Experts show how to handle 'survival' situations when the car's brakes fail

According to experts, if the driver is unlucky enough to encounter a situation where the brakes fail, killing 13 people in Lai Chau, the driver must stay calm and try the following methods.

Calmness is the decisive factor to protect the lives of the driver and passengers in this situation. Many drivers panic, swerve the wheel without knowing why, causing the car to crash into people around or fall into a ravine.

When staying calm, the driver needs to quickly choose a solution, the first is to pull the handbrake.

The handbrake (also known as the auxiliary brake - Parking Break) is designed to help keep the car stationary when parking (especially in places where the friction between the wheel and the road surface is low, such as on a slope).

When operating, be careful to pull gently, slowly but with enough force. If you pull too hard or too fast, it can lock the wheel, causing slipping and loss of control.

Although less used than other braking systems, in this case, the handbrake is an indispensable option.

A common solution that only experienced and long-time drivers know is the gear brake.

When driving at high speed and the brakes fail, the driver can use the "downshift" technique.

The principle of braking by "downshifting" is to be able to shift to a lower gear while the vehicle is still at high speed, thereby using the "inertia" of the engine to stop the vehicle. Simply put, through this operation, we turn the engine (generating power) into a compressor (consuming power).

In the case of a manual transmission vehicle, it will be more complicated because if you shift gears too low at high speeds, it can destroy the transmission system and inertia, causing loss of control.

So go down 1 or 2 gears at a time, especially if you lose your brakes on a steep hill, be very careful when shifting down and do it sequentially.

Additionally, if there is enough space, the driver can move the vehicle in a zigzag pattern to gradually reduce the vehicle's speed.

Finally, if there is no other choice, the driver should find a point where the collision can be made without endangering anyone around.

If driving on a mountain pass, you can steer the car continuously against the cliff to reduce speed and avoid the car falling off the cliff.

An important note is to never turn off the engine, because then the steering system gradually loses power assistance, making it very heavy and difficult to control, and the sudden engine stop will cause the vehicle to lose control due to the impact of inertia.