§ 4187. Coasting prohibited.
(a) The driver of any motor vehicle when traveling upon a down grade shall not coast with the gears or transmission of such vehicle in neutral.
(b) The driver of any motor vehicle when traveling upon a down grade shall not coast with the clutch disengaged.

If the price of gas continues to rise, there may be an increased incentive to place the transmission into neutral when traveling downhill in order to increase gas mileage (save money). IT IS ILLEGAL and has the potential to increase stopping distance.

Occasionally, the operator of a motor vehicle will shift into a lower gear if needed to decrease the stopping distance when the foot brake is used in isolation. “The D Team” takes no position on this practice by the motorist of a standard shift motor vehicle, however, it is an illegal practice by trucks except for emergencies – see picture  below.


Delaware Defensive Driving Course

Delaware Defensive Driving
Delaware Defensive Driving Inc. has been providing State of Delaware Division of Motor Vehicles approved Basic and Refresher (aka “Advanced”) defensive driving courses since 1992. Based in Wilmington, Delaware over 132,000 certificates of completion have been issued to Delaware drivers over the last 27 years.

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