Everything You Need to Know About Your Parking Brake

Your parking brake is an overlooked part of your vehicle. There’s nothing glamorous about a parking brake, yet it’s a highly important part of your car. The parking brake (also known as an emergency brake) is one of the most crucial safety components in your car, and should always be used correctly. Here’s everything you need to know about your parking brake. 

Always Use It 

It’s common for people to only apply their parking brake when on a steep incline. However, you should activate your parking brake any time you park your vehicle, even if you’re on completely flat ground. If your car is hit while it is parked, the emergency brake will keep your vehicle from rolling away. This can prevent further damage from occurring, as your car will be less likely to roll into other vehicles or obstacles.

It Needs Maintenance, and Occasional Replacement

Just like your normal brakes, your parking brake needs to be taken care of, and sometimes needs to be adjusted. Your parking brake doesn’t need to be adjusted with very much regularity, but you should still ask your mechanic to inspect it when your normal brakes are replaced. 

Use it With the Foot Brake On

When you deploy the parking brake, try to do so with your foot on the standard brake. This eases the amount of stress that is placed on your parking brake, which helps keep it working well for a long time. 

It Really Can Be an Emergency Brake 

If you find yourself in an emergency, with your brakes not working, or not working well enough, you can use your parking brake to help slow down and stop your moving vehicle. This is something you should only ever do in severe emergencies, but if you ever cannot get your vehicle to stop, immediately deploy the emergency brake.

Don’t Ever Drive with It On

If you’ve ever accidentally started driving your car with the parking brake still on, you’ll know that it is not smooth sailing. The parking brake impedes your vehicles ability to work properly, which can cause excess stress and damage to other parts of the car. It’s important to never drive your car with the parking brake applied, as you can cause extreme damage to various components. 
It’s easy to forget about your parking brake, but it’s a key safety feature. Don’t forget to use it properly, to ensure that it lasts a long time, and keeps your vehicle safe and in good shape.