Up to you, YOU prove that it WASN'T a law back then. Or disregard the whole thing as I don't care either way. Regardless if Law, Recommendation, Fallacy, or whatever... since Automatic Transmissions were designed SPECIFICALLY to avoid every manual gear change, WHY would a person even CONSIDER doing this? They aren't called "Automatic-shift-while-moving-but-you-are-required-to-manually-shift-when-stopped-before-proceeding-again" transmissions.
On manual box cars and of course bikes during a long wait at a light, I also put the thing into neutral so I don't have to hold the clutch for several minutes.

 

On my Cummins swap I pop it into neutral at lights just because it idles cleaner without a load. Not an issue with the cat and I'd never trust the damn e brake to release. E brake sticking is one of the most common failures on the Lincoln LS behind the plastic cooling stuff breaking.

 

You're the one spreading information(that may not be correct). You should be able to back it up.

I kept my state driving hand book from when I was a teenager, I would be able to scan it were it a point of contest on what the law was in the state I learned to drive when I learned to drive.

Perhaps they didn't make documents like this when you learned to drive, or perhaps you didn't actually read it?

You've brought it up, now I'm curious.

Unfortunately, for me to research this I would need to know a more specific when. It also might be difficult since I do not have any lawyer connections in Minnesota for me to check with about the past driving law history.

However, as you were evidently a resident and learned to drive there; it would be much easier for you to prove this.

I have found a book source of all state's driving laws and as of 1979 it was still just a coasting law only. The law was revised in 1962 to change the types of vehicles covered by the law.

I keep finding older and older information that does not support that the law was like what you describe. So when did you go to high school? the 1800's? I'll have to start calling you the ancient one.

 

The same situation occurs when you lift off the throttle and coast, the engine shuts off fuel creating an opposite load on the drive train. The moment you stop coasting and open up throttle, you get thrust and the drive train goes from loaded one way, to load the opposite way.

So no matter what you do, this is occurring every time you lift off throttle to where the engine is making more drag than thrust, then accelerate again.

My logical conclusion is if it were the supreme evil to be avoided, we would never let off the gas, instead applying both brake and gas at the same time to always keep the drive train torqued up in one direction only without release.

Couple this with a section in the driver's manual(Page number 144 for the one in my car) that mentions to shift to neutral when stationary and I do not think the OP is doing anything wrong to a point that would need correction.

The fact is all sorts of things we do when in drive and moving will cause wear on our cars, and not driving it also causes wear on our cars. Cars wear out. Something will wear it out faster than others and perhaps should be avoided by long term owners. I do not really think shifting to neutral at a stop light in a 4.2L is one of them.

 

Sounds like my first car, if you didn’t keep you foot on the gas, it would die at every traffic stop.

 

OK now my head hurts. I need a drink

 

That's not the same as shifting to neutral, is it?