Just done my first Driving lesson - what do you do with gears at traffic lights?

The problem with that (which is fine for a learner) is, by stopping when you don't need to, you may have missed a gap in the traffic you could have used. The result is you will have to wait for quite some time, with the people behind cursing at the driver who should have gone, the queue will build up unnecessarily and traffic slows. Experienced drivers are expected to show their experience.

Perhaps, but like I said before, I'd rather a minor for hesitation than do something potentially dangerous

Most are, but one time I slowed down and didn't come to a complete stop and my instructor told me to always stop to show the examiner that I've acknowledged the give way lines and to give myself extra time to see what's going on ahead, so now I always do it

On a completely blind junction it is obviously unsafe to go. But relatively few junctions (in most places!) are truly blind, and I'm not sure where you're living to have every single junction with zero visibility.

I guess you have encapsulated the point people are making which is that if you feel unsafe to go at a junction then don't go. Nobody should be going at blind junctions without stopping to check because it's unsafe. And if you feel uncomfortable assessing a junction without stopping then absolutely don't do it, always stop.

But if a junction is not blind, as you accumulate experience (that person's point about unconscious competence), you may be able to tell it is safe to go without having to completely stop. It is not dangerous to pull out at a junction if you are sure that there is no traffic coming, and that is an assessment you will be able to make increasingly quickly and competently with time - to the point where at non-blind junctions, you may indeed find you have no need to stop because you become expert at carrying out that assessment...

Perhaps, but like I said before, I'd rather a minor for hesitation than do something potentially dangerous

I thought when you're stopped in traffic such as waiting at traffic lights you're supposed to put it into neutral and apply the handbrake. The rationale of not leaving it in first with the clutch down is that if for some reason your foot came off the clutch with it in gear (this is quite feasible) the car could lurch forwards and hit the car in front. If you're pausing at a junction and you're first in line to go out, then obviously you have it in the correct gear with the handbrake off, using the footbrake to hold the car until you're ready to smoothly pull out and join the traffic flow.

On a completely blind junction it is obviously unsafe to go. But relatively few junctions (in most places!) are truly blind, and I'm not sure where you're living to have every single junction with zero visibility.

I guess you have encapsulated the point people are making which is that if you feel unsafe to go at a junction then don't go. Nobody should be going at blind junctions without stopping to check because it's unsafe. And if you feel uncomfortable assessing a junction without stopping then absolutely don't do it, always stop.

But if a junction is not blind, as you accumulate experience (that person's point about unconscious competence), you may be able to tell it is safe to go without having to completely stop. It is not dangerous to pull out at a junction if you are sure that there is no traffic coming, and that is an assessment you will be able to make increasingly quickly and competently with time - to the point where at non-blind junctions, you may indeed find you have no need to stop because you become expert at carrying out that assessment...

Ah! So you are still a learner. I was mislead by your claim to be competent a few posts ago, and assumed you had passed your test. No learner is competent. You only truly start to learn to drive when you have passed your test.

Obviously, it is better to be over-cautious as a learner.

Passing your test doesn't necessarily make you competent, that's why so many people crash not long after they've passed.

& Yes, I know it's better to be over cautious, I did try to explain that before..

I agree with all that. What I've found on blind junctions is that you really have to do everything you possibly can to help determine if it's safe, so if it's safe to nudge out a little to try to get a better view, that can help - winding the windows down to see if you can hear things coming - at night you can often see lights before the vehicle and so on.

The absolute worst is to just head out 'hoping' it will be OK. Loads and loads of drivers do that and it's a fair bet that they are the group that have the highest statistical chance of crashing.

You also misled us into thinking your were competent, by claiming you are competent.

I didn't mislead anyone, I know that I am competent. You know nothing about to me to claim the opposite

In fact, what you should do is, having decided the time is ripe to go, go quickly.

I know that you are a learner driver and, as I have said (and you yourself acknowledged), those who have just passed their test are only just starting to learn to drive, so you have not even reached that stage. Passing the test is only an indication that you are sufficiently competent in the basics.

To see a learner driver claiming to be competent is worrying. You should read that link I gave you and you may learn something about learning.

a stranger is telling me that I do so because I'm incompetent

I suspect that your problem is that you have seen the word incompetent, taken offence to it and not read it in context. I expect you didn't read the link I provided which explained the phrase I used in its full context.

I said that it sounded as if you have not yet reached the stage of unconscious competence, and you obviously haven't, nor would I expect any learner to have done so.

once you are stopped fully, put the handbrake on and change into neutral.
However, what do you do with the foot brake pedal then? When do you take it off when coming to a complete stop? Do you let go of the foot pedal after putting on the handbrake?

Once you've applied the handbrake, take your foot off the brake.

Yeah, and maybe once I'm driving on my own and not being assessed, I won't come to a complete stop if I can see clearly, but it's not about me being incompetent, it's about me wanting to pass my test.

I see, from your posts I didn't realise you were still learning for your test. Yes on your test do exactly as you have been taught.

IMO you don't start becoming 'unconsciously competent' as described until you've been driving for a good while, I think it took me at least 6 months of driving pretty regularly in different situations before I stopped thinking about most of the things I did when driving. Even if you did somehow have that much driving experience as a learner it would be inadvisable to do on your test because they're specifically (and rightly probably!) looking for somewhat exaggerated caution.