What to Do If the Brakes Don’t Work While Driving
When I was in high school, my car’s brakes didn’t hold up when I was driving down a hill. My memories of this incident are vague – I remember it as a few seconds that dragged on forever: frantically pressing the brakes; my car coasting to a stop; me, hyperventilating indefinitely. This incident is just one of several reasons why I now only drive when absolutely necessary. As a new driver, I didn’t know what to do and it was terrible.
So what to do if the brakes do not stand up while you are traveling in the car? In my case, I was lucky enough to be on a deserted country road without having to worry about crashing into another car. In addition, my brakes did not fail completely , which allowed me to eventually bring the car to a complete stop.
If your brakes don’t work while driving, here are some ways to keep you safe.
Calm down
First, try to stay as calm as possible. This is easier said than done, but staying calm in a stressful situation will help you respond to the situation correctly, which means that this is the first thing you need to do to get the situation under control.
Turn on emergency lights
If you have a second to do it safely, turning on the hazard lights will alert other drivers that you have a problem and should stay away. Of course, it is difficult to remember this now, but this is a small step that will help keep you and other drivers safe.
Downshift
If you are driving a car with a manual transmission, this is when you need to downshift. For a car with an automatic transmission, this will simply mean taking your foot off the gas pedal – which, in all likelihood, you have already done. You might think it makes sense to put your car in neutral, but you shouldn’t: it will make it impossible for your car to slow down with engine braking , which only works when the car is in gear.
Get to a place where you can safely slow down
This could mean driving on the side of the road or going a little further until you reach a location where there is enough open space clear of other vehicles for you to slow down safely.
Try again the brakes
Most cars have a dual braking system that independently controls the front and rear brakes. It is quite rare for both brakes to fail at the same time. It’s been a while since that incident in high school – more time than I can admit – but that’s what happened to me. I definitely felt like my brakes were completely disengaged, but it was a partial loss of stopping power, not total, which really meant that I was able to stop eventually, even though I was going downhill.
That said, losing half the stopping power is enough to make you feel like you’re out of control, and that’s definitely awful.
It’s also helpful to know if your car has anti-lock braking systems or standard brakes . For anti-lock brakes, it is recommended to brake firmly while you continue steering, while for standard brakes, it is recommended to use short presses to inflate the brakes.
However, most people don’t know what kind of brakes they have, and until your brakes are working there is no time to figure it out. As long as you slow down, this should help.
If you have time right now, check the next time you start your car . If your vehicle has anti-lock braking system, a yellow ABS warning will appear on the dashboard when the vehicle is started. You can also check your vehicle’s manual to make sure.
If that doesn’t work, use the emergency brake.
If retrying the brake does not help, now is the time to use the emergency brake , which is a separate system. Using the emergency brake will take longer than normal brakes, so you need to make sure you have enough room to do this, but it will eventually stop your car. Depending on your vehicle , this will require either pulling the lever or depressing the pedal until it comes to a complete stop.
Do not turn off the machine until it has come to a complete stop.
You want your car to come to a complete stop before shutting off the engine , as this will disable the power steering and can cause the steering wheel to lock, which will create another problem.
Check your brakes before driving again
Once you are safe, you will need to check and repair your brakes before driving again. This also includes having your vehicle towed to a repair shop. It is also advisable to check the brakes regularly to prevent such an emergency from occurring in the first place.