Hi All: ___Just a quick note and I hope everyone looks this up in their own locales… http://law.onecle.com/illinois/625ilcs5/11-1410.html ___Good Luck ___Wayne
Pretty much the same in VA: § 46.2-811. Coasting prohibited. The driver of any motor vehicle traveling on a downgrade on any highway shall not coast with the gears of the vehicle in neutral. One might think the word "highway" limits this to freeways and interstates. Not the case. The Code defines a highway pretty much as any road designated for vehicular traffic.
Minnesota https://www.revisor.leg.state.mn.us...STAT_CHAP&year=2006§ion=169#stat.169.39.0 169.39 COASTING. (a) The driver of any motor vehicle when traveling upon a downgrade shall not coast with the gears of such vehicle in neutral. (b) The driver of a commercial motor vehicle when traveling upon a downgrade shall not coast with the clutch disengaged.
In Colorado, neutral is prohibited, but coasting with the clutch in is only prohibited for trucks and buses.
Nothing in the CT driver's manual but haven't searched the CT statutes yet. Interesting, the way the law reads is is OK to coast in neutral on the level or on an uphill? Is it illegal to change gears with an MT car going downhill because you are in neutral, briefly? I wonder when these laws were enacted. It would be helpful if attlaw4u or any other legal talent we have here could give their take on these laws?
Here is Maryland's: § 21-1108. Coasting prohibited. (a) Vehicles generally.- If a motor vehicle is traveling on a downgrade, the driver of the motor vehicle may not coast with the gears or transmission in neutral. (b) Truck or bus.- If a truck or bus is traveling on a downgrade, the driver of the truck or bus may not coast with the clutch disengaged. [An. Code 1957, art. 661/2, § 11-1108; 1977, ch. 14, § 2.] Notice that it says nothing about coasting to a red light, etc., just about coasting down an incline.
Here is another weird Maryland law, that seems to prohibit use of 4-way flashers to let people know to pass you: f) Use of signal lamps.- The signals provided for in § 21-605 (b) and (c) of this subtitle: (1) May be used to indicate an intention to turn, change lanes, or start from a stopped, standing, or parked position; and (2) May not be flashed as a courtesy or "do pass" signal to the driver of any other vehicle approaching from the rear. I'll have to check into the meaning of this.
These Maryland laws seem to be of use for Hypermiling, especially the one about cresting a hill: (e) Approaching and going around curves.- Consistent with the requirements of this section, the driver of a vehicle shall drive at an appropriate, reduced speed when approaching and going around a curve. (f) Approaching crests of grades.- Consistent with the requirements of this section, the driver of a vehicle shall drive at an appropriate, reduced speed when approaching the crest of a grade. Is this defining DWL or what?
As I read the law there is nothing against coasting on a level or upgrade, so, for example, the practice of coasting to a red light in neutral would be legal in most instances.
Class C misdeamor for coasting in TN. that means 50 dollar fine. I would never admit to coasting though they have the burden of proof
This is nearly impossible to prove unless a cop were somehow staring straight into and down into the driver's compartment of your car from point-blank range. There's a lot of weird laws on the books.
I would say not much. In the far-fetched instance you were to get stopped, there's really no way to prove you were in neutral.
It's so hard to prove that you were coasting that these laws are only used if coasting in neutral was the obvious cause of an accident. I wouldn't worry about it unless there is some Barney Fife cop out there with a vendetta against hypermilers. Even he would look right past someone who's freewheeling if there was someone else going 85 in a 55mph zone.
With all due respect to those who may disagree with me, I would say "everything.." "Character is doing the right thing when nobody's looking. There are too many people who think that the only thing that's right is to get by, and the only thing that's wrong is to get caught." J. C. Watts How much respect and/or consideration for new ideas can any person or organization expect to earn from others if they clearly promote and practice "personally selective" non compliance, especially if the defense offered for that non compliance is "no one is looking, or I won't tell..."? Driving, like so many other privileges (not rights) in this country carries with it an explicit set of requirements which which we are expected to make a sincere personal effort to comply when we ask to be granted that privilege. How much character the group sincerely and consistently demonstrates in their actions (not just in disclaimers) - whether someone such as the media is watching or not, will directly influence how many people will pay attention to even the most appropriate and legal of techniques. I also dare say that no amount of fuel savings could ever be more important than the character we may inspire in others by our true actions. Would we want our children to learn that we really believe it's alright to break any law that we personally feel isn't meaningful to us simply because it allows us to save an additional .x mpg?
It looks like most of them refer to downhill specifically, leaving level ground or uphill 'available'. There is also no mention of 'engine off', whether it is while the vehicle in motion or not. In my typical commute, I have been doing more pulses on the downhills and gliding on the uphills. This area is relatively flat terrain, somewhat like the area in Elkhart, IN... hmmm some hills in Elkhart are steeper...
Trackermpg, in all honesty these coasting laws are completely absurd. I'm not talking about ICE-off ... I'm talking about ICE-on. Everyone with a manual transmission coasts at some point, at least while approaching a red light. These coasting laws date back to the days when brakes couldn't always be trusted, and engines couldn't always be trusted to keep running if you took the car out of gear, problems that disappeared decades ago. They may still be justified in the case of heavy trucks going down grades, but in the case of passenger cars they make no sense at all. There are all sorts of absurd laws on the books in various places -- like not being allowed to hang laundry on Sundays -- which are NEVER enforced and NEVER observed. The coasting laws fall into this category IMO. Even going 56 in a 55 is a more serious offense than coasting.
http://law.onecle.com/texas/transportation/545.406.00.html § 545.406. COASTING. (a) An operator moving on a downgrade may not coast with the gears or transmission of the vehicle in neutral. (b) An operator of a truck, tractor, or bus moving on a downgrade may not coast with the clutch disengaged. Acts 1995, 74th Leg., ch. 165, § 1, eff. Sept. 1, 1995. ============ In Texas, this law was enacted in 1995--much more recently than I would have guessed. Does anybody have a history of the purpose behind these laws? (obviously safety, but what was deemed unsafe about coasting?)
I looked through the Manitoba highway traffic act and didn't find anything that specifically forbid coasting or FAS'ing. There was something along the lines of "a driver shall not operate his vehicle in a manner which reduces his control over the vehicle", which could arguably be applied to a FAS. It could also be applied to driving with underinflated tires or a cell phone though, both of which are more dangerous than a FAS and neither of them seem to be disallowed.
