I too was disoriented by the braking-at-stoplights question, Matt. I never use my handbrake except when parking (except starting out going up a steep hill with a manual transmission -- no other way to do that unless you're a contortionist). If the clutch is completely disengaged (pedal all the way to the floor) it won't wear out cos it's not touching or rubbing anything. Further, whether or not you push the clutch in at stoplights has nothing to do with which brake you use (unless of course you brake and clutch with the same foot -- which you should definitely have been taught not to do!). It has to do with whether you shift into neutral. Some handbrakes are very difficult to use. I had a 1967 Ford Mustang whose handbrake required you to reach 'way under the dashboard, and the handle would regularly break because it wasn't really made for ultrafrequent use. Indeed, they are more often called "parking brakes" in l'Etats Unis, because that's what they're most often used for.

I too HATE the use of "literal" when it isn't.

And people who speed up when you signal to change lanes to keep you from getting in front of them.

Alex