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If you are parking facing uphill, put the gearbox in 1st gear, turn the wheels towards the kerb and apply the handbrake. If you are parking on flat ground, leave the gearbox in neutral and apply the handbrake. The only issue is that the handbrake’s operation of the rear wheels means that it doesn’t provide much stopping force and there’s a risk that the rear wheels will lock, causing you to spin if you are turning (this is the premise of a handbrake turn ). The handbrake is not a powerful brake but it can be used to slow your car down if your regular brakes fail. All modern braking systems have systems that make it extremely unlikely they will fail, so the emergency brake is rarely used in those circumstances. How to use a handbrake In an emergencyĪ handbrake is called an emergency brake because it was originally designed to be used in an emergency if the main brakes failed. Handbrakes can seize up if you don’t use them regularly or if the weather is very cold. Handbrakes usually only operate the rear wheels. A hand-operated lever next to or under the steering column.A switch or push button either on the dashboard or near the gearstick between the front seats.A foot-operated brake to the left of the clutch pedal.A hand-operated lever in between the seats or, more rarely, down the door side of the driver’s seat.Different types of handbrakeĭifferent cars have different mechanisms:
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It’s not just as simple as understanding that you should apply it when you’ve stopped as there are other times when you should use it, and the method varies between cars with automatic and manual gearboxes. With a name like parking brake, it should be obvious when you should use it, but it’s also called a handbrake, emergency brake or e-brake in various parts of the world.
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