Car lost brakes? Here’s what NOT to do and how to get out of this situation

There are numerous defects that can happen to your vehicle and generate dangerous driving situations, but few scare the driver as much as losing the brakes. This scenario may seem desperate and even without ‘salvation’, but if drivers act correctly, they can avoid accidents and ensure their safety.

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In this article, you can check out what to do and the best strategies to get out of this situation unscathed and without damage.

What NOT to do if you lose your car brakes

In times of desperation, many actions may go through the driver’s mind, but several of them will not work as expected and may even increase the danger of the situation:

• Do not apply the handbrake. At the moment it may even seem like a good idea to stop the vehicle, but this can be very dangerous, because with the sudden reduction there are high chances that you will lose control of the car;
• Turn off the car? No way. On impulse, drivers turn off the vehicle to make it stop, but this only makes the situation worse, as you will not be able to control the car, much less brake it.
• Do not abandon the boat, or rather, the car. Remember that you are not in a movie. If jumping out of the moving car goes over your head, don’t give in to this impulse, because you could suffer serious injuries and cause an accident and hurt others;

How to act correctly

Check out the three steps for you to get out of this situation safely:

1. Turn on the hazard lights. This will warn other drivers and people on the road that there is a problem and an emergency scenario;
2. Pump the brake pedal. Start pressing it several times continuously, to try to regain pressure;
3. Downshift. Don’t forget to make the changes gradually, don’t skip any and reduce them all at once. With this you will be using the engine brake, which will reduce speed.
4. Apply the handbrake. Once you’ve followed all these steps and are at a slower speed, it’s time to try to stop the vehicle. Pull the handbrake, but very lightly, keep pulling and releasing until the vehicle comes to a safe stop.

Fading: what it is and how to avoid it

It is possible to lose the brakes on your vehicle in several circumstances, but one of them has a name and can be easily avoided, fading. Imagine that you are on a long descent on a curvy road, the car is full with the whole family and the trunk with the luggage.

This whole situation forces you to continuously use the brake system, but there may come a time when it no longer responds and the car does not downshift. This is a full plate for accidents, serious injuries and even fatalities to happen.

If nothing bad happens and you manage to stop on a side of the road, you will notice that after a few minutes the vehicle regains the brake. This phenomenon, called fading, happens because the braking system overheated, cutting the friction of the pads with the discs and the linings with the drums.

When the assembly cools down and there is friction between the parts again, the brake starts working again. To avoid overloading the system and desperate scenarios like this, the correct thing is to use the gearbox, reducing to a stronger gear on the descents.