Navigating all of the bells and whistles included with your car can be overwhelming — especially if you are new to driving. It can even be difficult to keep track of what buttons or gadgets are for even if you have been driving for a long period of time. Sometimes, when you get a new car, the buttons and gadgets are in different places or they have different labels on them.
However, as confusing as they may be, most of them were put in your car for a reason—your safety. Your emergency break is one feature that every car has included, but most people do not know when or how often to use it. Yes, it is technically installed for an emergency — for a time when your regular brakes stop working. But — there are other times you are supposed to implement your emergency brakes as well. Do you know what they are?
When you park on a hill. This is probably the situation outside of faulty brakes that most people are already aware of. When you park on a hill, you might feel a jolt backward when you put the car in park. Your brakes need a little extra support to help keep them afloat. And in case your regular brakes stop working while you are parked, if you put your emergency brakes in use before you left, they are there to back them up and keep your car from rolling down a hill.
While your car is getting serviced. If something goes wrong with your car and you have to call a flatbed truck for service, you should put on your emergency brake. This helps relieve some pressure that can be put on the transmission. It can also help keep the mechanics safe as your car is moved onto their truck.
When you park at a curb or close to other cars. If you are parked at a curb or extremely close to other cars, your car is not immune to being bumped or nudged. Putting on your emergency brake helps keep the car from moving if bumped by another car. This helps keep some pressure off of the transmission. Also — if your car is bumped and therefore bumps another car in front of it, you might have to pay for damage done to your car and the car in front of you. It also helps keep your car from rolling down a hill if bumped by another vehicle.
When you are changing a flat tire. You do not want the rear tires to spin while you are changing tires on your car. Putting on your emergency brake when your car’s tire is being changed helps keep you and others safe.
All of these are commonly known and less commonly known reasons for putting on your emergency brake. Many mechanics will say that putting on your emergency brake when you are parked on a flat service can help your car’s transmission and take some pressure off of your regular brakes. Using them regularly also helps ensure that they do not rust and become unusable.
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