By Nnamdi Ikeh-Akabogu (FRSCN)
‘N’ or ‘Neutral’ is a gear in cars with an automatic gearbox.
Have you ever thought about the functions of this neutral gear?
Most people have never had a reason to use it while some drivers don’t even know when and how to use it.
Well, it has some unique functions and can even save your life too in critical conditions.
Shifting to the neutral gear in an automatic transmission will cut off the connection between the engine and the wheels.
So, no power will be transmitted to the wheels when you press the pedal.
This allows the wheels to rotate freely without drawing much action from the engine, but you will still have some control over the car.
Shifting to the neutral does not do much harm except for putting a bit of strain on the brakes when your intention is to stop the vehicle.
However, doing it frequently for a long time could damage the torque converter.
• When to Use the Neutral Gear
There are several occasions when selecting this gear will come in handy. Let’s take a look:
1. Stopping a Car with a Stuck Throttle:
Think of cruising through the highway at a great speed and suddenly discovering that you have a stuck throttle! Scary, right? Pushing the brake might not be enough to stop the vehicle since the speed is high. In that case, the safe bet is to move the gear to Neutral and use the brake to park safely.
Switching off the engine is not the safest solution since it will cut the power to the steering, making it impossible to stop the car without any damage.
2. Safe Parking During a Brake Failure:
People mostly respond to a brake fail by killing the engine. It’s a wrong choice since it will leave you with no control over the steering wheel.
Besides, it can even lock the wheel mechanism, making the situation more dangerous.
Shifting to the neutral gear will help you toggle between the lanes and park somewhere safe.
3. During Towing:
Putting the vehicle in Neutral during towing is not the ideal way to do it.
However, you don’t have any choice when the towing company does not have a tow dolly.
The neutral gear will help in keeping the engine on and transmission damage minimal.
The traffic expert is DCC Nnamdi Ikeh-Akabogu, DCC Morning and Evaluation (M&E), Special Duties and External Relations (SEDER), FRCC HQ, Abuja
