What to do when Brakes Fail

Failure to brake is a very risky and a frequent occurrence for automobiles on the road. In this blog post our vehicle recovery and safety experts with Melbourne Towing Guys will offer valuable and vital safety tips to how to protect your vehicle in the event that you God forbid – have brake failure while driving.

Gear Downshifting

Automobiles with manual transmissions – when they experience brake problems, they must get the transmission downshifted immediately. It should not be downshifted VERY quickly and not too soon, as this could cause the car to slide. Autonomous automobiles can be downshifted simply by taking your foot off the gas pedal, and certain autos may come with paddle shifters mounted on the steering wheel which can be utilized to lower the shift.

Dual Braking Systems

Certain cars come with dual braking systems which provide some braking force in the event of failures of the rear or front brakes. If your brakes have the anti lock type applying constant pressure to the brake pedal however, if you’re using regular brakes, make use of the pumping movement to pressurize the brakes.

Slowing the Car Down Slowly

It’s dependent on the location of your car however, when it’s appropriate to do this it is possible to allow the car to reduce its speed and then stop on its own. We recommend that you put on your flashers for the 4 way, and do this when there isn’t much traffic in the area or you simply want to move your car to the other side of the road in order to stay safe until you’ve stopped completely. If you see a lot of traffic on the road you’ll need to utilize an emergency brake.

Emergency Brake Use

Emergency brakes will not stop your car totally immediately – they require more time to stop vehicles than regular brakes that are properly functioning. But they are a should you find that your brake system is failing and you must use your emergency braking system with extreme care when driving your vehicle in the direction that is least likely to result in an accident . Ideally, it’s an appropriate distance to the other side of the road, where traffic won’t be a hindrance.