HANDBRAKE CAR DRIVERS
HANDBRAKE CAR FREE

You should also consider this when you're stuck behind vehicles yourself! Be ready to set off and make sure you use devices like the indicators to make it clear to fellow road users what you plan to do next.įor safety reasons, the examiner will expect you to apply the handbrake after you have completed an emergency stop and in the event of the car stalling.

HANDBRAKE CAR DRIVERS

On the other hand, the fact that your brake lights are no longer on means that it is not clear to other drivers when you plan to start moving again. Out of courtesy, therefore, people are often more likely to switch to using the handbrake when waiting at traffic lights during the hours of darkness. This is useful when driving at night, because your brake lights may dazzle any drivers behind you. One thing you need to consider about the handbrake is that when it is applied, and you have released the foot brake, your brake lights are no longer illuminated. Applying this feature while the car is still moving should only be attempted in the event of an emergency. Please note, however, that it still requires a considerable amount of skill to stop a car using only the handbrake. While it is incredibly rare these days for the main braking system of a car to malfunction, if the worst happens, you can at least try to use the handbrake to bring the car to an eventual halt. Having two types of brake means that it is not necessarily disastrous if one fails (though it really isn't good!). The handbrake is really useful as an added safety device for your vehicle. Safety Image source: Jametlene Reskp via Unsplash

If you reach for it every time the car stops, you risk delaying the progress of both yourself and other drivers. On the other hand, if you are only pausing for a brief moment (for instance, if it looks like the lights are about to turn green) applying the handbrake really isn't necessary.

HANDBRAKE CAR FREE

This means that, once you're ready to set off again, your feet will be free to work the clutch and accelerator pedals. If it doesn't look like anything is going to start moving once the time is up, apply the handbrake. Next time you're stuck behind other cars or waiting for a red light to change, count to 5 seconds. Any time the car is stationary for a noticeable amount of time, using the handbrake can give both your foot and the brake pedal a well-earned rest. One of the most common driving scenarios that requires the use of the handbrake is when you are queuing in traffic. Waiting in traffic Image source: Kentaro Toma via Unsplash It is increasingly common, however, for newer vehicles to simply have a handbrake button. In older vehicles, the handbrake is often situated between the front two seats and looks like a lever with a button at the end. As a result, it is imperative that the handbrake is never used without the foot brake having been applied first. It can actually be damaging to the car to apply the handbrake when the vehicle is still in motion. At the very least, the handbrake should be released when you are starting the car and applied once again when you are parking up. In fact, the handbrake only controls the rear wheels of a car. The handbrake is not as powerful as the foot brake and, if used on its own, would not bring a car to a stop very quickly. You'll find that you need to apply slight pressure to this pedal throughout a journey-even when you don't intend to come to a complete halt. Not only is this because it is required every time you brake, but because it also comes in handy when you need to slow down. It is used a lot more frequently than the handbrake. It is the most powerful of the car's braking systems and should be used any time you want to bring your vehicle to a stop. The foot brake sits in the middle between the clutch pedal (on the left) and the accelerator pedal (on the right). Keep reading to find out when the foot brake and handbrake should be used! If you still feel like you're in the dark on this one, PassMeFast is here to help. Well, some of it is down to personal preference, but a lot of the time you need to consider both safety and control factors. So how do you know which situations require the use of both? While the foot brake needs to be used any time you want to stop the car, the handbrake is only suitable for certain scenarios. If you've ever been behind the wheel of a car you'll notice that there are two separate braking systems: the foot brake and the handbrake.

Foot Brake vs Handbrake: When Do You Need Both? Image source: Will Porada via Unsplash

Handbrake car