In the section
Braking: Or Lack Thereof, various scenarios about anticipating slowdowns/stops ahead in traffic are laid out, with lots of attention to timing traffic lights.
The idea that the (friction) brakes are your enemy is made (and made, and made again
).
But there's an advanced technique where the brake pedal IS your friend, and it's not mentioned: There are times when it pays to brake early in order to scrub enough speed so you can now coast along at a lower speed / longer duration than you otherwise would have been able to if you had only coasted.
EG: say you're faced with a stale red light where you could do a considerable amount of coasting, then lightly brake at the end to finally come to stop at the stop line. You could do that.... OR you could do some
early braking to scrub some speed, with the result that you can now coast for longer, at a slower speed, and you reach the intersection still moving when the light changes.
In other words:
Option #1): Coast first, light brake to a stop.
Option #2): Brake first, coast at a lower speed, and preserve momentum so you avoid having to stop.
Or, I could have pointed to tip # 49 on
our driving tips list.