The emergency brake, or parking brake as it's sometimes called, works independently from the brakes that you tap to stop your car. ... However, if your primary brakes fail, you can use the emergency brake to slow down and stop your car.
Can you use handbrake if brakes fail?
Total brake failure
use a hand operated parking brake (handbrake) in an on-off pumping motion, keep the release button pressed as you do this. If there's time, change to second gear and bring the clutch up gently (the engine compression will make the clutch feel like a brake) then use the parking brake to stop.
How do you stop your car when the brakes fail?
How to stop a vehicle that has total brake failure.
- Pump the brake pedal continuously. ...
- Slowly and gradually pull or press down on your parking brake. ...
- If your parking brake does not work, you can shift into lower gears one gear at a time to slow the car down with the engine.
