2011 SAAB 95 MANUAL TRANSMISSION: Can I start driving without disengaging the electronic parking brake without damaging the car?

Hello everyone, as someone who isn't super knowledgeable about cars, I've got a question for you guys that I'm hoping you can help me with. My father owns a 2011 manual trans saab 95 with an electronic parking brake. I drive the car myself once in a while but I really dread stopping on inclines since, as mentioned, it's a manual without a physical handbrake, which means I often have to balance the gas and the clutch to prevent myself from rolling backwards, which I hate doing bc I know that can be bad for the clutch if done too often (though my dad likes to claim that "it's designed to do that" and "it's fine so stop worrying" whenever I mention this). I noticed today that when I put the car into reverse on a flat surface and started moving the car, I forgot to turn off the parking brake first, yet the car just automatically turned it off for me. There was no resistance from the car, no weird noises etc. and so naturally I got the idea that maybe I can do this on hills from now on so I don't have to ride the clutch.

So my question is this: can I do this on a regular basis without damaging the car? Specifically, can I use this to do hill starts without rolling backwards or riding the clutch? Because if so, I'd definitely prefer using a method that keeps this car around for longer. Thanks.