When I received my new car earlier this week, I noticed the e-brake, or emergency brake, while becoming familiar with the components inside. Realizing that I never really put this brake to use while I am driving, I became curious to find out what other people might use it for. So, I did some reading to pull together an explanation of this concept.
What is the e-brake used for? The e-brake, or parking brake, in a car is mostly used for keeping a vehicle steadily in place after parking it. This is especially useful when the car is parked on a hill where it could potentially roll backward in the driver’s absence.
The parking brake is necessary for those who drive manual transmission vehicles, but can be used in any circumstance for this purpose. Emergency brakes are also put to use in the event of brake failure in order to stop the car when it won’t stop moving.
Since the e-brake, or emergency brake, is something that most of us do not regularly use, it is not surprising that this concept is not usually a topic of conversation. However, the e-brake can be used for convenience as well as safety in the event of an emergency.
If you are like me and barely touch your e-brake in your car, or you are confused about what it is actually used for, the information in this article will provide you with everything that you need to know. Keep reading to get all of the information on what the e-brake is used for and how you might be able to use it to your advantage.
What Is The E-Brake?
The E-brake is something that is a vital component in every automobile, but it is not as widely used or recognized as the other pedals that are adjacent to it. To answer the main question of this article, we will be going over what exactly an e-brake is within a car.
Take a look at the list below to get a brief explanation, and keep reading for a more detailed one immediately following.
E-Brake:
- Emergency Brake
- Parking Brake
- Usually found in the top left corner near pedals
- Must be pushed down firmly
- Released by putting pressure on the actual brake pedal
E-brake is a common nickname for the emergency brake, which is also known as the parking brake.
This type of brake is usually found in the top left corner near the pedals by your feet. In order to locate your emergency brake, you should look immediately to the side of your center brake pedal below you.
It is normally fashioned in the shape of a small square, and might be a different material from the other pedals that you see in your car. When you try to push down on the e-brake, it will require strong force, and you will have to lift your foot higher than you normally would to hit the brakes.
This is a purposeful design that helps drivers to avoid accidentally hitting the emergency brake instead of the normal one. So, in other words, you can’t hit the emergency brake unless you really intend to do so and lift your foot accordingly.
When you push down on the emergency brake with the pressure that was just mentioned, it will essentially lock into place, and must be released using the center brake pedal, which is a process that will be further described in later sections.
Keep reading to the next section to find out what the e-brake can be used for.
What Is The E-Brake Used For?
Now that we have established what exactly the e-brake is, you might be wondering what it is used for. Or rather, what kind of situation would you be in as a driver where you would need to use this component of your vehicle?
The following list will tell you what the main purposes of the e-brake is, with more details down below.
E-Brake Main Purposes:
- Parking
- Brake failure
The first, and most common circumstance, where you might use the e-brake as a driver is to park your car. If you are parking on a hill with a slope and you are worried about your braking system giving out, causing your car to roll backward, you can push down your parking brake to keep everything in place.
This method can be used by anyone for an added precaution, but it is necessary for those who drive a manual transmission car. This type of car requires a lot of gear shifting while driving, and can make it more likely to roll forward or backward even after it has been put into park.
The second, and more extreme, reason you might need to use this brake is for an actual emergency such as brake failure. When your brakes stop working for whatever reason, you can use the emergency brake to bring it to a complete stop and call for help.
How To Use The E-Brake For Parking
As previously mentioned, the first way that you can use the e-brake is for paring your vehicle more securely. The steps down below will outline the process of how you can use the parking brake for this purpose.
How To Use The E-Brake To Park:
- Park your car in the desired position
- Shift the vehicle into park
- Apply pressure to the emergency brake lever with your left foot
- Turn your car off and exit
After you have properly put the e-brake into action, you will obviously need to release it before you can continue to drive your car. This next set of steps will give you a quick explanation on how to deactivate the parking brake and resume driving.
How To Deactivate The E-Brake (When You Get Back In The Car):
- Turn your car back on
- Place your foot on the center brake and push on it firmly
- Make sure that the parking brake has been released by looking for clues on your dashboard
- Once it has been turned off, shift your car back into drive and proceed
How To Use The E-Brake For Brake Failure
In the worst case scenario, you might have to use your parking brake for an emergency brake failure. The list down below will give you a list of detailed steps of what you should do if your brakes ever stop working while you are in the middle of driving your car.
How To Use The E-Brake For Brake Failure:
- Try to allow the normal braking system to regain pressure before you result to the e-brake
- Assess your surroundings and be prepared for a bumpy stop
- Try to pull over to a safe location before you result to the emergency brake
- Push on the emergency brake with your left foot (using a lot of pressure)
- Call for help when the vehicle comes to a complete stop
The single most important thing to keep in mind when your brakes fail is that you must stay calm and approach the situation in a way that will solve the problem instead of creating more.
The parking brake should be used as a last resort in this situation, only if switching the car into a lower gear and pumping the brake pedal does not restore the function first.
If you must use the parking brake for this purpose, prepare yourself to pull over to a safe location and get ready for a bumpy stop! Once your vehicle has stopped accelerating and you have landed in a safe place, you can call for help promptly after.