How to safely handle a car brake failure
Brake failure is a dangerous incident when participating in traffic on the road, requiring drivers to calmly handle the situation safely to avoid causing accidents or damage to the vehicle.
Causes of car brake failure
Car brake failure is mainly due to the following reasons:
-Brake fluid pressure:Car brakes work thanks to internal hydraulic pressure. Therefore, if brake fluid leaks in the brake lines or cylinders, the brake system will not have enough pressure to decelerate. The result is delayed braking, even leading to brake failure.
-Air in the brake system: If you apply the brakes but they are weak or ineffective, air may have entered the system. Air entering the brake lines can cause blockages, preventing the vehicle from generating enough pressure for the brakes to work.
-ABS controller error:A rare cause of brake failure is a faulty ABS controller. Sometimes a faulty ABS system can block the intake/exhaust valves, causing the vehicle to lose its brakes.
-Brake continuously: The habit of continuously braking for a long time can easily cause the brake pads to burn, leading to poor brake performance.
How to handle when car brakes fail
If the brakes fail while driving, the driver needs to stay calm and handle the situation in the following order:
Keep calm
First of all, the driver needs to stay calm when an incident occurs. Panic can cause the driver to handle things incorrectly.
Turn on the emergency lights
When seeing signs of brake failure, the driver needs to observe the front and rear of the vehicle to avoid collision. Then turn on the emergency warning lights, flash the headlights to warn other vehicles to proactively avoid, ensuring safety.
Reduce the accelerator
The most recommended way to handle a car that loses its brakes is to reduce or release the accelerator pedal. If you are driving on a crowded road or downhill, the driver should not release the accelerator pedal, just release the accelerator pedal. Because if you release the accelerator pedal and let the car run freely, it can easily cause the car to collide with another vehicle, causing serious consequences.
Do not turn off the machine
Drivers should never turn off the engine because turning off the engine means the car loses power steering. At this point, the driver will have difficulty controlling the car to avoid other vehicles.
Furthermore, turning off the engine also causes the vehicle to fall into a state of free-running due to inertia, which is very dangerous.
Shift to lower gear
The driver can apply engine braking by shifting the car into a lower gear. With an automatic transmission, the driver simply shifts into semi-automatic mode or shifts using the paddle shifters on the steering wheel. With a manual transmission, the driver shifts the gear lever into 1st or 2nd gear.
However, when the car is running at high speed and suddenly forced into a low gear, it can destroy the transmission system, causing the car to break down, which is even more dangerous. Therefore, experts say that when dealing with a car that has lost its brakes, you should not shift into a low gear right from the start. Instead, shift gears in stages.
Brake continuously
Try to continuously apply the brake pedal as the brake failure may be due to a temporary loss of brake fluid pressure. Continuously applying the brake pedal may restore brake fluid pressure.
Use the handbrake
The brakes are designed to be used when the car is completely stopped. However, in an emergency, the handbrake can be used to create braking force. Note that the handbrake should only be used to brake when the car is running at low speed. If the handbrake is used when the car is running at high speed, it can cause the wheels to lock, lose traction, and cause the car to lose control.