I've never heard of this in the U.S. In fact I was encouraged in driver's ed to keep my foot on the brake while stopped, so traffic coming up behind me would see the brake lights and realize at a glance I wasn't moving. The only handbrake use covered was for parking. (I later learned how to use it for hill starts in a stick shift car, but driving stick is not taught in driver's ed in the U.S. because most cars are automatic.)
Another benefit of keeping your foot on the brake is if you get smacked from behind, your car is less likely to shoot out into traffic.
In parts of the U.S. that get snow and use road salt the handbrake usually stops working after a few years anyway, due to the cables seizing up. Sometimes they set and then fail to release, which leads one to become wary of them. My dad once bought a Ford that had it already disabled at the factory. ;)
Biting the hand that feeds IT
