Hacker News Reader

It's really tough to say with any certainty unless there is a standard out there for this behavior. seems like it's a different thing for each car manufacturer but that's just my hunch based off a small subset of cars i've driven.

Just to add, I have a keyless car and the steering lock is engaged when the car has been switched off, in park and the door has been opened.

But I wonder what would happen if I was travelling and I just pressed the start/stop button, if the car would actually switch off.

If you have a safe area it's worth testing how your car works, usually push-to-start is actually a multi-state button between Ignition & Accessory On, Ignition Off & Accessory On, and All Off.

Absolutely, I know that if I press the start button without pressing the brake it will initiate Accessory On but not the ignition.

But power steering/m assist/brake assist likely go away, making the car much harder to control.

Neutral is the solution. But when panicking you’re unlikely to use something you likely never use outside of an automatic car wash.