Brake failure is the most common car accident that has led to many deaths. There’s nothing fun about brake failure in your car while driving. It’s one of the most dangerous occurrences any driver could experience. It leads to loss of life and injuries.
However, it’s important to prepare one’s mind against some of the car occurrences that could arise at random. Here’s what you should do instead if you find yourself in a situation where your car has no brakes.
Don’t Panic when Your Brake Fails
The first step in any emergency is not to panic. Experts recommend you try your brakes again to check if they haven’t gone out. If this doesn’t work, you must carefully engage the emergency brake.
Another method you can try is to downshift into another gear. In a manual vehicle, you do this by working your way through the gears. If you have an automatic vehicle, taking your foot off the accelerator will do the trick.
While going through these steps, try to get off the road. In most movies, it seems like the hero chooses the busiest streets to keep moving. It would be best to do the opposite by getting completely off the road. However, this may not always be possible. If you are in a situation where you can’t get off the road, try hitting a barrier. Your car will most likely be totalled, but you’ll live to buy another one.
Once you start to slow down, it might make sense to turn the car off. Don’t do this. You need to keep your car running until you’ve come to a complete stop. Turning off the vehicle also reduces power steering, which means losing control over where you’re headed.
Don’t try to drive it again once you’re out of the vehicle safely. Have it taken to a mechanic who can find and fix the problem.
Know Your Car Brakes
While many of us aren’t car experts, there are a few things that are just a good idea to know. According to experts, one of them is what brakes you have. So, how do you know what brakes you have without pulling out your car manual?
Look for a logo that lights up with ABS when you turn up your car. If you see this, you have anti-lock brakes. Otherwise, you have regular breaks.
So, why does this matter, exactly? If you have regular brakes instead of anti-lock brakes, you need to pump the brake pedal fast after you downshift to a lower gear. This will help build up the brake fluid.
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