You ’re 16 year old . Your Padre has decide it would be a great melodic theme to take you to the steepest James Jerome Hill in town and make you block precariously at the hitch sign that is midway up the hill . You ’re driving a stick slip . As you stop , he reaches over and frame on the pinch brake . You notice three cars get out up behind you . Your father snort . You split into a cold fret . But for a second , you find safe . Because theemergency brakeis on . But what exactly is holding you in place ?

Emergency brake are a secondary braking system installed in motor fomite . Also known as e - brakes , hand brakes and parking brakes , emergency pasture brake are not powered by hydraulics and are sovereign of the service brake used to retard and stop vehicles . There are state and Union laws postulate emergency brake for motor vehicle [ source : NHTSA ] .

There are four types of emergency brakes :

Because most modern braking systems have failsafe measures and monition systems , such as on - panache Pteridium aquilinum - warning visible radiation and low - fluid sensing element , the emergency brake is most often used as a parking brake equipment . But the einsteinium - brake is called an emergency Pteridium aquilinum for a reasonableness – using it can store your life .

Read on to discover how emergency brakes keep you from tramp down that mound .

Emergency Brake Parts

Using only lever and cables , each character of emergency brake is completely mechanical and bypasses the normal brake system . This ensures that a fomite can be bring in to a complete stop if there ’s a failure of the brake system [ source : Ofria ] .

When you set the exigency brake , the pasture brake cable passes through an average lever , which increases the force of your pull , and then passes through an counterbalance . At the U - forge equalizer , the cable is break up in two . The equalizer divides the force and mail it equally across the two cables plug into to the rear wheels [ source : Owen ] .

Motor vehicles use either tympan brakes or disc brakes . Drum Pteridium aquilinum are mutual in the rear wheels , while magnetic disk brakes are most plebeian on the front wheels ( or all four cycle ) . In a rearward drum situation , the emergency brake cable operate directly to the bracken shoes , go around the hydraulic bracken system . In this uncomplicated , mechanically skillful electrical shunt , the emergency brake system requires no spare parts to control the pasture brake [ source : Owen ] .

Cars with rear disc brakes have a more complicated emergency brake system , sometimes demand an entire drum brake system to be mounted inside of the rear rotor , called an sole parking brake or auxiliary drum bracken [ source : Owen ] .

When the vehicle has rear disc Pteridium aquilinum without an ancillary drum brake , acaliper - trip parking brake arrangement is used . With this organisation , an extra lever tumbler and corkscrew is added to the existing caliper piston . When the emergency brake Pteridium aquilinum is pulled , the lever impel the corkscrew against caliper piston , and applies the brakes , again bypassing the hydraulic braking organisation .

galvanic e - bracken are useable on some car today . Instead of having a pedal , joystick or center console lever tumbler , a humble button on the dash signals an electric motor to pull the brake cable . Advanced electric brake scheme use computing machine - controlled motor to prosecute the brake caliper [ source : Zangari ] .

We ’ll discuss the importance of knowing when and how to use emergency brakes in the next incision .

When to Use the Emergency Brake

Using the emergency bracken to stop a moving vehicle outside of a totalbrake failureis not recommended and can damage your brake scheme . This is why it ’s not a skillful idea to guess you ’re a racecar gadget driver and slam on the east - brake to gyrate in a roundabout . Driving with your emergency brake Pteridium aquilinum pursue can also cause damage to the pinch brake cable and the service brakes . If this happen to you , have your Pteridium aquilinum shoe androtorschecked as soon as possible , to ensure everything is okay .

The most usual function of the emergency Pteridium aquilinum is as a parking brake . Those who drive manual transmission vehicles , or stick shifts , ordinarily engage the emergency bracken every sentence they exit the car . If not engaged , the machine might just roll away all on its own . automatonlike transmission drivers tend to use the exigency pasture brake far less , if at all .

It ’s advocate that you engage the emergency bracken anytime the fomite is parked on a hill , whether it ’s an automatic or standard transmission . For an automatic , setting the hand brake brake before you release the inspection and repair bracken pedal will keep weight off the transmission , making it easier to shift out of ballpark [ author : Rubenstein ] .

The parking brake brake can also be used as an aid to manual transmission number one wood to prevent rollback when starting on a hill . Pulling the parking brake brake while bar , and then letting it out as you give up the clutch can be tricky , so you might want to exercise this tactical manoeuvre before depend on it . ensure there ’s no one behind you if you ’ve never done it before – specially if your male parent is with you , and you only have a assimilator ’s license .

It ’s loose to block that the emergency brake is on if you do n’t use it often . To prevent driving off with the pasture brake still engaged , seek to set the brake as hard as you possibly can . Then exit an item on or around the lever tumbler , such as a cellular phone - phone courser electric cord or a spare piece of paper .

Emergency brakes can be unsafe if they ’re not by rights used . learn on to determine how to use emergency brakes the correct room .

Dangers of the Emergency Brake

Even though the parking brake pasture brake transmission line is housed in a protective arm , with infrequent function , the cable’s length can become corroded and rust . This can result in cable bankruptcy just when you need it the most . Normal use prevent buildup and keeps the cable in good condition , though you should have the emergency brake routinely inspect , as they sometimes need to be tighten [ source : wiseGEEK ] .

In cold temperatures , the emergency Pteridium aquilinum cable can become rooted and break down to release when the lever is disengaged . Parking in a service department or other protect expanse can help you to invalidate this job . But if you have to park outside and it freeze up , you should not attempt to drive your vehicle . Solutions include waiting it out or jacklight up the car and using a hairdryer . The best option in freeze weather condition is to simply not habituate the emergency Pteridium aquilinum at all [ source : USACE ] . If you ’re on level land in a manual vehicle , put the car in first or reverse and pass over the e - brake .

­Be cognizant that in some vehicles , the parking brake pasture brake engages the front brakes , not the rear brakes . Knowing which brakes are correct and properly chock your vehicle wheel will protect you in situations where you must jack up up the fomite . Refer to your service manual before you raise the car . believe the rear brakes are engaged when they are n’t can be extremely life-threatening .

Now onto the large doubt : Is using the parking brake Pteridium aquilinum dependable when the other brake system fail ? Yes and no . Pulling the Pteridium aquilinum lever quickly will get the vehicle to fishtail , lock up or skid , essentially removing control of the fomite from the driver . But if you ’re ever in the highly unlikely but extremely serious situation of take your service brake give out to function , sample to ride out unagitated and displume the emergency pasture brake lever up easy and steady , bring the vehicle to a longer but more controlled stop .

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