Having taught the drivers education course at the local high school for many years I am familiar with covering the brake (hovering your right foot over the brake pedal in anticipation of sudden braking i.e. expecting the unexpected). However, I recognize that while most drivers are familiar with covering the brake they aren’t familiar with the term itself, why it’s necessary, and when you’re supposed to do it.
So, when should you cover the brake? You should cover the brake any time you’re not accelerating. However, there are 6 circumstances when it is absolutely imperative to cover the brake:
- Navigating through heavy traffic
- Anticipating a stop coming up. This can include city and freeway driving
- Circumstances where someone is driving close to you or switching lanes
- Passing vehicles and pedestrians that may make sudden unexpected movements
- In school zones and neighborhoods where children may be playing or cars may be backing out of driveways
- Approaching blind curves or hills
When it comes to covering the brake, it is better to be safe than sorry in tricky driving situations. So, there is really no limit to how many times you can cover the brake, as long as you are driving safely while you are doing it.
Covering the brake is a process that consists of moving your right foot off of the accelerator pedal and over the brake, without applying any pressure to it. So, why would someone need to use this technique while driving?
In this article, we will be going over everything you nee to know about covering the brake, from what it is to why it is done and when you should do it. Keep reading to get all of the necessary information on this topic.
What Is Covering The Brake?
Covering the brake is a common technique among drivers that is used in everyday situations. It is not something that requires much thinking or any special effort, but rather a simple sliding and hovering motion that will help to keep both you and your vehicle safe in the long run.
In this section, we will be answering the main question of this article of what it means exactly to cover the brake. Take a look at the list below for a brief outline of what this process consists of, with a deeper explanation to follow.
Covering The Brake:
- Moving the right foot to the brake from the accelerator
- Hovering over the brake with no pressure
- Not actually stopping the car yet, only being prepared to do so
When a driver covers the brake, they have simply moved their right foot of the accelerator and switched it over to the brake pedal. The only difference between this maneuver and the regular motion of moving your foot to the brake to stop the car is that you would not actually be putting any pressure on the brake pedal.
To be more specific, you would be hovering your foot over the brake pedal, barely touching it with the bottom of your shoe so that it can rest, but without putting any pressure on it to stop the car.
In this position, you should be prepared to comfortably push or slam on the brakes at any time. This is a way to be prepared for anything that can be thrown at you while you are driving.
To find out what the purpose of covering the brake is while driving, keep reading to the next section, where we will discuss the topic in more detail.
What Is The Purpose Of Covering The Brake?
Now that we have established what covering the brake is exactly as well as how you can do it while you are driving, you might be wondering why this technique is used among drivers. Or, more specifically, why would you ever need to use it?
When discussing a topic, it is important to understand how you can apply it to your own life in order to properly grasp the subject matter. So, in this section, we will be discussing the main purposes of covering the brake.
In the list down below, you will find a brief outline of some of the reasons why a driver might need to cover the brake while driving.
Purpose Of Covering The Brake:
- Preparing for stopping distances ahead
- Defensive driving
- Safety precaution in order to be prepared to avoid an accident
First and foremost, covering the brake is a technique that is used in order to prepare for stopping distances ahead. With the foot so close to the brake, you will be able to bring your vehicle to a complete stop in just a split second.
So, instead of moving your foot all the way from the gas to the brake, you can immediately begin to stop your car, especially in the case of an emergency stop.
This brings us to the next reason why drivers usually cover the brake, which is defensive driving. While driving in scenarios where a lot of other drivers are around and there is a potential for a lot of accidents, you can defend yourself with your brake pedal.
In the case where something might happen on the road that will cause you to get into an accident, you can quickly stop before things get out of hand.
In other words, covering the brake can serve as a safety precaution that will help you to be prepared for anything on the road, especially avoiding an accident with another vehicle.
When Should You Cover The Brake?
After reading through a detailed explanation of covering the brake and why it is done, you might now be wondering when it is appropriate to cover the brake. In this section, we will be going over the main reasons why you, as a driver, would ever need to cover the brake.
Take a look at the list below to get a brief outline of the circumstances where you should be covering the brake. If you don’t complete this process already, it would be a good idea to get into the habit now.
Throughout the explanations in the remainder of this article, take note of the scenarios in order to drive more safely and defensively among other drivers.
When To Cover The Brake:
- City driving
- Freeway driving
- In any kind of traffic
- When you see a stoplight coming up
- When someone is switching lanes in front of you
- When you plan to switch lanes
The main areas where you should be covering the brake constantly are cities and freeways with any kind of traffic. However, the brake covering distances are not only defined by these two types of roads.
In fact, you should make it a habit to cover the brake everywhere you go that has a lot of other cars around. Even when the roads are empty, it is still a good idea to cover your brakes, because you never know what could come out of nowhere.
When you see a stoplight coming up, or you know that you will be making a stop or a turn soon, you should cover the brake in preparation for this change. When someone is switching lanes in front of you or you plan to switch lanes yourself, you should also be covering the brake.
Basically, covering the brake is a process that should be done at all times while driving. When you are not putting pressure onto the gas pedal, it should be hovering over the brake, to make things more simple.
Making a habit out of covering the brake will help you to drive much more safely and avoid the probability of getting into an accident on the road. All in all, there is no such thing as covering the brake too much.
While it is true that there are some scenarios where you might use this technique more than others, it is never a bad idea to make it a habit.
