What Happens If You Drive With The Emergency Brake On

What Happens If You Drive with the Emergency Brake On?

Driving with your emergency brake engaged is a mistake that can lead to a range of problems, from minor inconvenience to serious damage to your vehicle and even dangerous driving conditions. Understanding the potential consequences is crucial for safe driving. This comprehensive guide will explore the various scenarios, explaining the mechanics behind the damage and offering advice on preventing this costly and potentially hazardous error.

Immediate Effects: The Obvious Signs

The most immediate and obvious effect of driving with the emergency brake engaged is resistance. You'll feel a significant drag on your vehicle, making acceleration sluggish and difficult. The engine will likely strain, and you might hear unusual sounds emanating from the brakes or transmission. The car might feel jerky or hesitant to move, especially at low speeds.

Specifically, you might experience:

• Reduced acceleration: The car will struggle to gain speed, requiring significantly more throttle input than usual.
• Unusual noises: Grinding, squealing, or other unusual sounds from the rear wheels (or front wheels, depending on your brake system) are common.
• Overheating brakes: The constant friction generated by the engaged emergency brake will cause excessive heat buildup in the brake system, potentially leading to brake failure.
• Increased fuel consumption: Your engine will work harder to overcome the resistance, leading to poor fuel economy.
• Vibration and shaking: The vehicle may shake or vibrate noticeably, particularly at higher speeds.

Ignoring these initial warning signs can lead to far more serious problems.

Long-Term Consequences: Damage and Danger

Continuing to drive with the emergency brake on, even for short distances, will exacerbate the problems mentioned above and lead to potentially costly repairs.

Mechanical Damage:

• Brake pad and rotor damage: The constant friction from the emergency brake will quickly wear down your brake pads and rotors. This wear is often uneven, leading to further complications and potentially causing brake failure. Severe overheating can warp or even crack the rotors, requiring costly replacement.
• Transmission damage: Forcing the transmission to overcome the resistance of the emergency brake puts a significant strain on its components. This can lead to damage to the transmission itself, including worn gears, burnt clutches, and even complete transmission failure – a very expensive repair.
• Wheel bearing damage: The constant friction and stress on the wheels can damage the wheel bearings, causing them to overheat and fail prematurely. This can lead to instability and even complete wheel lockup.
• Parking brake cable damage: While less common, continually using the emergency brake while driving can stretch or even snap the parking brake cable, rendering the emergency brake useless. This is a safety hazard that should be avoided at all costs.
• Drive shaft damage: In some vehicles, particularly those with rear-wheel drive, the constant strain can lead to damage of the drive shaft. This necessitates a significant repair bill.

Safety Hazards:

• Loss of control: The reduced ability to accelerate and brake effectively can significantly impact your ability to control the vehicle, especially in emergency situations. This makes it much more likely to be involved in an accident.
• Increased stopping distance: If the service brakes are compromised due to the added strain from the emergency brake, your stopping distance will increase dramatically.
• Brake failure: As mentioned, excessive heat generated from the engaged emergency brake can cause brake failure, leading to a complete loss of control and potentially causing a severe accident.
• Tire damage: The uneven wear and stress on the tires caused by driving with the emergency brake on can cause premature tire wear and potentially lead to tire blowouts.

Scenarios Where This Might Happen:

Understanding the situations where you might accidentally drive with the emergency brake engaged can help you avoid this issue.

• Distraction: A simple distraction, such as adjusting the radio or reaching for something, can lead to unintentionally leaving the emergency brake engaged when driving.
• Habits: Some drivers develop a bad habit of not fully disengaging the emergency brake.
• Mechanical failure: While less common, a malfunctioning emergency brake mechanism could allow the brake to engage without the driver's knowledge. This warrants immediate attention from a mechanic.
• Passenger interference: A passenger might accidentally engage the emergency brake.

Prevention and Troubleshooting:

Preventing this issue is much simpler than dealing with the consequences.

• Always double-check: Before driving, make it a habit to always double-check that the emergency brake is fully disengaged. Feel for any resistance in the brake pedal or listen for any unusual sounds from the rear wheels as you start to drive.
• Awareness: Remain conscious of your surroundings and driving habits to avoid unintentional engagement.
• Regular maintenance: Regular maintenance checks will identify any issues with your braking system before they become major problems.
• Professional inspection: If you suspect there is a mechanical problem with your emergency brake, take your vehicle to a qualified mechanic for a thorough inspection.

Conclusion: A Costly Mistake

Driving with the emergency brake on is a costly mistake that can result in significant damage to your vehicle and put you and others at risk. The consequences range from minor inconvenience and increased fuel consumption to catastrophic brake failure and costly repairs. By being aware of the potential dangers, developing good driving habits, and regularly inspecting your vehicle, you can avoid this potentially hazardous situation and maintain the safety and longevity of your car. Remember, prevention is always better than cure. Regularly checking your emergency brake and following safe driving practices will safeguard you against this easily avoidable mistake.