How dangerous are drive-throughs?

[Xist]

I am convinced we discussed this within the last year or two, but all that I can find is this: http://ecomodder.com/forum/showthrea...alk-11400.html

The link Tasdrouille shared is gone and the Wayback Machine neglected to save a copy. Can we argue that actual evidence of the study no longer exists and we can dismiss it?

This is one of a few references that I can find: http://codb.us/DocumentCenter/View/12193

According to references, Tim Horton hired a team to investigate how environmentally-friendly drive-throughs were, and then busied themselves refuting the results of that investigation.

A study released in May and conducted by [a company] on behalf of Tim Hortons parent company […] concluded that a Tim Hortons restaurant with no drive-through actually produced higher emissions per vehicle than one with a drive-through, because of emissions from starting up vehicles, traveling to and from parking spaces, and congestion that occurs in the parking lot.

Orange4Boy pointed out that the comparison of two restaurants may have been apples and oranges and TDL Group Corp may have paid for several studies, but only published the favorable one.

They compared two restaurants and did not give any idea how they chose them. Could they have examined dozens of restaurants and chosen the two specific locations that gave the most favorable comparison?

I do not believe that there is any validity to claiming that drive-throughs reduce congestion. If the parking lot is so busy that people need to circle looking for a spot, wouldn't the drive-through also be full?

Anyway, on top of seeming like drive-throughs encourage pollution, apparently they are dangerous!
"The Bureau of Labor Statistics has found that workers in restaurants that had a drive-thru are twice as likely to be assaulted as workers at sit-down restaurants like Olive Garden or Red Lobster." Fast-food crime: Why is there so much violent crime at fast-food restaurants?

I am not sure that statistic has any meaning, though, because they compare restaurants with drive-throughs with sit-down restaurants, not hundreds of McDonald's with drive-throughs and hundreds without.

[redpoint5]

My Prius shuts off the engine when stopped, so it's just as "clean" driving through as parking. Establishments with drive through are more prone to violence because they have a higher volume of people visiting, and crazy people are also more likely to be lower income and frequent fast food over dining.

[niky]

Depends on how crowded the drive through line is.

If there are several cars in line, you will be sitting there for more than long enough to offset the extra emissions from turning off and restarting your car.

[jakobnev]

Drive throughs should be made slightly down hill so that people could roll their cars by gentle releases of the parking brake.

[Fat Charlie]

No, they should be uphill so Texty McSwervalot won't hit anyone when his autotragic moves the car forward because he accidentally lifted his foot off the brake while doing something else.

Sorry, I meant to say when unintended acceleration magically rears its ugly, unicorn shaped head, victimizing poor Texty, who is in no way to blame.

[cRiPpLe_rOoStEr]

My main concern at drive-thrus are robberies. OTOH they don't make so much sense to me, even though they're also common in many Brazilian cities. Well, since most of the local fleet is fitted with manual transmissions, and it's not that easy to use a single hand for steering and shifting while the other is handling the food, it only makes sense if the food is either for the passengers or taken out to get eaten at the destination.

BTW when I was at high-school I have taken food at drive-thrus on a bicycle a couple of times, while going back home from a club where I used to attend to rowing classes. Tried to eat while pedalling at least once but didn't feel so comfortable, since I couldn't use the rear brake or shift speeds in that bicycle while holding the handlebar with the left hand and eating with the right.

[Xist]

How does the Prius handle HVAC with the engine off? I understand auto-stop has been around for decades, but even though it was proven to help save the world, nobody wanted their air conditioning shutting off.

At what point would someone in a drive-through turn off their engine? Aren't there generally multiple cars in front of you and you would need to turn on your engine to move forward one spot? I have often wondered about tracks like they have at robot car washes that move your car through, but I do not think that expensive technology that requires a carbon-based life form is necessarily better than some asphalt and concrete.

Other reasons drive-throughs are more prone to violence is that they are open earlier and later than the lobby, criminals are already in their getaway car, and they are often located near freeways and highways.

Eating and riding a bike?

[cRiPpLe_rOoStEr]

Originally Posted by Xist

How does the Prius handle HVAC with the engine off? I understand auto-stop has been around for decades, but even though it was proven to help save the world, nobody wanted their air conditioning shutting off.

IIRC the Prius has an all-electric HVAC.

Other reasons drive-throughs are more prone to violence is that they are open earlier and later than the lobby, criminals are already in their getaway car, and they are often located near freeways and highways.

At least here in Brazil the drive-throughs usually follow the same opening time than the lobby, which can also operate late at night, and even though some might be located near an expressway they're more often found inside the urban perimeter. Well, in a 3rd-world country like this, motorcycles became the most common getaway vehicle for assaulters because they're easier to ride in the space-constrained streets of this former Portuguese colony. No wonder one of the most important police units in a big city are the ROCAM units (ROCAM means something like "ostensive patrols with motorcycles support" in Portuguese) which can easily overcome this issue.

[Xist]

Yes, it seems to be all-electric: https://www.greencarreports.com/news...plug-in-hybrid

[redpoint5]

Gen III Prius has no belts as everything is electric (water pump, AC, cooling fan, etc). Since everything is electric, you lose nothing by shutting down the engine (except heat, eventually).

I turn of other vehicles when waiting in a drive through, but probably park and go inside more often than not.

... I've eaten, shaved, and brushed my teeth in the past in my manual gearbox vehicle. That's why knee driving was invented! Portland traffic is a nightmare.