Losing control over your car brakes can be the scariest few moments of your life. Even though brake failure may not be rampant today due to advanced driving technologies, misfortunes still happen. Brake failure continues to be the cause of deadly multi-vehicle collisions on our roads today, and this is because most drivers are lost as to what to do when brake failure occurs. It is, therefore, important to know what actions to take when your brakes fail while driving.
Brake failures occur for many reasons, such as improper maintenance, over-braking, uneven braking, and a damaged air system. So when your car breaks down all of a sudden in the middle of the road, remember to do these:
Avoid neutral
Avoid putting your car in neutral mode, whether you’re driving an automatic or manual. This will eliminate all engine brakes and enable unrestricted forward motion for your vehicle. Additionally, you risk losing control of the vehicle if you find yourself in neutral and attempt to shift directly into a gear that is too slow for the pace you are traveling. This could result in your wheels locking up.
Downshift immediately
Lowering the car’s gears can help the engine slow down and allow for safe pullovers. Whether driving an automatic or manual, downshift smoothly through the gears to avoid skidding and losing power steering. Avoid shutting off the car to stop it, as this can cause a loss of braking effect. If the car just hits the brakes and nothing happens, use the gear stick to shift down a gear. In manual cars, downshift as usual, but avoid skipping gears to avoid locking the wheels. In automatic cars, you can manually select gears using the gear shifter or paddle shifters in ‘sport’ ‘sequential’ mode. This mode allows you to control the car’s gear position and change it on the fly without the car’s computer taking over. It can be activated differently depending on the car, but it works the same.
Use the emergency brake, but don’t completely depend on it
Before applying the handbrake, make sure your speed is low enough! If you are driving slowly enough, a handbrake can bring your vehicle to a complete stop without sliding the back wheels, but you may need to coast for a while before using it. Keep in mind to slowly draw up the handbrake until you feel the car slowing down, rather than yanking it as hard as you can. The back wheels will lock if you pull it up too quickly.
Avoid steering
Avoid abrupt or sharp steering to keep control of the vehicle, even if you will still need to steer when your brake fails. You may stop safely and maintain control by using mild steering inputs.
Getting your brake system tested on a regular basis will help you avoid brake failure, even though it can occasionally be unavoidable due to a defect.
Find an escape route
Use an escape ramp, and if there aren’t any, find another route to exit the road while keeping your car moving slowly. Find a side roadway or open field where you will have enough friction to automatically slow down. As you do this, pay close attention to other cars and stay away from them at all costs.
