something was when I backed into our '89 Suburban - but that was because I thought I'd be a hot dog and back out without looking behind me, and didn't remember the Sub was back there. We've all done stuff like this, and learned from it - safety features have their place, but when we depend on them we quickly do just that, depend on them. Is the anti-roll feature on the new JK's a useful option? Yes, but if you get used to driving a stick shift with that you may find you're helpless without it when you need to take off on a hill in a real stick shift. If you need a better way to keep other people from possibly starting the Jeep when you aren't nearby than taking the keys or telling them not to, maybe a safety interlock is a good idea; but I think for your own personal use and safety you'll be glad you simply learned to prevent what happened to you, manually.

 

I agree, somtimes learning things the hard way is the best cause you'll never forget it. I always check to see that its in neutral ever since

 

I was recently at a local parade and after parade was over a guy was showing us his m35a2 (deuce and a half). he cranked the truck over while standing outside the truck and as he cranked it moved forward and started going downhill without starting and he fell out of the truck and was nearly ran over by it, he then had to run after it to stop it from hitting a building downhill.

 

Never use the e-brake, I have had them fail when which-ever vehicle is setting on a downgrade. Always park with the gear shift in reverse. Or 1st, in the case of the VW.

Always! Always! Always get in and put one foot on the clutch and the other on the brake (try doing that standing next to your vehicle!) before turning the key in the ignition! And a lot of times before the key even goes into the ignition switch.

You always do this (foot on clutch and foot on brake) it will never run away from you.

 

I agree, never use just the brake. Put in in gear and use the brake. Good habit.

 

All you need is the dog or the three year old to lean on the bumper and roll that thing out of the garage because the E-brake decided to fail right at that moment. Only takes once, let me tell you. (after picking my '66 Olds Dynamic 88 out of the across-the-street neighbor's front yard. Luckily there was no traffic at that time)

 

I have decades of habit checking that the transmission is in neutral before starting. Never had an issue.

One problem with the clutch safety switch - you can't move the car with the starter. Sometimes it's handy to be able to do that.

 

"it really sucks when it starts moving and your not in it..."

Darwin Award!

 

"One problem with the clutch safety switch - you can't move the car with the starter. Sometimes it's handy to be able to do that."

For sure. Like if your car is stalled on the level-crossing and a train is coming. I've done it to get out of a river ford when the ignition got soaked.

 

My point exactly.

 

i dont have a clutch safety switch but there were a few times i wish i had. The first was when I was fixing my willys . starting it every few minutes or so in the garage to diagnose something. one of those times it was in gear and drove out of the garage into the back of my brothers 69 nova. Luckily nobody was between them . Another time a girl was playing with the buttons and hit the starter button and if it had started would have drove right over my freinds father. Im very carefull now to make sure its in neutral or just get in the driver seat to start it. But **** happens. and if youve got kids or stupid friends around it pushing buttons theres a good chance for a runaway